Troublesome picky eater
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You need to overcome your own barriers otherwise you aren't going to go anywhere.
This is something that will always get in your way in the future. Good luck.0 -
The trick with brownies is to get to know your oven ...it's down to timing ...when the top starts to crack and they're still wobbly take them out
Look on the web for cheap healthy recipes and try them ...0 -
macgurlnet wrote: »See, you CAN do it
When you're on a budget, it can be a bit tougher to cook. Good things to do (this may or may not be true depending on where you are...):
-Eggs are often pretty inexpensive (I can usually get them for $2/dozen or less), and there's bunches of ways to make them. Plus they stay good for several weeks so you don't have to worry too much about using them up quickly.
-Whatever veggies you DO like - try to buy them when they're on sale or buy them frozen when they're on sale. Don't necessarily go crazy and buy 10+ bags, but 2-3 or so is worth doing if you know you'll eat them!
-Make a batch of something, part it out into containers/single servings and freeze a good portion of it.
-Buy things like chicken breasts (again, buy when they're on sale if possible) and freeze them. I like to do 1 chicken breast in a sealed sandwich bag, then put as many as possible in a freezer bag. There are SO many ways to make chicken, and it's a nice lean source of protein They'll stay good for a couple months in the freezer.
Best of luck!
~Lyssa
Yep, I did it. And idiot me was too proud that I decided o go on to the next level: baking. Haha, baked sweet potato brownies (Coz I love sweet potatoes and I love brownies). It turned so dry and powdery, but my friends consoled me that despite all of that, it still tasted good. Whew.
Yeah, well, for the past week I've been having eggs! I might turn into an egghead.
With regards to the chicken, whenever I buy chicken the expiration date is written on its packaging and it's usually just 2-3 days so I always panic and cook them all. But you did mention it'll stay good even if it's stored in the freezer for a couple of months. How is that possible?
Freezing food halts a whole bunch of stuff (I don't know the science behind it all) so the food won't spoil if it's frozen. Think of it as pausing a TV show - it'll stay in the same spot until you resume it.
Here's a chart for reference: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html.
I generally freeze the chicken raw as soon as I buy it, leaving out 1 chicken breast. Then when I want another, all I need to do is take it out of the freezer & leave it on a plate to thaw in the refrigerator. I usually take it out the night before so it has about 16 hours to thaw.
I put each chicken breast in its own bag (this is assuming you're buying a package where the individual breasts aren't wrapped), then put all the bags in a freezer bag.
I would recommend freezing them before their expiration date, but I've cooked chicken that was technically expired and it's come out fine.
~Lyssa0 -
Start simple. So many of these big Food TV stars have been making shows for so many years, they're running out of ideas and making these recipes with crazy ingredients and combinations. My favorite cookbook to this day is the very first one Rachael Ray came out with when she looked like she was about 17 years old. Easy, tasty, and mostly pretty healthy because you're cooking from scratch and can control the ingredients.
Maybe start with a restaurant dish you know you like, Google until you find a recipe that looks close, and if there's a corresponding video then you're golden! I also like to make a simple sauteed protein (usually chicken breast or pork chop) then find a nice sauce to make alongside. It has the added benefit of looking fancy so it's good to serve to guests as well.
(PS I hate oatmeal too. It's not a requirement lol.)0 -
Eat what you did before, only in moderation.0
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The trick with brownies is to get to know your oven ...it's down to timing ...when the top starts to crack and they're still wobbly take them out
Look on the web for cheap healthy recipes and try them ...
Took them out when the top looks moist and there's nothing sticking on the toothpick anymore. But it still turned out dry. I don't have an oven but I do have a convection microwave so I used that. Maybe it's due to that, as well?macgurlnet wrote: »Freezing food halts a whole bunch of stuff (I don't know the science behind it all) so the food won't spoil if it's frozen. Think of it as pausing a TV show - it'll stay in the same spot until you resume it.
Here's a chart for reference: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html.
I generally freeze the chicken raw as soon as I buy it, leaving out 1 chicken breast. Then when I want another, all I need to do is take it out of the freezer & leave it on a plate to thaw in the refrigerator. I usually take it out the night before so it has about 16 hours to thaw.
I put each chicken breast in its own bag (this is assuming you're buying a package where the individual breasts aren't wrapped), then put all the bags in a freezer bag.
I would recommend freezing them before their expiration date, but I've cooked chicken that was technically expired and it's come out fine.
