Learning to cook. Please help!

ThatDollSally

I've started and stopped MFP so many times in hopes of achieving my initial success with the site of losing 50 lbs in about a year (!). Now that I've moved out of my father's house and in with my fiance who wants to get back to the Adonis figure he had when we met, I think things'll be a bit easier. I have the most control over what we eat, but unfortunately the tastiest recipes I've found are loaded with cheese or greasy meats. I put my foot down on the request to make baked ziti every week, but that only goes so far. Does anyone have filling recipes that taste good that are also easy to make after a long day at work? I can only eat so much lemon pepper fish! Ways to make healthier versions of old favorites are also very welcome :flowerforyou:

thepetiterunner

Here are some of my favorite recipe sites:

If you're an omnivore:
www.skinnytaste.com
www.allrecipes.com

If you're vegan/vegetarian:
www.ohsheglows.com

For sweets:
www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com

thatgirlkellib

its learnng to take out the "bad" and subing the good, instead of the "greasy" red meat add- ground turkey or chicken or shrimp or fish to a recipe. get low fat cheese and measure out the servings and cook accordingly. so yo know the quality and ingredients in your food. use coconut oil and olive oil instead of canola or veg oil. steamer bags with veggies are all over the frozen food section...with out additivies like salt and sauces that way you can make your own and go without. use spices instead of loads of salt, if u like mexican / spanish food use chili powder and cumin, like itailian use oregano and herbs to spice your food.
you should really check out pinterest for some healthy and tasty food choices, it really helped me.

if a baking recipe calls for oil, use applesauce
if a recipe calls for mayo use greek yougart

its really about what you like as to taste, subing in items will taste a little different, but its worth the healthy benefits
i really love rice and beans, so I use low sodium yellow rice and low sodium black beans/ brocoli on the side

I really am a pizza freak! so I love to use whole grain english muffins, a little bit like a table spoon (more than that makes it soggy)of no sugar added marinara and a pinch of low fat cheese and few turkey pepperonis or lots of onions and green pepper on top. 4 halves with all the toppings that I use are maybe 400 cals low in fat and salt and no grease. its really filling and cheap. in other words 2 slices of hungry howies makes 400 cals for cheese pizza and i still feel starving after that.

slk_5555

Its not just about what you cook, but how you cook. I make roughly the same recipes as I used to for a lot of things (lasagne, spag bol, chilli con carne, Chinese Chicken & cashew nuts) - I just cook them a little different & use less oil.

If I was cooking any of the above & I started by cooking off the meat in a frying pan, I would use no oil at all. Buy yourself a non stick frying pan & then you can dry fry most meats. If I need a little oil I use a low calorie spray oil instead. If I'm using beef mince I look for extra lean (80% lean meat or more). If the recipe calls for cheese, I try to use less of it, or a low cal version. I use a lot more herbs and spices to make food tasty, rather than creamy/cheesy ingredients which are usually high cal.

Its also healthier to steam or grill when cooking rather than frying in oil. I would just start with a favourite recipe & see what you can do to make it lower in cals and/or fat. I also cook big batches then divide them up & freeze them for easy mid week meals - my individual portions are much smaller than they used to be & I;m still completely full after my meal. Instead of dividing my huge pan of lasagne into 6 portions, I now split it into 8 - barely notice the difference and massively reduce the cals.

xmichaelyx

Cook on the weekends, freeze it in individual containers, and eat it during the week.

Buy a freezer chest if necessary.

Also, you don't say what you like, so it's impossible to make suggestions. (Most of what I eat includes "cheese and greasy meats" - if you're under the impression that cheese and red meat are bad, science does not agree with you.)

keobooks

I recommend the book Cooking for Dummies. It doesn't just give recipes. Each chapter has a different cooking technique and then you learn how to use it with a few recipes. Lists of recipes are ok, but if you have no idea how to sauté or deglaze, or whatever terms you might run into, this is great help.

