What to do if you hate cooking?

Options
natalieyeo39
natalieyeo39 Posts: 90 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi everyone, my current problem is that I really dislike the whole process of shopping, cooking, cleaning and it doesn't help that I live next to 2 huge malls so I have most of the food franchises/restaurant in the country within a 10-15 min walk from my place. Of course, the food places aren't exactly low in calorie e.g. Beef and vegetable bowl? 600 calories.

So what can I do to make the cooking process less laborious? I tried to cook most of my meats for a week at a go, but that just takes up 2-3hrs of preparation, cooking and cleaning AND I spend the last 2-3 days of the week wondering if my cooked chicken breasts have already gone bad.

For those who cook or who also hate to cook, any tips? I'm quite sure one reason for my dislike of cooking is that I'm not a good cook and I don't like cooking enough to invest the time to become a good cook. I'm also on a budget as well...
«1

Replies

  • JcMey3r
    JcMey3r Posts: 431 Member
    Options
    If your on a budget you will have to cook for yourself but if you had some more moola you could make use of companies that do healthy meals that you can pick up on a daily bases. We have one in SA where you go for a consultation and based on that they cook meals specifically for you.
  • castikat
    castikat Posts: 1
    Options
    You might invest in a crockpot. There are tons of recipes that you just dump things in and let it cook all day for dinner. You can eat the leftovers for lunches. You could also get a rice cooker to make cooking rice really easy. You can also have your groceries delivered if there's a grocery near you that offers that but it can be quite pricey that way. I feel you about the whole wondering if your meat has gone bad when cooking it in advance though. If you're going to make up food in advance, try making dishes that are able to be put in the freezer and then just popped in the oven when you want to eat it. That way you won't have to worry about spoilage.
  • drop_it_like_a_squat
    drop_it_like_a_squat Posts: 377 Member
    Options
    Totally with you on that one. I hate it. Plus I don't really have the time to cook huge awesome meals.

    But it's just something that has to be done if you want to reach your goals. If you always eat out or grab something to go you never really know what exactly is in your food and therefore never know how much you actually eat.

    I just go for the really fast, easy stuff. Nothing amazing. Usually that's rice or noodles with some meat or fish and any vegs. Parboiled rice is great. One bag usually lasts me 2 days and it only takes 10 mins to get done. Throw some chicken and frozen vegs in a pan, done.

    Unless you like to eat 3 cooked meals a day it really isn't much of an issue.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    Options
    Tough. Learn & get used to it. If you are spending 2-3 hours cooking a simple meal then you are doing it wrong. Takes me 30 mins to cook my dinner.... takes me longer to eat it.
  • natalieyeo39
    natalieyeo39 Posts: 90 Member
    Options
    Thanks so much for the responses! One limitation I have is that I've shifted countries so this place I'm in, I've only bought a pot, steamer and a frying pan. So to heat up food, ill need to steam it! It's like life before the microwave was invented. The crockpot idea sounds awesome because I love stews and gravy :D

    The thing is I'm trying to make weightloss sustainable but thanks to my dislike of cooking, I make edible food but there is so much deliciousness just a short walk from me! Hopefully getting a crockpot and being able to make good food will make te whole process much less tiresome. I need to find a recipe that I love that I can make for myself!
  • lucan07
    lucan07 Posts: 509
    Options
    I find 5 minutes actual time to weigh and prepare a meal and put on or in stove and dish up, then clean up 2 minutes is plenty, far quicker, cheaper and healthier than a takeaway. Sounds to me like you need to learn to cook or stop making excuses!
  • steffij100
    steffij100 Posts: 85 Member
    Options
    I love cooking, but if you don't enjoy it, it's best to keep things simple. As someone has already said, use a crockpot- make enough for 4 servings at once for example, it shouldn't take more than half an hour to chop all the ingredients, then freeze the remainder separately and bingo, you have another 3 evening meals covered with little effort. Or stir fries- you can chuck everything into one pan and cook in about 10 minutes. It will probably be less calories (depending what you use) than eating out, certainly cheaper, and you know exactly what's going in it, so much easier to track calories rather than guesstimating.
  • natalieyeo39
    natalieyeo39 Posts: 90 Member
    Options
    The 2-3 hrs is when I cook all my protein for a weeks. About 3 kg of lean chicken breast and 12 eggs.
    Tough. Learn & get used to it. If you are spending 2-3 hours cooking a simple meal then you are doing it wrong. Takes me 30 mins to cook my dinner.... takes me longer to eat it.
  • steffij100
    steffij100 Posts: 85 Member
    Options
    Thanks so much for the responses! One limitation I have is that I've shifted countries so this place I'm in, I've only bought a pot, steamer and a frying pan. So to heat up food, ill need to steam it! It's like life before the microwave was invented. The crockpot idea sounds awesome because I love stews and gravy :D

    The thing is I'm trying to make weightloss sustainable but thanks to my dislike of cooking, I make edible food but there is so much deliciousness just a short walk from me! Hopefully getting a crockpot and being able to make good food will make te whole process much less tiresome. I need to find a recipe that I love that I can make for myself!

    You cam warm thing up in a pot- just make sure it's thoroughly defrosted first, then heat through gently.
  • GemmaRowlands
    GemmaRowlands Posts: 360 Member
    Options
    I hate cooking too, but sadly in life we have to do things we're not so keen on, and if you're doing it to try and improve your lifestyle then that's a good enough reason to give it a go!

