I LOATHE cooking! Advice?
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lavitaloca
Posts: 28
I HATE cooking with a passion but I have three kids and a husband so not cooking is not an option so any suggestions? Has anyone had this problem and overcome it? What are your favorite easy quick dinner recipes?
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Replies
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Buy a crockpot and have fun!0
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Buy a crockpot and have fun!
I have one, but I don't think it's that great, maybe I need to revisit it, LOL!0 -
What is it you don't like about cooking? That might help me help you.0
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baked potatos - wrap in foil, put in oven. take out of oven, eat
roast dinner - put roast, and vegies in oven, take out of oven, eat.
casserole - put cut up meat and vegies in casserole dish, add sauce or herb or stock, put in oven, take out of oven, eat. (you can get meat precut.) make onion one of the vegies for flavour
casserole can be done in stockpot.
casserole is all about different combinations. i use tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce and some mixed herbs. premixed bottled sauces from supermarkets are full of crap and not as good as putting in your own choice of flavor.
make it a curry by adding cardomen, cummin, coriander and pretty much anything starting with c (believe me it's true)
- casserole is nicer if you prebrown the meat but it's not compulsary
with 3 kids see if you can get them to do some of the cooking, from the age of 7 they can be useful.
I made gravy and white sauce, sponge cakes and other desserts from the age of 70 -
I don't like the preparation, I don't like the mess it makes, I don't like the clean up, I don't feel like I'm that good at it, I don't like going grocery shopping because I never know what to buy and I don't like picking recipes because I feel like you buy all these ingredients for one recipe and all these ingredients for another recipe.0
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Grill some protein and serve fresh fruit for a side. The ultimate healthy but lazy dinner.
I have a very picky child, a husband who is not into eating healthy, and myself. This dinner satisfies all of us and minimizes prep and clean up.
Meats: Chicken breasts or drumsticks, steak, burgers (buns for normal eaters, lettuce wrap for calorie/carb watchers), brats/sausages/hot dogs, shrimp, pork chops, pork loin, tri-tip...
Fruits: Melon, grapes, apple slices, already prepped mixed fruit, pineapple
We do this at least twice a week.
Tacos and sloppy joes are really quick and easy -- you can lettuce wrap yours.
Chili is fast and easy and is great for leftovers.
Breakfast for dinner is popular around here, too -- scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, fruit, omelettes are all pretty easy.
Crockpot stuff is good, but you do have to prep. Look for recipes that don't require pre-cooking anything and buy things at the store that are already prepped to save time, if time is more of a priority than money.
I like to cook, but don't always have the time or energy to do it, but it's just as easy to throw something quick together as it is to go through the drive-through.0 -
I hate shopping too
Get some standard stuff and some variety
you NEED
tomato paste, soy sauce, oregano, mixed herbs, salt, celery salt, pepper, olive oil, breadcrumbs, rice, pasta, flour, tinned tomatoes, ketchup.
never run out of these.
get vegetables you all like eating on a seasonal basis. the greengrocer can advise what's in season or look at what is cheap. cheap means in season.
mix up your meals by having a grill, a roast, a stew, stir fry, so this means buy a piece of meat for each of these and freeze what you are not using for the next two days.
Now you are ready to mix and match, not recipe following - use recipies for timing more than anything else, and be prepared for it to take a bit longer anyway.
You didn't say how old the kids are or why your husband doesn't do some of the prep and cleanup. Can you get someone else to do some of these?
The best cookbook in the world is Stephanie Alexander's Cook's Companion but I don't know if you can buy it there. You WILL NOT fail if you follow her directions.0 -
I make a big batch of whatever I cook then freeze the other portion. The usual dishes I make for the family are shepherds pie (mince with mashed potato and cheese on top), tacos, burrittos, burgers with chicken, fish or beef patties. Really quick and simple to make, not much mess to clean up and you can add lots more salad to yours to make it healthy.0
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My kids are YOUNG; two six-year olds and a three-year old. I am a stay-at-home-mom with very little patience. My husband is NOT into healthy eating at ALL and, ironically, weight almost exactly the same as he did when we married eight years ago. He is sometimes willing to help clean up.0
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I don't like the preparation, I don't like the mess it makes, I don't like the clean up, I don't feel like I'm that good at it, I don't like going grocery shopping because I never know what to buy and I don't like picking recipes because I feel like you buy all these ingredients for one recipe and all these ingredients for another recipe.
First, I would try to change my mindframe. If you tell yourself you don't like something, chances are, you aren't going to magically start liking it. For the longest time I told myself I didn't like exercising. Guess what? Every time I made myself exercise, I thought about how much I didn't like it and I dreaded doing it. Then, I found a way to reward myself for exercising and stopped saying I didn't like it and now, I generally look forward to it. If you go into every cooking experience dreading it, it's not going to be fun.
