Alone for the evening? Find yourself cooking for one? Tempted by the drive through or Skip the Dishes? Be kinder to your budget by committing to cook at home! These 5 Affordable Solo Meal Ideas are sure to inspire!
We’ve all been there. You come home from work, to an empty house. You may have worked late or were stuck in traffic for what felt like forever. You were tempted to stop to pick-up sushi or McDonald’s but you had that inner battle with yourself.
I have food at home. I have food at home. I have food at home.
Don’t get me wrong – going out to eat is fine. It’s a treat for the stomach as well as the mind but it doesn’t always work in the budget. It also is easy to fall into the trap of picking-up fast food when it is just yourself. You do it one day and then another and then another. It’s easy but it alllllll adds up money wise and is simply unsustainable.
Here are my top 5, budget friendly solo meal ideas. Even better yet, these are no-recipe meal ideas! They are simply a guiding light to keep you on budget and out of the drive through!
- Embrace Breakfast! Why follow rules? That’s no fun! Be lazy and eat your morning meal in the evening! Granola with nuts, raisins and fresh chopped fruit is a great option when you feel like #CouchLife is the best life. Plus, I am always down for a cuppa! Breakfast for dinner is a great idea if you are rushing from one appointment to another, too! Just make sure your fridge and pantry are stocked with essentials such as bananas, milk, your favourite (or homemade) granola blend plus a variety of nuts and this can be a simple no-brainer meal!
- Make nachos. How fun is that? Have leftover taco meat, BBQ steak, chicken breast or even breakfast sausage? Pre-heat the oven to 350, lay your favourite nacho chips on a small baking sheet and then top with the leftover meat, any peppers, tomatoes or onions you have in the fridge and top with cheese! Heat until everything is warm and cheese is melted. Who said dinner had to be boring?
- Throw an egg on top. Speaking of breakfast… The classic early morning staple doesn’t always need have have a breakfast vibe! If you are craving something warm, have a bit more time or want an added boost of protein consider using an egg to crown your meal! I love making a simple dressing-free spinach salad with a ton of veg and frying-up an egg or two (sunny side-up). I also LOVE adding an egg to leftovers. Sometimes I batch cook a nice hearty chili recipe and freeze leftover portions. After thawing, heating-it up and throwing it over spinach, pasta or oven fries I fry-up and egg (or poach it, if I am feeling fancy) and place it at the top of the bowl. It’s a glorious meal for when you are really hungry. Need a good Chili recipe for batch cooking? I’ve got you, friend! Check-out my recipe for Budget Basic Beef Chili here!
- Up your bag salad game. Make one bag salad last longer than one meal! I find that the convenience of bag salad are pretty awesome, but they are heavy on the dressing and make for a lacklustre meal if that’s all you have. I use half a bag at a time, adding spinach, arugula or other veggies and then top it with rinsed, cooked and drained green lentils, crispy, oven baked chickpeas or half a can of well-drained tuna. I also will pick-up french bread or a baguette for 99 cents and turn it into garlic bread for a lovely entree salad.
What is your favourite solo meal idea? Cooking for one can definitely pose it’s unique challenges, but it doesn’t mean you have to stop cooking for yourself all together!
Did you make and of these Affordable Solo Meal Ideas at home?
If so, take a picture and tag it with #PeppersAndPennies! I love seeing your creations and will gladly share your photo!