    I love doing jacket potatoes, as you just wash them & put them in the oven until they're done, buy a pre-packed (plain, not with dressing on or anything) salad, and you're sorted.

    Also slow cookers are fabulous. Just get your meat and veg (which I'm fairly sure you can also buy ready diced), put it in before you go to work, and when you get home it will all be ready for you.

    Cooking isn't so bad. You don't have to spend hours doing it. Even things like pasta covered with tinned tomatoes, which is something I'm really keen on, takes a grand total of 16 minutes from beginning to end of preparation. There are loads of things you can do.
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
    Options
    Whilst I love cooking, after working 2 jobs, sorting out my 3 dogs and getting some exercise in, cooking is often the last thing I want to do. One of my go-to meals is butternut squash, cous cous and chicken, or similar variations on the theme. It takes NO effort - slice a chuck of squash (don't even need to peel it), throw it in the oven with a chicken breast and cook for 30-40 minutes, and in the last 5 boil a kettle and pour over some cous cous. Done. Very little prep, or washing up after needed.
  • Kookyk9s
    Kookyk9s Posts: 259 Member
    Options
    Whilst I love cooking, after working 2 jobs, sorting out my 3 dogs and getting some exercise in, cooking is often the last thing I want to do. One of my go-to meals is butternut squash, cous cous and chicken, or similar variations on the theme. It takes NO effort - slice a chuck of squash (don't even need to peel it), throw it in the oven with a chicken breast and cook for 30-40 minutes, and in the last 5 boil a kettle and pour over some cous cous. Done. Very little prep, or washing up after needed.

    Going to have to try this. My go to when I hate cooking is omelettes Scrambled eggs with anything at all it it. Tablespoon of Parmesan for the cheese and it is fast and yummy with few calories. Lots of frozen veggie options to make it different from day to day and eliminate spoilage. Is packed and ready to go to work with for lunch right now and will be zapped in the microwave at work in less than 5 minutes. One bowl with all stuff in it jumbled together. My co-workers have asked me to make it for them. NO. Do your own it is not hard. Can also be done in pot or frying pan. I use non-stick pans so the clean up is minimal.
  • mrswince
    mrswince Posts: 7
    Options
    Hi, I love to cook but rarely have time.If you have use of an oven you should invest in some roasting bags! These are a great way to create tasty food without the mess or hassle of preparing a big meal. You can use chicken or turkey breast, throw in what ever vegetables you fancy (whole or chopped), seasoning, or a crumbled stock cube. Some times a small dash of olive oil. Tie the bag, put on a tray in the oven 20-30 mins Done! You can buy the shake n bake sachets but to be honest you can create your own. Piri piri seasoning works well. Also you can make a good curry or fajhita! (and this works with fish) :)
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Options
    My main staple food has been couscous chicken salad - a couple of chicken pieces (or chicken breast depending on how I feel), couscous (which takes a minute or two to cook when you add boiling water) and salad leaves from a bag of salad. Add some kind of powder stock (Marigold Bouillon? Chicken soup powder?) to the couscous before adding water. I've done this for the last 2 years. Gets samey but it's easy. Once it's down, you're full and won't care. Plenty more things to do than eat.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    Options
    Just how long does it take to make let's say a prawn stir fry? No time at all.

    Supermarkets have fresh stir-fry veg all cleaned and bagged up for you. Lob in some prawns.. drizzle of soy sauce... Done!

    And if you're really super lazy, you can eat it straight out of the wok... :huh:
  • paulmeiss
    paulmeiss Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    Bro, do you even Lean Cuisine?
  • jazi719
    jazi719 Posts: 150 Member
    Options
    My life consisted of cereal for breakfast, frozen dinner for lunch, oatmeal/cereal or soup for dinner or whatever I could grab from the grocery store, already made pizza, muffins, donuts, anything, as long as I didn't have to cook it.

    Then I got sick, real sick, digestive problems for over a year, found out I have Lymphocytic colitis and have so many food intolerance's. Gluten being #1, then dairy, soy, eggs....

    So, I bought a crock pot. Now I have two. I freeze what I don't eat and am all set for work during the week. I still don't enjoy it but I have no choice.

    I also bought a mini indoor grill for turkey burgers, sausage, or whatever. Comes in handy. Sits right on my stove.

    And then you have google for amazing recipes. :smile:
  • natalieyeo39
    natalieyeo39 Posts: 90 Member
    Options
    Thanks everyone for your helpful comments! I just bought a slow cooker and my new lazy girl strategy is to measure and calculate all my calories for tomorrow, chop and dump into the pot, cook overnight and serve after my morning 30DS workout! So ill just eat of out the pot all my 3 meals and get the calories I need for the day.

    I live in a small dinky old apartment in a prime location, so I don't have an oven, sadly I can't do the roast recipes :( and my apartment has bad ventilation and the building is infested with cockroaches so I hope this simplify my cooking process with paranoia of baby cockroaches climbing all over my pots and pans. I just hope that chicken breasts won't be too dry from overnight cooking...
  • Yiazach
    Yiazach Posts: 209 Member
    Options
    Cooking is awesome just get into it, all other advice is invalid and should be rejected :)
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    Options
    I despise cooking. After years of raising picky eaters it became such a chore. I knew when I started this weight loss, if it involved a lot of cooking I would probably give up. Many will disagree with me, but at work I take a lot of the WW and lean cuisine meals. At home, I keep it simple, sandwiches and such. If I do cook its something easy like ground turkey tacos or chicken in the slow cooker like others have said. I do not spend a lot of time cooking and things are working out ok for me.

Categories