Will you help me with my goal?

Britt2Fitjrny

Ok so along with losing weight I have added another goal to my life, and that is... learn how to COOK!! I will be teaching myself for the most part. But I want to learn how to cook food that is good and low calories!! I have already looked at a few site (skinnytaste.com and hungrygirl.com and a few of the recipes on MFP) and have gotten some really good ideas. Only problem is I don’t really know what to shop for. I am seriously use to microwavable food or anything that comes in a box. Can anyone help me out with some ideas on starting a shopping list? I already know I want some sharaki (or whatever they are called) noodles because I love pasta and I heard those noodles are very low cal! I am pretty much a carb lover and anything with cheese and meat! garlic is my favorite seasoning and I love me some fresh veggies especially onions! Does anyone have some good and easy recipes that I can start off with! I really want to reach my goal for a few reasons: 1. I'd like to cook for my boyfriend because he comes from a family that always had good homemade meals (no longer speaks to them so I can't ask for advice) 2. I want my family and future family to know what it’s like to have a good low cal meal that is healthy for you instead of it coming from a box. 3. I want to have the knowledge so I can make good decisions for the rest of my life and not have to be locked down to the frozen food sections in the store! I WANT SOME GOOD HOME COOKING and I know it’s not easy but I’m determined to learn and achieve my goal. So please.... If you can help me it would mean so much! I am planning on going shopping today and would love to start towards my goal today and actually avoid the pre packaged/frozen food meals. Thank you so very much for your time because you're time will help my life for the better! :happy:

rocketmouse

I asked this same question just a little while ago and my friend pointed me towards two about.com articles, a list of pantry stables and seasoning staples (mostly herbs)
http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookbasics/qt/basicstaples.htm
http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookbasics/qt/basicherbspice.htm

I've been using it to build my pantry, one shopping trip at a time.

sweetheart03622

Best advice for easy, cheap, delicious low-cal cooking: crock pot. Essentially, all you need is a protein and a sauce and it'll be good (chicken and salsa, pork and bbq sauce, etc). Then just start playing around with seasonings.

Here's my foundations for my healthy shopping list:
-chicken
-onions
-celery
-carrots (these 3 veggies add SO much flavor to anything)
-canned tuna (with some lite mayo for a quick lunch)
-eggs (breakfast or hardboiled for a snack)
-whole wheat english muffins
-natural peanut butter (on fruit or english muffins)
-fruit
-fat free milk
-lean deli meats (turkey, roast beef, ham)
-Chobani greek yogurt

Skinnytaste is a fabulous resource! Pick a few recipes you like, write down the ingredients you need (after you check your cabinets to make sure you don't already have them!) and then head to the grocery store! Make sure you always have some good snacks (fruit, veggies, nuts, yogurt) and a few "quick meal" options and you should be good!

cbu23

Here is a good list of "kitchen staples"

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/pantry-staples-checklist-00000000000197/index.html

Two REALLY good books that I have are the Cooking Light cookbook (the website is good too). It's full of nothing but light recipes and tips. Even tells you how to substitute item for items you do have in your kitchen already. Another good one just for cooking and kitchen basics is called How to Boil Water. It's from Food-network. It's a really good starter book. Gives you a good list of things to always have on hand in your kitchen and shows techniques and is all around a great book! Hope that helps a little.

Adina81

First: Get rid of any loose cash (this stops the 'on a whim' food purchases)
Second: buy lots of vegetables and fruits.
Third: source out raw meats/fish (NOT FROZEN)
*Rice* *potatoes* (great fillers)
Forth: Get some good cooking sauces (if your looking for terriyaki...make it a home. it rates a 1 to make)
*Grab some canola oil* *walk right past the cheeses*
Fifth: Go buy yourself some spiffy Frying Pans. Casserole Dishes.

Go to: allrecipes.com

Live Life Full Of Flavor

Pebble321

Good on you for learning to cook, that's great!
My advice is not to go and spend a heap of money on a random person's list of pantry basics, but to find a couple of things you want to try and buy all the ingredients/ equipment you need just for these dishes. This way you will gradually build up a pantry with the items you use.

momofacacia

My suggestion is to check out allrecipes.com This is an amazing site with thousands of recipes. You can sign up for free, and create your own recipe box. Save the recipes you like and make sure to read the suggestions and comments by other members.

I will find a recipe and may modify it, starting with lower calorie options available. Substitute ground turkey for ground beef, fat free milk and a little fat free half and half as a substitute for whole milk, etc...

I plan a menu before I go to the store, to make sure I have everything on hand.

Start a small stockpile of some of your basic ingredients. Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, pasta sauce, gravy, broth, frozen veggies. You don't need to go overboard.

I add veggies to a lot of foods, like meatloaf, lasagna, mac and cheese pretty much anything to add low calorie bulk to my meal.

If you want to add me as a friend, I love to cook, and have slowly started adding recipes to MFP. I'd be happy to share them with you!

Hope this helps get you started Cooking can be lots of fun. I find it relaxing!

CrystalFlury

I LOVE to cook and bake (baking has been cut down on for me since MFP ;-) ) Really, I learned to cook by doing things myself (experimenting) and learning from the Food Network (Alton Brown is my favorite). As far as being healthier about cooking just become more knowledgeable about the kinds of ingredients you're using. Try to avoid foods that require a WHOLE stick of butter, stuff like that.

I keep in my pantry at all times, brown rice (used to be white all the time), recently, I've been keeping dry beans around (less sodium compared to it's canned counterparts), flour, and whole wheat pasta. Some seasonings you might want to consider having around for flavoring meats are lemon pepper, chili powder, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and maybe some basic herbs.

A site I use a lot is Allrecipes.com, I enjoy finding recipes online because it's more interactive. What I mean by that is it's a really good site because it has user ratings and comments listed by people who cooked it previously. Most of the time people comment on how to improve a recipe, what to substitute in it etc.

Yoopermom13

Try by making a menu for the week and then go through it and write down what you need on a list. This helps your budget and also controls impulse buying.. Don't shop when you're hungry either. If you can read you can cook and if you ever have any questions feel free to ask me. I'm 58 yrs old, cooked for a diabetic for 13 yrs and took a few nutrition classes. I'll be glad to help in any way I can.