First, start by menu planning. Pick SIMPLE meals to make. Tacos don't require a lot of time, effort or special ingredients. Baked chicken is really easy, too. You don't have to be cooking big meals every day of the week, and you don't have to do just casseroles, either. Look for meals that use the same basics so you can do the prepwork once and cook twice. This week I am making crockpot chicken "pot pie" for one meal, roasted chicken pieces for another, and chicken, corn and potato chowder for another. I prepped for two of the meals by doing the "messy" stuff all at one time. I chopped the celery, onion and carrots for the pot pie and the chowder all at one time and bagged it separately. The roasted chicken is chicken pieces and some seasonings I always keep on hand, then I roast it in the oven. Leftover roasted chicken will be shredded for the chowder. Side dishes can be a simple veggie, steamed or roasted or even from a can if you have to. It doesn't have to be messy or time sonsuming.
If you are finding recipes that need a lot of special ingredients, you are being too complicated. Sit down, write out the meals you like to eat and go from there. If, for the first few weeks/months you are eating spaghetti one night, baked chicken another, tacos another, chicken burritos another and meatloaf another every single week, start easy and move up.0 -
I don't like the preparation, I don't like the mess it makes, I don't like the clean up, I don't feel like I'm that good at it, I don't like going grocery shopping because I never know what to buy and I don't like picking recipes because I feel like you buy all these ingredients for one recipe and all these ingredients for another recipe.
First, I would try to change my mindframe. If you tell yourself you don't like something, chances are, you aren't going to magically start liking it. For the longest time I told myself I didn't like exercising. Guess what? Every time I made myself exercise, I thought about how much I didn't like it and I dreaded doing it. Then, I found a way to reward myself for exercising and stopped saying I didn't like it and now, I generally look forward to it. If you go into every cooking experience dreading it, it's not going to be fun.
First, start by menu planning. Pick SIMPLE meals to make. Tacos don't require a lot of time, effort or special ingredients. Baked chicken is really easy, too. You don't have to be cooking big meals every day of the week, and you don't have to do just casseroles, either. Look for meals that use the same basics so you can do the prepwork once and cook twice. This week I am making crockpot chicken "pot pie" for one meal, roasted chicken pieces for another, and chicken, corn and potato chowder for another. I prepped for two of the meals by doing the "messy" stuff all at one time. I chopped the celery, onion and carrots for the pot pie and the chowder all at one time and bagged it separately. The roasted chicken is chicken pieces and some seasonings I always keep on hand, then I roast it in the oven. Leftover roasted chicken will be shredded for the chowder. Side dishes can be a simple veggie, steamed or roasted or even from a can if you have to. It doesn't have to be messy or time sonsuming.
If you are finding recipes that need a lot of special ingredients, you are being too complicated. Sit down, write out the meals you like to eat and go from there. If, for the first few weeks/months you are eating spaghetti one night, baked chicken another, tacos another, chicken burritos another and meatloaf another every single week, start easy and move up.
GREAT ADVICE! THANKS!
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My kids are YOUNG; two six-year olds and a three-year old. I am a stay-at-home-mom with very little patience. My husband is NOT into healthy eating at ALL and, ironically, weight almost exactly the same as he did when we married eight years ago. He is sometimes willing to help clean up.
It's excuses. If you don't want to cook, make room in the budget to eat out. You can buy pre-made foods and feed them to your family. Saying you want to cook is kind of like saying you want to lose weight. Until it becomes a priority for you, you will find reasons not to do it.
Like I said in my previous post, make a list of stuff you can/like to cook and go from there. Tacos, meatloaf, roasted chicken, chicken and dumplings, potato soup don't have to taste like diet food but can be made in a healthy way. It's all about what you want to/are able to do. As for the kids, doing everything that needs done in the day with the kids in tow can be hard, but it sounds like you only have one at home during the day, and in the evenings, even the kids can benefit from a healthy meal.0 -
I don't like the preparation, I don't like the mess it makes, I don't like the clean up, I don't feel like I'm that good at it, I don't like going grocery shopping because I never know what to buy and I don't like picking recipes because I feel like you buy all these ingredients for one recipe and all these ingredients for another recipe.
I could have posted that. ^^^^^
I hate to cook and I have picky eaters for kids. So that makes it even worse. I use a crockpot quite a bit. www.skinnytaste.com is great for recipes.0 -
Crockpot is certainly an easy way. I do a lot of double cooking some nights. If I make meatloaf I make a double batch then cook some up as meatballs that I heat up in spaghetti sauce the next night. If I make chicken the crockpot I make a huge batch then shred the leftovers for wraps or salads (or tacos). Same thing with beef, it shreds up nicely and you can use for many different things.
If you are making a casserole make 2 and freeze one. You are already going through the work so it is not much more to do a second that you can take out and cook later.
I have to admit, I do fall back on the same dozen or so recipes most times but they are all good so I don't complain. I try something new maybe twice a month and if it is good I add it to the rotation, if not it was usually worth trying.0 -
maybe making large batches of stuff- like goulash and casseroles for instance - one day a week (saturday?) and freezing would make it easier during the week.
Make 2 or 3 batches and rotate. Pull out that nights dinner in the morning- heat when ready. Things that freeze well- lasagna, tuna casserole, chicken and rice mix, stews, etc.
