Easy Healthy Meals for One or Two

Recipes often serve four or six. That is a lot of chicken for one person. The good news: small households can eat well with a few smart habits. Everything below comes from Harvard Health and the Harvard Nutrition Source.

Use a simple plate

Harvard Health suggests this plate for one. Fill half with vegetables. Fill a quarter with protein, like chicken, fish, eggs or beans. Fill a quarter with whole grains, like brown rice or whole-wheat bread. Add a piece of fruit, some yogurt, or both. Aim for three meals a day.

Meals that take five minutes

• An egg on whole-grain toast with yogurt and fruit
• Grilled cheese with tomato on whole-wheat bread, plus fruit
• A whole-grain waffle with a little peanut butter, fruit and a small glass of milk

Use shortcuts

• Add frozen vegetables to low-sodium soup stock for a fast soup.
• Buy a rotisserie chicken. Use it in soup one night, a sandwich the next and a salad after that.

Cook once, eat for weeks

Harvard Health says to make a big batch of lasagna, soup, stew or casserole once or twice a month. Split it into single servings and freeze them. The Nutrition Source adds that cooked meals freeze well in airtight containers. Divide food into single-serve containers right away.

How long does it keep?

The Nutrition Source gives these times. In the fridge at 40 degrees or colder: cooked beans and hummus keep 5 days. Soups and stews keep 3 to 4 days. In the freezer at 0 degrees or colder: soups, stews and cooked beans keep 2 to 3 months. Cooked meat and poultry keep 3 to 6 months. Blanched vegetables keep 8 to 12 months. Blanching means a quick dip in boiling water.

What not to freeze

Foods with a lot of water turn mushy. That includes salad greens, tomatoes and watermelon. Still, they can go into a cooked dish like soup.

Stay organized

• Write the date on every container.
• Put the oldest food at the front so it gets used first.

A sample day for one

• Breakfast: an egg on whole-grain toast, with yogurt and fruit
• Lunch: soup made from low-sodium stock, frozen vegetables and leftover rotisserie chicken
• Dinner: a frozen single serving of stew, reheated, with a piece of fruit

How long will it keep?

The Nutrition Source says that in the fridge, cooked ground meat keeps only 1 to 2 days. Hard-boiled eggs and chopped vegetables in a sealed container keep about a week. In the freezer, berries and chopped fruit keep 6 to 8 months in a freezer bag. Opened hard cheese keeps 5 to 6 weeks in the fridge.

If a food changes texture after freezing, you can still use it in a cooked dish like soup or stew.

Eating well alone can feel like a chore. Try cooking with a friend or neighbor and split the batch. Talk to your doctor or a dietitian if you have diabetes, kidney problems or a poor appetite. You may need a tailored plan.