·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ

Taking just a few minutes to make a home-cooked dinner for yourself can be more deliciously satisfying — and healthier — than microwaving frozen dinners night after night. And it can be done without a lot of cleanup afterward. The key is to have a few basics stocked in the pantry and the freezer. Here are some must-have meal-builders for fast and healthy meals for one.

Stock your pantry

Keeping shelf-stable items on-hand means having quick meals at your fingertips, ready for you at any time! 

• Canned tuna. The ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ recommends eating fish — preferably oily fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids — at least twice a week. Very low sodium canned albacore tuna, packed in water, can help you meet those recommendations. Tuna is a classic go-to sandwich maker, but try jazzing it up by adding grated carrot, celery, raisins and curry powder as well as replacing the mayo with fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt. The combo of apples, tuna and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds makes delicious toppings for a green salad. Canned tuna can also be stirred into low-sodium pasta sauce along with some chopped bell peppers or chili peppers and paprika for a Spanish sauce. 
  
  
• Canned beans. If you have canned beans in your pantry, you can have a meal in minutes. Make a salad for dinner (or pack it for lunch) with mixed greens, beans, any vegetables you have and a sprinkle of unsalted sunflower seeds. Microwave a sweet potato and puree it with beans and low-sodium chicken broth for a satisfying soup. For a hearty pasta sauce, saute beans in a bit of olive oil with garlic, add low-sodium tomato sauce and serve over whole-grain pasta. Buy no-salt-added or low-sodium canned beans, and rinse and drain them to remove any excess sodium.
  
  
• Whole grains. Brown rice is a great pantry staple, but try these other whole-grains, such as pearled barley, sorghum, whole-wheat couscous, bulgur, or whole-grain corn grits to add different flavors and textures to your meals.
  
  
• Canned tomatoes. Make a personal pizza with no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes, low-fat mozzarella and fresh vegetables on a whole-wheat pita. Sprinkle with dried oregano and garlic powder. To make quick and easy huevos rancheros, stir together canned diced tomatoes with cumin and chili powder to make a sauce. Then top two stacked corn tortillas with an egg and drizzle with the sauce.
  
   

Stock your freezer

When you cook, make extra servings so you can freeze them in individual serving containers for heat-and-eat meals.

• Pasta sauce. On the weekend, make a big batch of homemade red sauce (using no-salt-added tomato products), pesto or low-fat white sauce. Freeze in ice cube trays and then transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag or airtight container. Reheat the tomato sauce in the microwave or defrost the pesto or white sauce by placing it in a freezer bag and dunking it into hot water. Serve over cooked vegetables or whole-grain pasta. Check out how to create your own tomato sauce.

• Cooked whole grains. Because some whole grains take a bit of time to cook, such as long-grain brown rice and sorghum, try making a batch or two and freezing it in portion-sized containers, so the grains are ready to use when you need them.
  
  
• Homemade vegetable broth. Use the carrot and onion peels, broccoli stems, and celery leaves to make homemade vegetable broth rather than throwing them out. They provide great flavor and help reduce food waste. Make a batch and freeze to use for soups or to replace the water when cooking grains.
  
  
• Soups and chili. Store-bought soups can be loaded with sodium, so make a batch at home and season with salt-free spices and fresh or dried herbs.