There are many benefits to living alone: you can plan your day the way you want it, cook only for yourself, and go to sleep at a reasonable hour, knowing that no one is going to wake you up. Preparing a practical 7-day meal plan for one person eases your life as well – there’s no need to multiply the size of portions, as you’ll be the only one to be devouring them.
This guide can help you pull off a personal, nutritious meal plan to keep you full, energetic, and satisfied. The only con is doing the dishes afterwards, but rarely does anyone enjoy dealing with that. In this case, a dishwasher could become your kitchen pal.
So, keep reading to discover balanced meals to enjoy over seven days on your own.
If you’re seeking a meal plan for one person on a budget, you’ve come to the right article. The prices for the groceries might be too stressful, so coming up with more affordable options alleviates negative emotions.
We’ve rounded up a simple weekly meal plan to eat alone with different dishes that won’t let you get bored. Diversity in your meals matters as much as their flavor and taste.
Breakfast: Banana Oat Pancakes
Mash 1 banana with 1 egg and a few spoonfuls of oats. Cook small pancakes in a pan. You may also combine only oats with eggs, cook them, and top with banana slices.
Lunch: Lentil Soup
Prepare a lentil soup with 2 slices of wholemeal bread. Make an extra portion of soup per person for leftovers tomorrow or a big batch to stock your freezer.
Dinner: One-Pan Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables
Cook chicken with rice, frozen vegetables, and seasoning in one pan.
Breakfast: Toast with Eggs and Butter
Fry two eggs. Eat with a slice of toast, lightly seasoned.
Lunch: Chicken with Creamy Sauce
Prepare chicken in a creamy sauce, served with green beans and mashed potatoes.
Dinner: Lentil Soup Leftovers
Enjoy leftovers of the lentil soup with finely spread toast.
Breakfast: Eggs with Toast
Boil two eggs and eat them with a medium tomato on 2 slices of whole-grain toast with a spread.
Lunch: Spaghetti with Tomatoes
Cook a whole-wheat spaghetti with sardines and cherry tomatoes served with salad.
Dinner: Frittata
A mushroom frittata served with peas, carrots, and a vegetable salad.
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Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Avocado Toast
Prepare scrambled eggs. Spread some butter on toast and top with thin slices of avocado. Sprinkle sesame seeds over them.
Lunch: Creamy Pesto and Kale Pasta
A wholemeal pasta with onions, pesto, and cooked kale.
Dinner: Chicken Skillet
Cook chicken and potatoes together until browned. Serve with a vegetable side salad.
Breakfast: Chickpea Mash Sandwich
Mash canned chickpeas with salt, pepper, and a little oil. Spread on bread like a sandwich filling.
Lunch: Beef and Potato Skillet
Brown ground beef in a pan. Add in riced potatoes, salt, pepper, and a little water. Cover and cook until potatoes soften and beef becomes more crispy.
Dinner: Tuna Pasta
Mix canned tuna with cooked pasta, oil, and pepper. Add frozen peas or corn for extra flavor.
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich
Spread peanut butter on bread and slice a banana on top. Enjoy a filling breakfast!
Lunch: Creamy Tomato Soup
Prepare the soup by simmering tomatoes with onion. Blend and stir in milk slowly so it doesn’t curdle.
Dinner: Pan-Fried Fish Fillets
Season frozen fish fillets with salt and pepper. Pan-fry in oil until golden on both sides. Serve with roasted vegetables.
Breakfast: Nutritious Smoothie
Blend banana, peanut butter, kiwis, and oats. If you have berries or other frozen fruits, feel free to add them.
Lunch: Chicken and Vegetable Wrap
Lay the tortilla, place the cooked chicken and vegetables in the center, and add a drizzle of oil. Fold.
Dinner: Potato and Egg Hash
Blend potatoes and onions, then fry the mixture in a pan. Crack eggs on top, cover, and cook until they are done.
Snack Ideas:
Hopefully, you found these easy meals for the week beneficial. However, hunger is a tricky thing, and appears more often than you expect. So, if you have a couple of hours before dinner or lunch and your stomach starts to “howl”, here’s what you can tame it with:
Read more: Fasted Cardio Benefits: What You Should Know
Living alone changes everything – you gain the freedom to eat whatever you want and when you want. An easy meal plan for one person should not involve fancy eco-friendly products that cost a fortune. The trick is to keep it simple, low-stress, and versatile.
Think staples: whole-grain pasta, oats, rice, eggs, vegetables, and lean meats (chicken is an affordable option).
Such ingredients are relatively cheap and can be used/tossed/mixed in many ways.
If you can’t come up with new ideas, a 7-day balanced meal plan for one person, described in this review, could be just what you need.
Let’s start with breakfast. It shouldn’t be boring – jazz it up with a quick smoothie, oatmeal pancakes, or scrambled eggs with toast.
When it comes to lunch, cook something attainable – wraps, bowls, roasted meat with salad and grains, or a comforting soup that fits just in. Whether you live alone or not, making batches reduces both waste and stress about tomorrow’s meals.
Dinner is the perfect time for vegetable pasta, cream soups, roasted vegetables, homemade pizza, or fulfilling salads. Snacks should be fun and easy too: boiled eggs, carrot sticks with peanut butter, a piece of fruit, or a few spoons of your favorite salad.
