Single Girl's Guide to Healthy Eating

Just because you're buying for one doesn't mean you have to stick to beanie weenies and frozen pizza. Buy smart, and you'll never have to clean lettuce soup from your produce bin again!

How many times have you promised yourself you'd eat more fresh veggies, just to find that standard, family-sized packages of celery, lettuce or carrots have turned to mush before you finish them? While you're spending the weekends at 'his' place, is that loaf of bread you just bought going moldy? Would you rather meet your friends for that jazz festival than chop onions and peppers? And--here's the kicker--have you ever had ice cream for dinner, just because you didn't want to dirty up the kitchen?

Single girls, lets admit it. We've all been there. We just hoped no one would notice. And the good thing about being single is, maybe no one will! But if you'd like to take charge of your eating habits without cramping your diva-esque lifestyle, all you have to do is make a few simple changes:

1. Choose Your Protein
As women, we know we need extra protein and calcium, as well all those yummy, colorful vitamins we get from fruits and veggies. Before you go to the market decide which sources of protein you'll build your meals around and find easy versions of those. Select just two to three protein sources for the week. To maintain my girlish looks, i almost always stick to fish, chicken and eggs. I buy a combination of prepared varieties, to cut down on kitchen time. This might include a piece of poached salmon or a couple of herbed chicken breasts from the deli case; small tins of good quality tuna; thin-sliced turkey; or skinless, boneless chicken breasts from the meat department if I think I might actually cook. But doing lots of cooking is really not necessary. And don't buy more than you'll eat in a week, although we will cover a "leftover strategy" a little later. Now, begin to build around your protein.

2. Get Thee to the Salad Bar
Most groceries have decent salad bars these days. This means lots of pre-sliced and diced fruits and veggies. Perfect! When I leave the market, I usually have about six individual containers of sliced mushrooms, grated carrots, broccoli pieces, etc. These will be my building blocks for a number of tasty, easy meals. A few tips: sliced cucumbers start to go slimy after a day and a half so don't stock up, and onion slices dry out eventually, though they'll still work for cooking. Sometimes, I buy pre-boiled eggs here, too. I know that makes me super lazy, but hey, I've got shows to watch and calls to make!

3. Produce is Your Friend
Buy a couple of small produce items, but don't go crazy. I usually end up with broccoli or asparagus, a couple of plums and a container of blueberries. Remember, darker and brighter colors usually mean more vitamins.

4. Supplement with Frozen or Canned
Every two weeks or so get a bag of frozen mixed veggies, tins of beans or tomatoes, or another staple. And invest in some good freezer zip-lock bags or strong bag clips to prevent freezer burn, since you won't be using everything all at once.

5. First Things First
For your first post-shopping meal, use the items that are most likely to go bad first. The freshest produce, the pre-poached salmon, etc. This seems obvious, but its worth stating.

6. Simplify Preparation
Cooking (and we use the term loosely here!) for one is easy. Really. Here's one simple tip: toss some broccoli spears and some diced portabella mushrooms in a sturdy, zip-lock baggy. Sprinkle with the slightest bit of sesame oil and soy sauce. Zip halfway but don't seal. Microwave for a minute and voila! You've just made your own "Easy Asian Veggies" recipe, with no clean up! Dump this on a plate with half of that big piece of poached salmon and add some lettuce and dressing on the side and you've got a tasty, satisfying and beautiful dinner. For another zip-lock recipe (my fav!), sprinkle grated carrots with some orange juice. Add a pinch of salt and a touch of olive oil, maybe some golden raisins, or some dried dill. Steam in the half-zipped bag as before. Another idea, that involved no cooking at all: spread some of the grated carrots, sprouts, mushrooms, onions, cukes, or whatever other salad bar veggies you bought onto a tortilla or wrap. Add some turkey slices or cheese and maybe a little vinaigrette -- and roll it up. Have with sparkling water and a pickle.

7. Maintain a No-Leftovers Strategy
We don't mean you have to eat everything at once. But when you have half of a cooked chicken breast left, chop it up add some mayo and some capers and make your own chicken salad for lunch. Works great for leftover fish, too. If you bought some boiled eggs and have already had some for breakfast or in your chef salad, make an egg salad sandwich with the last two or three halves. And mix those last few carrot shreds and onion pieces into your side salad.

8. Let Yourself Go When it Comes to Condiments
Condiments keep well. So buy bigger containers of things like olive oil, mustard, vinegars, pickles, etc., and keep several different varieties of each on hand to spice up your dishes.

8. Get Crazy Creative
This weekend, I made an "Asian Salade Nicoise" for lunch. I used romaine and a tin of Italian tuna, but then I got crazy. Instead of green beans, I used snow peas. I also added some thawed, shelled soy beans and then I whipped up a dressing from olive oil, rice wine vinegar and miso. It was delicious. I also made myself a tiny, eggless chocolate cake (okay, so I was PMS!) I mixed flour, sugar, melted butter, vanilla and half a beer together in a big disposable cup until it looked like cake batter should. (I tasted, too, to make sure). Then I added a pack of Godiva Instant Cocoa mix and a pack of instant chocolate cappuccino mix, stirred, and baked at 350 (in a little glass pyrex) for about 20 minutes. It was sooooo good! And no mess.