Let’s be real: feeding yourself while your spouse is deployed can be hard.
When my spouse was gone, it felt impossible to cook normally. Putting together dinners the way I used to felt like too much work. But eventually, even the Olivia Pope diet of red wine and popcorn dinner gets old. Especially during the winter, when all I want is to curl up with a warm bowl of something lovely.
So today, I’m sharing a few no-fail recipes for feeding yourself with nourishing, delicious food even when you’re cooking for one! They also easily flex to feed kids if you need it to.
Cozy Recipes for Comfort During Deployment
Homemade Spaghetti Bolognese
Growing up, homemade spaghetti was the ultimate comfort food. There’s nothing quite as satisfying on a cold day than a warm bowl filled to the brim with pasta coated in a rich, beefy bolognese sauce.
This recipe is perfect for when you’re cooking solo because it freezes so well. For easy meals, scoop single servings into freezer bags and thaw the sauce anytime you need a quick and cozy meal. It’s great over any pasta, but if you want to mix it, my favorite is over cheese tortellini!
If you’re into meal prepping, these Mexican grain bowls are perfect for a week of packed lunches without getting monotonous: one day can be a taco salad, the next more of a grain bowl, another day add a different salsa or topping combination.
I love when great food hits both the “warm and comforting” and the “not terrible for me” boxes. This soup is just that. It’s simple to make, delicious enough to please picky eaters, and is a perfect weeknight dinner! Plus, it’s Whole30 approved. I love to jazz it up with chunks of avocado or pairing it with a slice of crusty bread! The recipe makes about 3 servings, so enough to have great leftovers without sticking you with the same thing all week for dinner.
Winter food can get heavy in a hurry. So for a lighter option that’s not light on flavor, try this hummus crusted chicken. If you’re just feeding yourself tonight, it’s an easy one to cut the ingredients in half. Or make the full recipe for the kiddos to share with you!
Don’t forget dessert! One of the best things about this Christmas cookie recipe is that the dough can be stored in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to use it. That means that you can pull out a bit at a time to make cookies for the office holiday party or as a Christmas activity with the kids without ending up with 200 cookies lying around just begging to be eaten.
I hope these recipes help get you started on tackling meals while your spouse is deployed!
She created Teaspoon of Nose to offer real food and great travel to anyone. She’s passionate about cooking great meals no matter the budget and finding ways to fit more wanderlust into everyday life. Whether its a weekend road trip or backpacking Europe for a month, she’s quick to share tips and experiences that make planning that dream trip easy. When she’s home, she shares fun and easy recipes for family meals and special desserts!
When she’s not sharing recipes and travel tips, you can probably find her reading a book with a cappuccino in hand, nerding out over Star Wars, or hiking with her 100-pound German Shepherd, Wedge.