~Lyssa
Thanks for the link. I definitely need that.
Darn, I threw about 3 chicken legs last week because it's apparently past the expiration date. Such a waste.
knitapeace wrote: »Start simple. So many of these big Food TV stars have been making shows for so many years, they're running out of ideas and making these recipes with crazy ingredients and combinations. My favorite cookbook to this day is the very first one Rachael Ray came out with when she looked like she was about 17 years old. Easy, tasty, and mostly pretty healthy because you're cooking from scratch and can control the ingredients.
Maybe start with a restaurant dish you know you like, Google until you find a recipe that looks close, and if there's a corresponding video then you're golden! I also like to make a simple sauteed protein (usually chicken breast or pork chop) then find a nice sauce to make alongside. It has the added benefit of looking fancy so it's good to serve to guests as well.
(PS I hate oatmeal too. It's not a requirement lol.)
Yeah, I found a recipe that only included pork chops, eggs, milk, and bread crumbs. OM, it's tasty and easy. Will be trying things out from there. Google has been very helpful, but since I'm still new at this, I screw-up lots of time.0 -
Buy this book and keep going back to it until you know the basics: The Kitchen Survival Guide. My mom got it for me when I first moved out on my own. Some of the stuff is very basic and you probably already know it. Other things, like how to store food and how long to keep it, may not be obvious to you. There are easy recipes, and it's written with humor (or at least it was back when I received it).
As others have mentioned you can also do searches online for things you like. If you like spinach, Google "recipes with spinach." Bam, you'll get all kinds of hits. I like to search allrecipes.com because I can change the servings and convert to grams. Yes, you'll probably make a few mistakes, get a few cuts, and have some utter disasters. That's part of learning so just go with it and the next time it will be better. 0 -
Experimentation! Cooking shows! Recipes! Pinterest! When I learned to cook I had nothing really to go on. My Grandma was terrible and made me believe I wanted to be a vegetarian cause she cooked meat so badly, my Mom couldn't cook anything, my other family members did weird things that some were OK and some I just didn't like. I am not a picky eater. The point is, if you have things prepared the way YOU like them, they will no longer be an issue. So try things all the time, look at new techniques and recipes and challenge yourself to get over the mental piece of it, because that is 80% of it.0
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The Hairy Bikers have 3 books called 'Hairy Dieters'. They are brilliant, calorie controlled delicious meals. The recipies are easy, even my husband has attempted one or two of them and he hates cooking.0
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Well, enjoy your new adventure in learning to cook! It could be fun.
From time to time I check out the food diaries of succesful people and I have some really good role models. They tend to plan ahead and prepare the same things and eat them repeatedly. They might cook up 5 chicken breasts at a time and put them in individual containers with chopped tomatoes or salsa. They prepare containers of berries and yummy chopped pineapple and nonfat Greek yogurt or strawberries with a splash of balsamic.
One of my friends stocks her fridge with all her portion controlled containers of healthy food. It is a thing of beauty and I know she is on the go a lot. She has maintained weight loss for over 6 years...and just recently taken it to the next level of getting her body fat into the teens.
Find someone who is successful and follow what they do.. You don't need to reinvent how to cook.
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Uhm, stop being afraid of the kitchen? Cheap, healthy, and something you like, and not cooking it, this is hard to solve. Start by things you like, google recipes with these ingedients, then choose what looks like a beginner could handle, and experiment. And by cooking, I do not mean preparing a 5 course meal with 20 different complicated sauces. Boiling or grilling things, using a microwave, mixing a salad, preparing a sandwich, slicing up some fruit, these are simple steps everyone can complete.
If in a recipe there are ingredients you do not eat, if they are not an important part of the recipe, just skip them or exchange them for things you eat. If for example a recipe for chicken calls for a sliced onion, and you hate onions, skip the onion, ti will still work.
Build meals based on the things you eat. If you hate entire food groups, like all vegetables, then there is a problem. For your health, not for weight loss. But if you like just 2 or 3, then eat these. If you hate oatmeal, then who cares, just do nto eat oatmeal.
Well, kitchen scares me like what if I burn something or the entire house,or cut myself, or mix the wrong ingredient, or possibly just poison myself to death. BUT I think I'm slowly overcoming that fear (well, I have to or more like forced to since I live by myself). The problem is that if I see a recipe that I like and has my favorite ingredient and then I see something else with it that I do not like, I either discard the entire recipe or discard the ingredient but it wound't be healthy at all.
