I love bargains, as I am sure you do, too. So, the butcher at my Smith’s grocery store shaved some beef and packaged it at a really good price. Once I got home, I split it into 4 servings, froze 3 servings, and decided I would make a beef Thai noodle dish with the fourth one. It is so fun to cook something up in less than 30 minutes. The beef was very tender, and this made a great healthy meal. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: 1/4 pd shaved beef, 1 packet Trader Joe’s Thai wheat noodles, 1/2 cup chicken broth, sesame oil, 1 slice onion, 4-5 broccoli pieces, garlic powder, ginger, lemon pepper.

DIRECTIONS: Saute the veggies in the sesame oil. Add your shaved beef and start browning. I added a spoonful of the plum sauce I made a while back that I still had on hand. Add the noodles to soften with the chicken broth. Stir this all together. Serve. Cooking for one can be fun.

The other day in the grocery store I found this individual wrapped baker potato called Easy Baker. This interested me as I thought it was perfect for cooking for one because it can be fun. They are USA-grown in Idaho, triple-washed, and ready to cook. The directions say to microwave it for 8 minutes in its wrapper. How easy is that? I was amazed at how good the potato was. I will look for them again. Of course, you can always buy and microwave a Russett potato, but this turned out surprisingly delicious and took less time to microwave than a regular potato. You can add so many possibilities to this potato, making this a meal perfect for one. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: 1 Baker Potato, 6 broccoli crowns, 1 tbs sour cream, 1 tbs butter, 1/4 cup grated cheese, Ghee, white wine, salt-free garlic and herb seasoning, black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Saute the broccoli in Ghee and white wine while you microwave the baker potato for 8 minutes. Season the broccoli to taste. Add your toppings, mix into the potato, and enjoy. Cooking for one can be fun.

I had several plums left from my friend’s Italian plum tree and looked for something to make with them. I came across a recipe to make an Asian plum sauce that sounded delicious and guess what, it is! I served it over pork chops, however, you could serve it with salmon or chicken. I have also used it on a turkey sandwich. It makes a lot for one, so share this with friends or freeze some of it for later. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds plums, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tbs Bragg coconut amino, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbs fresh ginger, pinch of red pepper flakes to taste.

DIRECTIONS: Pit your plums and place them in a large pot. Add all the ingredients to the plums and bring to a boil. Simmer for 25 minutes. After they have simmered, add the juice to your blender and puree. Pour into a jar and let cool. If canning your sauce follow instructions on canning. Share with a friend or freeze. Cooking for one can be fun.

A dear friend of mine has an Italian plum tree in her backyard that is loaded with fruit. I went there and helped her pick some plums, but then I had to decide what to do with my share. Food 52 website has lots of recipes for cooking with plums and I found one that took chicken breast and the plums and skewered them, then barbecued them. The sauce made this dish using rice wine vinegar and sesame oil, honey and soy sauce. I like to use Bragg coconut aminos to substitute soy sauce. It is a healthy alternative. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: 1 organic chicken breast, 12 plums. Sauce: 2 tbs each; rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil, Bragg coconut aminos. Seasoning: Gran Marsala, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic powder, cumin seeds.

DIRECTIONS: Cut your chicken breast into chunks. Add the chicken to a bowl and season. Add the seasoning to taste. Make the sauce and pour over the chicken. Make another sauce on the side for brushing on the skewers. Stir the chicken mixing the sauce and seasoning all together. Cut your plums in half and pit them. Skewer the chicken with the plums alternating them. Barbecue on medium turning every 3 minutes basting with the sauce on each turn. Continue till the chicken is done. Serve with rice. Cooking for one can be fun.

While walking with friends the other day, we looked at this beautiful vegetable garden and commented on how great the veggies looked. The owner heard us and came over and said would you like some. Of course, we said, “yes”. She gave us each some eggplant and a few tomato varieties. What a treat. I decided to cut up the eggplant and add 1/2 zucchini and two red potatoes I had left over. I love grilling vegetables. It is easy and the cleanup is a breeze. All you have to do is clean the bowl while the vegetables are cooking. You can serve these with any protein or enjoy them by themselves. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: eggplant, 1/2 zucchini, 2 red potatoes, 1 clove garlic, olive oil, dried basil, salt-free dash, chopped onion, chives, black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Slice each vegetable in rounds. Place in a bowl and press your clove of garlic. Pour olive oil to coat. Season with the seasoning. Mix it all together. Using a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, place the veggies onto the foil. Fold over. Start your barbecue and put your veggies on the rack. Cook for 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite protein or by themselves. Cooking for one can be fun.

