Kitchen Virgin

me too please..... i'm totaly horrible in cooking...

Give us some guidelines. What kinds of things do you like to eat when other people cook? What were your favorite foods growing up? What kinds of things do you dislike? What is your knowledge base? Do you have a crockpot, microwave, blender, etc? Do you have any dietary concerns (vegetarian/vegan, dairy-free, etc)? I could give you lots of recipes, but I have no way of knowing if you'll like them because I don't know what you like.

A good place to start would be allrecipes.com. They have a lot of simple recipes, easily categorized for you, and you can save them to your own personal "recipe box" if you don't want to print them out. I love it.

I lightly cook strips of red peppers, green peppers and onion in just a small amount of beef broth until tender. Then i add some pre-cooked turkey kielbasa. You can throw it over some whole wheat pasta and it's delicious!

Chicken is easy peasy, once you get started with it. Here's an easy favorite:

A pound or so of chicken (any cut -- I prefer leg quarters, but boneless breasts are good too)
1 can of diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings (don't drain)
half of a large onion, chopped (or you can substitute a few shakes of dry minced onion)
1/2 teaspoon of ginger

Put the chicken in your crock pot. Toss in the onion and the can of tomatoes, and sprinkle in your ginger. If you've had to layer your chicken due to the size of your crock pot, try to mix things up so all the chicken is getting the tomato goodness. Cook it on low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 3 to 4 hours. Nomalicious. Make some white rice or small pasta like macaroni, and you can mix that with some of the extra tomatoes and juice to make a nice side.

A quick, yummy lunch that I've been having a lot lately:

Tortilla pizza!

One whole-grain tortilla of your choice
1 ounce of baby spinach, torn into smaller pieces
17 slices of turkey pepperoni
about 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella

Heat up your tortilla on a baking sheet or pizza stone for about 5 minutes at 350. Carefully slide out the oven shelf so you can put on your spinach, pepperoni, and mozzarella. Slide it back in and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the cheese is melty and starting to brown slightly. Slide the whole thing onto a plate and cut with a pizza cutter. Yum! You can also make this with diced tomatoes instead of the pepperoni (if you use canned, you have to drain them really well first). I also like to top this with a few dashes of black pepper.

I am the SAME way... but I've learned to cook for myself because it's so much healthier. I don't know how many times I've gotten frustrated or cried because I get overwhelmed in the grocery store or don't understand cooking instructions!


Yummy and healthy grilled cheese!

40 Calorie Very Thin White Bread
1 oz. Gruyere Cheese
Peeled and thinly sliced Granny Smith Apple
Honey
Smart Balance (or butter!)

1)1 tsp of butter/smart balance on each side of bread (on the outside - to brown)
2)Add thinly sliced gruyere cheese and apple to inside
3)Add a light amount of honey
4)Slap together
5)Put in a medium heated pan
6)2 minutes on each side until golden brown!


Healthy and Delicious "spaghetti"

1 large Spaghetti squash
Low sodium Tomato Sauce
Parmesan Cheese
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil

Stab a few holes in your spaghetti squash
1)Pop it in the microwave for 12 minutes
You'll know when it's done - it'll become all smooshy and a knife will slide into it easily
Let it cool - cut it in half
Scoop out the seeds (they're all in the middle)
2)Use a fork to take the meat of the squash away from the walls
3)Put in a pot over medium heat
4) Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil
5) Stir in 1-2 cup of premade tomato sauce (I just like a little for color but add what you like)
6) Add a shake of garlic powder
7) Serve (about 4 servings) and sprinkle with parmesan!

Spaghetti squash is out of this world!!!

It is so easy these days to learn how to cook. Start watching the food net work, go to the book store and get some beginner cook books, and you can find anything you need on Youtube these days.

Make a list of a few things you would like to be able to cook, goggle them and get a recipe, then if there is anything in the recipe that you don’t understand, like brown, simmer, whip to stiff peaks, dice, chop, look it up on youtube.

And get yourself a GOOD knife set. If you don't know how to sharpen them, look in your phone book for knife sharpening service. Or youtube it.

I agree with this. I haven't actually gone to allrecipes.com, but I have heard good things about it. I have some super easy recipes that I eat on a regular basis, most are under 400-500 calories for dinner. Chili, Greek meatballs, if you like Mexican, I eat ground chicken/ground turkey tacos, I can tell you how to roast off a nice turkey breast in the oven, I make a pretty foolproof potroast ... If you check on Food Network channel, check the schedule for a show called (literally) 5 Ingredient Fix. Sometimes the recipes are a bit more difficult than you might like, but she does tons of easy ones, too. Another show/chef I like is How to Cook Like a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell. She is super easy to listen to and she explains things easily. Plus she makes things you want to eat. And, love her or hate her, Rachael Ray does a lot of recipes where she shows you the easy way to do stuff, and shortcuts. (30 minute meals is her show.)

I love to cook, and in case you can't guess, I'm a Food Network junkie. Seriously.

If you are interested in any of the recipes I suggested, let me know, I'll send them to you. And congratulations on your new endeavor! Cooking is fun!

There is a show on the Food network called....Five Ingredient Fix, http://www.foodnetwork.com/5-ingredient-fix/index.html, and I have found really simple, easy recipes here. Very healthy, clean, eating.

You can do this!!

I was taught how to "bake" as a kid, but not how to "cook". There's a big difference! Cooking is not an exact science, most of the time. The best thing for you to do would be to find some recipes that sound good and try them. You'll get better and better the more you do it and try new things. Grab some whole grain pasta instead of white pasta. You can also get minute BROWN rice that cooks in two minutes, but is healthy and whole grain. I would stay away from canned soups. Here's one that I really love and was one of the first things I learned to cook after I got married. It's super easy and delicious. Have fun with it!

Easy Italian Chicken
by Jennifer Nichols

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cubed)
2 med. cans of Italian stewed tomatoes (any type of stewed tomatoes will work, though. Look for low sodium varieties)
1 small can of sliced mushrooms (optional, or you could use fresh)
garlic salt to taste
pepper to taste

season chicken with garlic and pepper and brown on medium heat in oil or spray pan with non-stick spray. Stir occasionally, until chicken is cooked through. Add mushrooms (drain first, if using canned). Saute for 2-3 mins. Add both cans of stewed tomatoes and lower heat to medium boil. Simmer 15-20 mins., or until juices are not as watery. Serve alone with side vegetables or over rice or noodles. :~)