Tips for Cooking for One

This year has been full of transitions- the least of which is not that I now live alone. I am surprisingly very much enjoying the independence of having my own little house but there have been some adjustments along to way. In the past I would share meals with roommates, my boyfriend or my sister quite frequently. There was a reason to cook and someone to share it with always nearby. While I am very glad that I am making friends and meeting new people in my new city, I find myself eating alone often. So here are my tips for those cooking for one!

1. Keep lunches simple. Heat up leftovers, make a sandwich, salad or soup with chips or fruit. My go-to lunches include tuna salad with chips and hummus, grilled cheese and tomato soup, pb&j, and garden salads. They are quick to prep and eat.
2. Halve large recipes or freeze your leftovers. When trying a new recipe, I will make 1-2 servings of it to determine if I like it enough to make it again. If it's a winner, the next time I will make the full recipe and freeze some for later. It is always nice to have something ready in the freezer whenever you're out of groceries, time or energy. This works best for soups, sauces, roasts, etc. 
3. Buy bags of frozen individual meats so that you can prepare one at a time. I always keep a bag of frozen chicken breasts and tilapia fillets in the freezer!
4. When buying ground beef or turkey, divide into 1/4-1/3 lb pieces, label and freeze for whenever you might need it. 
5. To keep from wasting produce, plan meals with similar ingredients for the same week. For example, I could have southwestern quinoa salad, black bean patties, fish tacos and a green salad with extra veggies and grilled chicken one week if I buy black beans, avocado, corn, tomatoes and onion.
6. Don't forget to eat fruits and vegetables. I keep baby spinach in the fridge at all times and add a handful to anything from a smoothie, pasta, eggs, rice dishes, soups, etc. Spinach cooks down very easily and blends with other flavors well. 
7. Another way to ensure that you'll eat the fruits and veggies that you've purchased is to prepare them for consumption as soon as you get them home. Wash, slice and store them where they are ready for snacking or cooking! You can also measure out appropriate serving sizes in snack bags to grab on your way out the door. 
8. Sometimes it's okay to have cereal for dinner, or to just slice some cheese and veggies up. You're responsible for you!

Do you have any tips for cooking for one?