Cheap meals for 1??

**AnW819** · 10-04-2010, 11:33 PM

So DH leaves for work around 6:30pm and gets home @ 5am. He no longer needs to eat dinner @ home because his work has an awesome cafateria and he can get whatever food he wants for $3 total!!! So not only is he eating dinner and possibly breakfast (just once in a blue moon he is really hungry and wants breakfast) if he is hungry for a total of $6 ($3 if no breakfast), but this is cheaper than groceries really...

So, instead of making meal plans every week now for dinners for 7 days a week, I only need to plan dinners for 2-3 days a week...

I just need meals for myself which can be must smaller, hopefully a lot easier, and cheaper? I would like to shy away from sandwiches because this is what I eat for lunch.

Anyone have any suggestions?

TIA!

**mauimagic** · 10-05-2010, 12:25 AM

What a great deal!! Personally for one, I would bake a chicken one night, then use the leftovers for chicken salad, soup, tetrazzini, white chicken chili!! Possibilities are endless.

Plan a ham dinner with DH, freeze some of the ham and with the rest...... make pea soup, ham salads, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.

Please let us know what you decide to make!!

**Palooka** · 10-05-2010, 12:35 AM

Sometimes a bowl of cereal is the perfect dinner for one.

**AnW819** · 10-05-2010, 12:47 AM

They are both awesome ideas!!! Thanks

**Kitten20** · 10-05-2010, 02:27 AM

I don't know how you feel about leftovers, but you could make extra on the nights you eat with your DH and heat up the leftovers on the nights you're on your own.

**lisaflex** · 10-05-2010, 06:50 AM

if you are trying to get your weight down, eat salds, veggies and fruit. eat tuna salad w/ minimal mayo (lofat) and celery and onions and white beans on a bed of lettuce. filling and yum and good for you.

eat a white bean salad w/ red onions and splash of frsh lemon juice on it.

eat hummus and veggies.

make the diet soup (the recipe is on here somehwere....) its the cabbage soup diet recipe

**tervsforme** · 10-05-2010, 08:12 AM

Make a big pot of bean and veggie soup and have that for dinners. You can have cheese and crackers with it if you like. It's healthy and low fat! I make soup every weekend and eat it throughout the week. I just made this one on Sunday. Beef Tortellini soup in the crock pot. You can just simmer it on low on the stove if you don't have a crock pot.

Slow Cooker Beef-Tortellini Soup Recipe from Betty Crocker

Other than that, I agree, leftovers are the best!

**nodmicks** · 10-05-2010, 09:17 AM

Eggs are always my go to meal for just me

Veggie omlette or just eggs

**Judi Dial** · 10-05-2010, 11:04 AM

When DH is gone, I'm likely to make myself corn cheese soup (see my recipes) and toast and/or salad for dinner. Filling, a minimum amount of work and $$.

Judi

**Momto5RN** · 10-05-2010, 12:11 PM

in all honestly anything stouffers or lean cousine can make and freeze so can you.

so maybe on a weekend or when dh is off make a nice big meal and then freeze leftovers so you dont have to eat them all week long .

kind of like bulk cooking for 1 !

or soup and salad and if you bulk cook the soup when its ingredients are on sale you can freeze quite a bit pull out when you want one .

Cheap and easy meals for one | Frugal Village

Cooking for 1 or 2 Recipes

**McD** · 10-05-2010, 02:54 PM

When I can get those heat and eat rice sides cheap (the Uncle Ben's ones that you just pop in the microwave for 90 seconds, you know?), I microwave them, sautee some green peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Drizzle some soy sauce and mix all together---quick and easy stirfry. I ate that a lot when Zac was deployed.

**Josephhgoins** · 10-05-2010, 04:07 PM

I live by myself but BF and I eat together 4 or 5 nights a week. I let myself eat whatever I want on the nights its just me. That includes trying new recipes that I know he probably won't like.

He has a class this week after work each evening so its just me and cat until Friday. On the menu this week is Clam dip and chips in front of the TV with a movie one night. Fried Pork chops and herbed potatoes one night and cream cheese dumplings one night.

All are things that I like or would like that he may not.

**Neeley** · 10-05-2010, 05:23 PM

Just take whatever you would have made for the two of you, eat one serving and freeze or fridge the other for another meal.

A couple of easy foods:

*Bagel cut into half, top with cheese , BBQ sauce (or spaghettie sauce), a small amount of canned tuna, canned chicken, pepperoni, or any other meat and broil until cheese melts. Sometimes I make then with a piece of ham, BBQ sauce, cheese and pineapple - Hawaiian personal pizza

*Dinner salad - dress it up with a cut up boiled egg, chunks of ham or chicken, croutons, nuts, bacon bites, etc...

*Tomato soup with grilled cheese - add some cheese, bacon or pepperoni to the soup to jazz it up.

*Chicken salad made with apple chunks, dried cranberries and nuts - Yumm-o!!!

*1 1/2 cups cooked rice w/small can cream of mushroom (or celery or chicken) soup, 1 can of tuna (or chicken), some broccoli and 1/2 cup cheese all mixed and cooked together

*Make boring spaghetti more fun by adding pepperoni or using shells or penne pasta instead of plain old noodles

*I love a fried bologna sandwich with chips

*A good BLT is also hard to beat.

*Add a banana or orange on the side of just about anything. Fruit makes a great side item - it's yummy and often will curb a sweet tooth.

*Make a few pancakes - eat a couple now and freeze the others for another night.

**Mrs K** · 10-05-2010, 06:02 PM

When I lived alone I would make stir- fry very often: basically chop whatever veggies are on hand and sautee in a tiny bit of oil. You can add whatever lo meat or tofu and serve over rice or pasta. At first I would buy sauce but learned how to make my own with bouillon, cornstarch, water and soy sauce
Easy filling and cheap
You can also make a quick salad with chopped veggies and a can of beans
I also love pasta, love it! If I want to treat myself and dh isn't home, I make pasta with butter and salt. Not nutritious but so good!
I agree with the other posters: left overs are great and easy, especially if you get home tired and hungry after work. You can freeze a few kinds and have variety also.