Eat at the Bar

My mom is a huge fan of this one! If you really want the restaurant experience, but don't want to have to say the dreaded "table for one," a really good tip is to eat at the bar. Most restaurants offer the full menu at the bar and it's a great way to enjoy your meal without having to pretend to be waiting for someone else.

A lot of the bars have TVs so you can watch the game instead of having to stare at your phone. Also, a lot of other people tend to eat alone at the bar so you get a great chance to meet new people. Also, what's better than a good chat with the bartender?!

Know of any good restaurants with hopping bars? Let me know!

Cara

Single Portion Meals that are 300-400 Calories

I found this website that has these great pictures of 300-400 calorie meals. It shows you that you can eat healthy and still have a great meal.

While I would not suggest by any means that every meal you eat should be 300-400 calories (that would only be like a 1,000 calories a day and totally not healthy), the pictures do show great examples of single portions that are reasonably sized. A lot of times restaurants serve meals that are over 1,000 calories -yikes!

And I'm a picky eater and all of these look good to me!

Another good article with pictures of healthy single servings is this one. All of these are great ideas for when you are eating for one. (This one compares them to some bad alternatives as well haha).

Make English Muffin Pizzas!

My family likes to vacation on this island in Maine. It's a great place, but there is no grocery store and you have to go off island to get supplies. So we stock up before going across on the ferry. Dinners are planned for, but lunches are always a "help yourself" kind of affair. Some people sleep in, some go out on walks. So you are pretty much left eating and cooking for just yourself, using whatever is left in the fridge. Whenever we had left over spaghetti sauce, my mom would make me these great mini pizzas using English muffins. They are great for when you want a simple, quick meal for one! And they are REALLY easy to make.

You need:

One English muffin, split in half

Pizza or Spaghetti Sauce

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

These are best made in a toaster oven, but are just as good made in a regular oven. If you do use an oven, heat it to 350 degrees. Cover each half of the english muffin with the sauce, sprinkle on the cheese, and then pop them into the toaster/regular oven. Cook 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the muffin are browned and the cheese is melted.

And you can get creative here with different toppings! Mushrooms, Pepperoni, etc can all be really good!

Let me know what you have tried!

Cara

Make Bananas Foster

I find that deserts are one of the harder things to cook and eat alone. I've often found myself with two dozen cupcakes and nothing to do with the 22 I haven't eaten (my doormen love it when that happens). But! I have the perfect recipe for a yummy desert that doesn't leave you with wayyyy too much.

You need:

1 banana (peeled and sliced into little circles)

2 teaspoons of dark rum

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon of butter

2 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1-2 scoops of vanilla ice cream

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the rum, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar. Once it starts to bubble, add the banana slices. Cook until the bananas are hot. Scoop the vanilla ice cream into a dish and then pour the mixture over it! Time to enjoy!

Most of these ingredients are usually around the house or can be used for lot of other things. Good additions to the recipe include pecans or walnuts and banana liquor is usually a yummy touch.

As someone with a genetic sweet tooth (thanks mom and dad), I am definitely looking for more desert recipes for one. What have you tried?

Cara

Make Your Food Multi-Task

When my mom and I decorated my Manhattan apartment, one of the things we tried to do was make sure that everything had more than one purpose. My sofa pulls out and becomes guest bed. My desk turns into a full dining table. My fake fireplace is also my TV stand. My ottoman stores the guest sheets and the top turns into a table when needed.

When you are shopping for food for one, you need to ask my momma's favorite question, "What else can it do?"

Don't look at potatoes. Look at breakfast potatoes, baked potatoes, potato casseroles, mashed potatoes and other recipes.

Don't look at chicken. Look at grilled chicken, chicken salad, chicken sandwiches and other dishes.

It's important to make sure you know the tasks your food will be performing before you buy it. C'mon you wouldn't buy a television without knowing exactly what it could do or hire a new employee without knowing all their skills? So don't do it with your food.

Know any good multi-tasking foods? Let me know!

Cara

How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu!

This is an ultimate favorite of mine. Not the healthiest, but pretty darn yummy. And it's incredibly easy to make for only one. And most of the ingredients are things that you can use to make a lot of other things

You need:

One boneless, skinless chicken breast (buy the smallest pack you can get and use the others for other meals during the week or freeze the rest)

One slice of swiss cheese

One slice of ham

Butter

Toothpick

Bread Crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, pound the chicken breast until it is about 1/4 an inch thick. Then lay the swiss cheese and ham on top of it and roll the chicken up with the ham and cheese inside of it, secure with a toothpick. Melt some butter in a small bowl and dip the rolled up chicken into it. Next roll the chicken in a small bowl of bread crumbs, making sure it is completely covered. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish and cook for about 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

The meal is about 420 calories but totally worth it.

My mother swears by using Laughing Cow Cheese with hers. I've also heard that Provolone cheese is a good alternative for those non-Swiss fans. What are other variations you have tried?

Cara

Plan Your Meals Out Ahead of Time

Ok, I really should practice what I preach, but the times I have actually done this, it has helped tremendously for the following reasons:

• It makes shopping more effective. You only put what is on your list for those meals into your cart.
• You can be more creative. Thinking about it ahead of time gives you the opportunity to check out recipes for new foods instead of just popping that frozen pizza in the microwave.
• It eliminates excessive thinking about food. You feel less lonely or sad about eating alone because you don't have to spend the time time deciding what you want to eat each day.

How has planning ahead helped you?

Cara