Easy go to dinner once a week in my house- take whole chicken - wash and put on rack in baking dish- season well- garlic, salt, pepper, tarragon, put carrot and onion in cavity... Cook for 40 minutes- during last 10 put a pot of frozen veggie or fresh! on to steam - and cook some brown rice or quinoa as the box tells you. Set table- EAT. I grew up eating this very dinner once a week and my kids will too. Easy, cheap, healthy. Add salad as needed.... to any meal.0 -
Start very simple. It ok not to like cooking. I know buying a bunch of different spices and seasonings at once seems expensive, but you don't have to do that. I bought one at a time. Here are some of my staples:
Chicken broth
Lemons
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Pasta - linguine noodles, rotini, and penne
Sharp cheddar cheese
Almond milk
Whole grain bread
Brown rice
Whole peppercorn with a grinder
Black beans
Feta cheese
Spinach
Celery
Carrots
I try to always have the above at home. I don't buy them all every week, but I always have them. Get on pinterest and find some dishes you would want to eat. They don't have to be extravagant, just simple. If you don't like the mess, try doing one- skillet meals, or even look up once a month cooking - assemble all different meals in one day, freeze, and dump in crock pot the morning you want to use it.0 -
Menu plan. If you know what to make each week you can maximize your meals. I don't assign specific days but I usually plan 5 meals and then write out the ingredients. As I am making my list I will notice, hey this recipe calls for cauliflower and I get two meals out of one head so I will plan two meals this week with cauliflower in them.
You can prep in advance. Some people have prep days where they do marathon chopping for the week. Really though once you get fluent you won't find this necessary. Sometimes I buy things pre-prepped. It costs more occasionally but sometimes it is worth the cost. I bought pre-shucked corn this week to save myself from having to mess with the stupid hairs when making corn chowder. Sometimes instead of chopping onion I will use onion powder etc. Occasionally it isn't worth the flavor difference, but when I am making spaghetti no one (except me) can tell that I used onion and garlic powder this time.
Start enlisting your children to help. At 6 years old they can follow simple directions like peeling cloves of garlic or opening cans of beans. My daughter is 9 and she cooks dinner at least once a week.
Invest in a veggie steamer. I own this one http://www.target.com/p/black-decker-1-tier-food-steamer-rice-cooker/-/A-11301179 but the 9 year old version. I throw broccoli in it, turn the dial, perfectly cooked every time.
Practice practice practice. Cooking is a learned skill and you will never improve if you do not practice. One of my favorite cook books is this one http://www.amazon.com/South-Beach-Diet-Quick-Cookbook/dp/1594862923 and there are a lot of pretty basic, healthy recipes.
I am a Foodie, hence the weight issue, and I spend my spare time watching cooking shows, reading recipes and cooking. I realize not everyone likes to do that but I learn a lot by watching other people cook.
I have thousands of recipes so it is hard for me to say; here these 300 will be easy for you.0 -
My kids are YOUNG; two six-year olds and a three-year old. I am a stay-at-home-mom with very little patience. My husband is NOT into healthy eating at ALL and, ironically, weight almost exactly the same as he did when we married eight years ago. He is sometimes willing to help clean up.
It's excuses. If you don't want to cook, make room in the budget to eat out. You can buy pre-made foods and feed them to your family. Saying you want to cook is kind of like saying you want to lose weight. Until it becomes a priority for you, you will find reasons not to do it.
Like I said in my previous post, make a list of stuff you can/like to cook and go from there. Tacos, meatloaf, roasted chicken, chicken and dumplings, potato soup don't have to taste like diet food but can be made in a healthy way. It's all about what you want to/are able to do. As for the kids, doing everything that needs done in the day with the kids in tow can be hard, but it sounds like you only have one at home during the day, and in the evenings, even the kids can benefit from a healthy meal.
I wasn't trying to make excuses, just answering some questions asked by a previous poster.........
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I agree with a previous poster...
I love to cook and bake, but when I look at a recipe, if it has more than 5 ingredients (or 10 if I'm baking), I'm not cooking it unless it's a special occasion.
Rachel Ray's 30 minute meal cookbooks are good; there's a magazine called Cooking Simple that it good, too. I use allrecipes.com all the time. Just search for the main ingredients that you already have and it will bring up some recipes for you. Again, I use the 5 ingredient rule and only pick recipes that are rated 4 stars or higher. A lot of people here use skinnytaste.com.0 -
I agree with a previous poster...
I love to cook and bake, but when I look at a recipe, if it has more than 5 ingredients (or 10 if I'm baking), I'm not cooking it unless it's a special occasion.
Rachel Ray's 30 minute meal cookbooks are good; there's a magazine called Cooking Simple that it good, too. I use allrecipes.com all the time. Just search for the main ingredients that you already have and it will bring up some recipes for you. Again, I use the 5 ingredient rule and only pick recipes that are rated 4 stars or higher. A lot of people here use skinnytaste.com.
Wow only five ingredients and you are missing out on a lot of good food. Are you including spices? Shoot if you cook anything with salt and pepper there are two ingredients right there.0
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