Food that’s perfect for singles is equally good for non-singles. We’re all humans who require the same nutrients. Whether it’s a 7-, 20-, or 30-day meal plan for one person, you need to include these foods in your daily whole food meal plan. Fill your cart with these filling foods to support overall well-being:
Fermented Food – A Great Addition for Digestive Comfort (Really Underestimated)
When we think of nutritious foods, fruits, vegetables, and legumes are often the first ingredients that come to mind.
However, fermented products may be worth a spot on the list.
Why is that?
Their potential health benefits are impressive. A recent review suggested that fermented foods may offer a range of potential wellness benefits. One area that drew particular attention was their possible link to metabolic well-being (1).
Your digestive system may thank you for adding kimchi, kefir, or sauerkraut to your meals.
No doubt, even the most nutritious meal needs to be taken in appropriate amounts. Fermented and high fiber foods may cause unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms if not added gradually. Approximately 10-30 grams (1-2 tablespoons) of sauerkraut a day, for instance, is a good place to start.
Examples of using fermented products in a recipe: eat a tablespoon or two of sauerkraut with mashed potatoes and roasted chicken thighs.
Fruits and Vegetables – Your True Essentials in the Kitchen
Studies have suggested that fruits and vegetables may offer a range of wellness benefits.
Let’s be real – fruits and vegetables are simply delicious and can be added to various recipes. And choosing fruits as your main dessert instead of purchased cookies or chocolates is another win.
Ideas for using fruits and vegetables in recipes include roast vegetables, fruit smoothies, or salads.
Legumes – Your Easy-to-Cook Ingredients
Legumes are often overlooked, but their nutritional values make them worth tossing into your tasty meals. Think of black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, or green peas.
Sprucing up your dishes with legumes is good for extra taste and filling and for your overall well-being.
Eating more legumes can be a simple way to add fiber, plant protein, and key nutrients to your meals. As part of an overall balanced diet and lifestyle, legume intake has been associated with long-term wellness benefits (4).
A sample of using legumes in recipes: enjoy Edamame beans with cooked fish and rice on the side.
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Lean Meats and Liver – Your Basic Filling Ingredients
Lean meats in moderate amounts can be good for us. Surely, now we have different plant-based alternatives bringing similar benefits. If you consume meat, you’ll be happy to find that lean red meat is a rich source of healthy protein and key micronutrients, including heme iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 (5).
Chicken is another nutritious option because it provides quality protein and typically contains less saturated fat than some cuts of red meat. For many people, it can be a practical ingredient in balanced meals and everyday cooking. Also, from an environmental perspective, chicken production is more sustainable than red meat as it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions (6).
Probably the paramount ingredient among others for its high iron content, protein, and other nutrients is liver. Eating it occasionally can add iron, vitamin K, and vitamin B12 to your diet. As it’s nutrient-dense, it may be a practical option for some people when eaten in moderation (7). However, there are risks to eating liver and some people, such as those who are pregnant or have high cholesterol, should avoid it.
Ideas for using liver or meat in recipes include preparing liver with vegetables in an air fryer and serving with grains, such as bulgur or rice.
Other foods to add to your healthy meals for weight loss on a budget include:
Making a 7-day meal plan for yourself does not have to be a challenge. Take a look at this short step-by-step instruction for creating a personal meal plan.
The one food group almost no one eats enough of is fruits and vegetables. Many people may benefit from including fruits and/or vegetables with each meal, and a simple approach is to let them take up a large share of the plate. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables provides fiber and a range of micronutrients that support overall well-being.
Another food to consider eating every day is legumes. They provide protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals. They are also inexpensive and plant-based. Legume intake has been associated with long-term wellness benefits as part of an overall balanced diet and lifestyle (13). Legumes include all types of beans, lentils, peas, and soy products.
Read more: Does Salt Break A Fast? A Guide To Electrolytes And Fasting
Think of the perks of following a meal plan. Any benefit motivates you to keep going:
You can’t live off any single food alone – no one food provides all the nutrients you need to survive. However, if you’re looking for a nutrient-dense, versatile addition to your diet, we suggest eggs. They’re nutrient-dense, brimming with protein, healthy fats, and vitamins. Another pro is that eggs can be used in many recipes, whether it’s pancakes, salads, or homemade cookies. No, as a rule, you shouldn’t force yourself to eat when you have no appetite. Listen to your body instead. This assumes you’re generally feeling well and your weight is stable. However, if you consistently have a poor appetite and/or are losing weight without trying, talk to your healthcare provider. All vegetables are healthy and loaded with fiber, minerals, and vitamins. The key is to eat a variety of different vegetables and fruits, because they each provide different micronutrients and beneficial phytochemicals. A good lazy dinner can be nutritious as well. A sample is scrambled eggs with toast, pasta with canned tuna and frozen vegetables, or a frozen homemade pizza, heated up in the oven. You can also prepare a bowl, adding different vegetables, legumes, boiled eggs, and some meat or tofu if you’re meatless.Frequently Asked Questions
What's one food you can live off of forever?
Should I force myself to eat when I have no appetite?
What is the healthiest vegetable to eat?
What's a good lazy dinner?
You’ve learned about the practical 7-day meal plan for one person. It involves simple budget-friendly meals that are easy to cook, even for beginners.
This article also lists some of the best foods for singles, such as fermented foods, vegetables, fruits, legumes, lean meats, whole grains, eggs, avocados, nuts and seeds, and fish.
To make a 7-day meal plan for one person, explore the recipes, analyze your budget, create a list of groceries, and prepare foods in batches.
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