With regards to veggies, I like lettuce and cabbage. Carrots, raw. Cooked carrots, nope. Scratch that, I eat most of leafy veggies that you usually see in a salad. But that's it.
Have to follow your advice and just work on the foods that I like for now, then slowlyLearn to cook
It's a skill every adult should have
Try something new with each meal
Don't revel in the "I'm special! I'm a picky eater" mentality - work at it
My mom cooks for me or our former house helper cooked for us so I haven't had the chance to cook. I used to when I was in high school, but I always either mess up the food or hurt myself or both. So I had some kind of mini-trauma, I guess?
And I didn't think of it as special, I'm thinking of it as a burden but still I can't let go of this picky-eating habit of mine. My issue is that it's just not healthy. Sorry, I'm a whiner. yeah.
We all have to get over fears, it's part of adulthood, and if you ever have kids you don't want to pass on fears to them.
Vomiting after eating might be more than pickiness. Could you have texture issues? Many smoothies will make me gag for the texture. If that's the case you can try the same foods, different texture.
Oatmeal in milk (like cereal), whole fruits, raw veggies. If it's just the taste try 4 bites. 1 to get over it, 2 to taste it and 1 to savor it. If you still hate it, don't eat it! (This is me and mangos)
Cooking, just cook. Keep a pack of band aids nearby, you'll survive. Buy an oven mitt, wear short sleeves, take a class (most community colleges have one)
Look, I'm a fat 35yo lazy-bum and I woke up at 430 this morning to go work out. If I can do that, you can cook a chicken.0 -
You can easily change recipes. If you find something that sounds good but there is something in there you dont like...dont use it. Most recipes call for onions...but I hate onions so I never use them. My boyfriend is even pickier about vegetables...if the recipe calls for a bunch of vegetables he doesnt like I replace them with ones he does like. It can be done.0
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ILiftng4Lis wrote: »Eat what you did before, only in moderation.
this. You can get slim on cold cereals, peanut butter sammies, and frozen dinners.0 -
Who you are today is not a permanent condition. With practice, you will develop confidence in the kitchen. With cautious experimentation, you will learn to enjoy new foods. Introduce one new food a month. I'd start with the vegetables. Experiment with different preparations and textures. You can grate or mince, for instance. One of my favourite tools in the kitchen is the mandoline.
All food is healthy in proportion so if one ingredient in a recipe turns you off, skip it or replace it with something else. List of food substitutions.
For kitchen education, start with the knife.
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/knifeskills/ss/knifegrips.htm#step-heading
26 Foods You Should Learn to Cook in your Twenties
When you succeed at a new recipe or food, stop to celebrate and revel in the moment. Diarize the success. Post a picture on instagram. This will help to re-script your inner voice from all the things you can't do to the things you can.0 -
Well, enjoy your new adventure in learning to cook! It could be fun.
From time to time I check out the food diaries of succesful people and I have some really good role models. They tend to plan ahead and prepare the same things and eat them repeatedly. They might cook up 5 chicken breasts at a time and put them in individual containers with chopped tomatoes or salsa. They prepare containers of berries and yummy chopped pineapple and nonfat Greek yogurt or strawberries with a splash of balsamic.
One of my friends stocks her fridge with all her portion controlled containers of healthy food. It is a thing of beauty and I know she is on the go a lot. She has maintained weight loss for over 6 years...and just recently taken it to the next level of getting her body fat into the teens.
Find someone who is successful and follow what they do.. You don't need to reinvent how to cook.
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My mom cooks for me or our former house helper cooked for us so I haven't had the chance to cook. I used to when I was in high school, but I always either mess up the food or hurt myself or both. So I had some kind of mini-trauma, I guess?
And I didn't think of it as special, I'm thinking of it as a burden but still I can't let go of this picky-eating habit of mine. My issue is that it's just not healthy. Sorry, I'm a whiner. yeah.
I was the same way... I hated to cook and messed up everything I tried to make. Eventually, I figured I couldn't spend my life just eating cereal, mac & cheese, and hamburger helper. So, I found some easy recipes (I started with the kraft website) and went from there. Just get in the kitchen and start working on your skill. No one gets everything perfect on the first try-- you'll learn and maybe you'll even find some new things you like.
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Cooking takes practice. You'll get better at it.
Baking tends to need more precision in ingredients and temperature than other cooking so I wouldn't start a beginner there on their own.
I've been cooking for decades and still mess things up occasionally.0
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