KeyCat43

Here are some of my favorite recipe sites:

If you're an omnivore:
www.skinnytaste.com
www.allrecipes.com

If you're vegan/vegetarian:
www.ohsheglows.com

For sweets:
www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com

Thanks for sharing these recipe websites! I will have to check these out : )

ThatDollSally

We certainly don't subscribe to the idea that meat and cheese are inherently bad as long as they're in a balanced diet. The problem is that our diet isn't balanced. As far as what we eat right now, we really like fried rice, baked pasta, mexican food, that kind of thing. I normally try to pair things with steamed vegetables and I've been putting peas and carrots in with rice dishes since we barely notice that they're there.

ThinLizzie0802

I tend to keep it simple for week days or I make myself crazy. I roast fresh veggies on a sheet pan or I use steamer bag frozen veggies. I do a simple meat- baked or sautéed chicken, baked pork tenderloin. I occasionally do rice mixed with veggies. Simple meals, easy to track. For pasta I now do zucchini and yellow squash noodles. Got a spiral slicer on amazon for cheap. Absolutely love it! I do an 8 minute sauté on the noodles and use a low calorie red sauce and ground turkey or turkey Italian sausage.

MelissaPhippsFeagins

Sub in ground turkey for the beef in your baked pasta recipes and use low fat cheeses.

Buy your meat from a butcher shop or a grocery with a good butcher. Have most of the fat trimmed off and you've cut lots of calories right there.

www.plantbasedonabudget.com ....easy to follow instructions, not expensive ingredients, and I sub in lean meats or just grill and serve with a side from the site.

Good luck!

loiseden

I don't know if you're from the UK or not. But look up 'The Hairy Dieters' cookbooks.
Two rather large British chefs who went on diets, then wrote down their amazing recipes for the rest of us. I have been using their recipes several times a week since I started this diet and have yet to find anything that isn't delicious.

Mygsds

Another one is www.slenderkitchen.com

Have you also tried the library. Such a huge amount of things you might like. Always good ideas. Best to you.

socialdchic

Yes!! I am like you and just learned as well, I will share my favs that are low calories (everything is under 500)

Ok so I know this sounds weird and we thought so too but it is SOOO good and my husband (who does not eat healthy nor does he like healthy foods) asks for this weekly
http://www.food.com/recipe/weight-watchers-4pt-cola-chicken-219157

This is one of my personal favs, it is REALLY good http://www.food.com/recipe/slow-cooker-salsa-chicken-278573

This one is a nice spin on the other types and we use KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce http://www.food.com/recipe/barbecue-meatloaf-delicious-and-weight-watchers-282086

This lasts more than one meal and you dont even need sides http://www.food.com/recipe/weight-watchers-chicken-pot-pie-167202

We had this last night and its rather low cal and tasty http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/10/skinny-buffalo-chicken-potato-skins.html

This is on the higher end of my low cal recipes but you dont need sides and all in all its still low cal just watch what biscuits you get http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-and-Dumplings/Detail.aspx

I get whole wheat pitas and cut them in half to make these (I was unaware that you get pockets when you cut them in half lol, i was such a noob) http://www.food.com/recipe/pita-pizza-pocket-weight-watchers-ww-4pts-356681


I also buy a bag of red potatoes and split them between these two recipes for sides sometimes
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-New-Red-Potatoes/Detail.aspx?evt19=1
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Garlic-Mashed-Potatoes/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

Hope this helps, I have more if you want to friend me/message me :-D good luck!

Nataliegetfit

Thanks for the recipes, I will look them up.

aufond

Here's a link to my favorite way to roast a chicken:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWLt6G85zC4

The chef is Thomas Keller, one of the best chefs on the planet. You really must try this, I can't imagine a dish that takes so little preparation (basically just season a chicken, put it in a skillet and roast it), yet has such a high pay-off! Bon appetit!