We all end up with leftover veggies in the fridge at times. I want to use some in the fridge, so I pulled some organic ground beef from the freezer and will sauté these all together. This is just cutting and sautéing and when the pasta is done the sauce is done. This is a great way to use your veggies and make a healthy meal quick and easy. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: Use whatever you have leftover, I used: 1/2 pound organic ground beef, 1/4 red bell pepper, 1 Roma tomato, lion mane mushroom, 1/4 zucchini, 1 clove garlic, 2 stalks green onion, 1/2 can tomato sauce, fettuccini pasta, and kalamata olives.

DIRECTIONS: Bring water to a boil for the pasta. Brown your hamburger in a large frying pan along with the garlic. Slice the green onions and add them to the ground beef. Keep browning the beef. Cut up your zucchini and red pepper and add that to the beef. Place your pasta in the boiling water and cook. Add cut-up mushrooms and the tomato sauce. Season to taste with Italian seasoning and basil. Stir this all together. Add a few sliced kalamata olives. Serve over the cooked pasta and enjoy. Cooking for one can be fun.

I am an old Southern girl at heart and I love grits. I keep a box on hand that cooks up in 4 minutes. I like them for breakfast with eggs for the most part, however, I am going to make cheesy grits with shrimp. I want to keep a bag of frozen raw shrimp shelled and deveined in the freezer, making this dish even easier. The grits and shrimp cook in 5 minutes making this meal about 10 minutes to cook from start to finish. Of course, you have to add hot sauce. Tabasco is usually my go-to, but I used Frank’s red hot this time. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: 5 Frozen shrimp shelled and deveined. 1/4 cup quick grits, 1 cup cheddar cheese, butter, garlic powder, sweet paprika, salt-free dash, black pepper.

DIRECTIONS: Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add the shrimp and grits, stir, and cover. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add a slice of butter and a cup of cheese once the 5 minutes are done and stir it together. Serve and add hot sauce to taste. Cooking for one can be fun.

I know it is quick and easy to buy frozen party wings, however, they have lots of sugar and salt. So I bought this package of chicken party wings that are organic and just plain chicken wings and thought I could just make up my own without the extra ingredients that are not that healthy. One big package made 3 meals for me. Great for lunch or dinner. I just reheated them in the air fryer. So all I did was dry them out, place them in a bowl with some olive oil and seasoning, and air fry them. I made a dipping sauce with ranch dressing and Frank’s red hot sauce and they turned out so yummy. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: 1 package of plain organic party chicken wings, black pepper, oregano, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute, smoked paprika, and olive oil. Ranch dressing, Frank’s red hot sauce

DIRECTIONS: Dry your chicken wings with paper towels. This will help them to crisp up. Place them in a bowl and add some olive oil and the seasoning. Mix all together making sure it is coated evenly. Place them in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn and cook for another 8 minutes. While they are cooking, mix together the ranch dressing and the hot sauce, or you can use barbecue sauce on them if you prefer. Cooking for one can be fun.

Making a quick meal with homemade potato chips is a breeze with an air-fryer. Air fryers can be used for so many fun meals. While cooking my potato chips, I barbecued some salmon and made a salad. You can serve chips with so many different entrees that only takes about 20 minutes. You can use any type of cooking oil. I decided on truffle oil that I had on hand and this made the flavor so nice on the chips. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: 1 large red potato, truffle oil, garlic powder, black pepper, garlic and herb seasoning.

DIRECTIONS: Slice thinly your potato. You can use a mandoline or just slice it thinly. Dry your potatoes with a paper towel. Brush lightly on both sides with the truffle oil. Season with the seasoning. Layer your potatoes in your air fryer, only one layer do not overlap. Cook for 10 minutes. Turn and cook for another 5 minutes. While they were cooking, I seasoned my salmon with Tajin and lemon and barbecued for 10 minutes. I also made a quick salad to go with the salmon and chips. Cooking for one can be fun.

I love our local farmer’s markets. The peaches are in full season and are so sweet and juicy. When cooking for one it is hard to eat 4-5 peaches along with the nectarines, watermelon, and other delicious fruits that are at the farmer’s market before they go bad. So, I decided to make a cobbler so I could enjoy them longer. For me, this made three ramakins so I enjoyed two and froze one to enjoy in the fall when the peaches are out of season. It is very easy to make a cobbler. Cooking for one can be fun.

INGREDIENTS: 4 peaches, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla. optional: sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS: Butter three ramekins and set aside. Blanch your peaches, by boiling for one minute and then a quick ice bath. This makes it easy to peel the skin off. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Melt butter with 1 teaspoon vanilla. Slice your peaches and layer in the ramekins. Sprinkle lightly with a little flour and sugar over the peaches. Pour the butter into the flour mixture and blend. Spoon the mixture over the peaches. I sprinkled a few sliced almonds on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cooking for one can be fun.