cheap/healthy meal ideas for single people

[dow]

I'm sure that most of you are married and have families to feed but I'm neither and I am broke so I am trying to think of cheap AND healthy stuff to fix that won't go to waste. I so often make something and then there's so much of it I get bored eating it for a whole week so then I decide to eat out which costs money. I'm stuck in a rut without any ideas. Getting tired of tuna..:rolleyes
Currently, the quick whole-grain-boil-in-a-bag rice things are working out quite nice with a chicken breast but I can see that getting old too. Also, I'm quite difficult because I'm trying to get away from all the carbs and I don't like meat very much.. :idunno help!

[TeachMe]

I'm in the same situation. It's hard to fix something decent for just me, so I eat out alot, too.
I'm on a diet right now, I've lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks, and have many more to go.
So I need to eat healthier and make my own meals instead of eating out.
I do have a bunch of that nutrisystem stuff and I don't like it, but I've got to get rid of it, so I have to eat it.
I'll watch this thread to see if anyone offers any ideas.

[icebear]

i like to keep frozen veggies around, you don't have to cook the whole bag, just what you want for that meal- and its good to use the microwave.

also, it helps to buy things like hamburger and separate it into small portions, about 1/2 pound portion or smaller, and keep it in the freeze. Same with chicken tenders. with the chicken tenders you can marinate them in salad dressings (there's so many flavors to try- have fun) or herb pestos and either bake or grill them up and have a side of veggies.
another thing to try is to cook something large, like a casserole, then portion it into small plastic food containers and freeze them. if you spend a weekend and make three different dishes at a time, you will store up a nice variety in a couple weekends.

the freezer can be your best friend.

[I'm all 67X]

PBJ, ramen noodles, mac n' cheese, mustard sandwiches- sometimes with bologna, hot dogs, the occasional simple spaghetti...these are the things that kept me alive in my single days. ;)

:lol2

[TomSki]

PBJ, ramen noodles, mac n' cheese, mustard sandwiches- sometimes with bologna, hot dogs, the occasional simple spaghetti...these are the things that kept me alive in my single days. ;)


Elvis! :shocked I KNEW you were alive!

[No2Flesh]

Get sirloin steaks on sale, grill them.

With a shark knife slice them 1/8' thinly and freeze them in ziplock bags.

Microwave for 1 minute and enjoy. Taste like it just came off the grill...

I do this for fajitas etc..also any $1 pasta with the meat diced and added is very good.

opps, i just read you dont like meat very much....maybe someone else can use it.

Sirloin is very lean, especially when the fat is also trimmed...and in small portions Im sure its good for you.

[Krayola]

also, it helps to buy things like hamburger and separate it into small portions, about 1/2 pound portion or smaller, and keep it in the freeze. Same with chicken tenders. with the chicken tenders you can marinate them in salad dressings

I just heard a tip this week about marinating chicken, you can put a small portion of chicken in a freezer bag, pour the salad dressing over it and then freeze it. This will save time when you take it out of the freezer to thaw before cooking, it will already be marinating as it thaws.

[ShannonWallace]

www.savingdinner.com (http://www.savingdinner.com)

There are free menus you can print out to try the system. If you do like it, it's cheap to subscribe.

You don't have to be married, or have a family. They come in 2 serving options.

If you aren't picky, you'll love it.

Even if you are picky, you may still like it.

My husband, who is the pickiest person on the planet (he was 21 before I was able to get him to try ketchup for the first time in his life), even eats recipes from this system that you couldn't PAY me to even DREAM he would eat.

Here's one of the recipies:
http://www.savingdinner.com/archives/recipes/garlic_lime_chicken.html

She's requiring you sign up for a newsletter or something to access the menus. This is new, and I apologize. Here is the link, regardless:
http://www.savingdinner.com/about/free_dinner_menu.html click on 'sign up'.

After you sign up (her newsletters are good, and informative), you'll get a link to the free menus.

[TheLordismytreasure]

Smoked pork chop, tossed salad and baked potato. Very quick to fix, the smoked pork chops are precooked and just need to be heated, (kind of like ham, but even tastier). Also canned black beans make a very quick and healthy side...

[TheLordismytreasure]

Another no carb idea is chicken breaded with parmesean cheese, no carbs, no sugar, fry in a skillet with olive oil. Good healthy sides are cottage cheese, applesauce, canned greens like kale or turnip greens. I buy chicken in the bags frozen so I can just thaw one piece at a time. Sometime I will bake a piece of chicken covered with spaghetti sauce and asiago cheese, maybe some mushrooms if I have them, (canned or fresh). I also buy the frozen bags of green pepper and onions, you can just use what you need and put the rest in the freezer, good for omelets and gumbo. Gumbo is a good healthy meal (can use some of that chicken for this) with little or no carbs, depending on what you add (I like to put it over rice). Home made veggy soup is also very good for you and also low carb. You can make a delicious chef salad with egg (good protein), cheese, croutons (little bit of carbs though), ham and/or chicken lunchmeat, kind of like a good sandwich without all the bread. (Sarah Lee lunch meat, sundried-tomato turkey is delicious).