Grocery shopping.
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I know it's dated, so maybe there's new versions, but I recommend Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals. The whole concept is that in the time it takes to bake a pizza, you can make a homemade meal. At first, you can just use her recipes as the shopping list. They're fairly family-friendly, easy, and if there's a weird ingredient you can't find (let's say capers) she often will tell you an easy replacement (or you can just skip it).
Get the book, get it from the library, pick 3 meals this week to make. Make the grocery list. YES, it'll take half an hour to pick the recipes and make the list. But next week, you'll already have the list made and the food picked.0 -
I liked Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals on TV but her tone doesn't come across in the cookbooks. (Never-the less, the cookbooks would still be useful.)
Looks like you can get all 28 season online: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/30-minute-meals/episodes.html0 -
Www.emeals.com if you are truly absolutely clueless about these things. For a small fee, it will plan your week of meals, give you a grocery list, and provide instructions for every single dish. They have several different plan options including vegetarian, low fat, paleo, diabetic, clean, etc.0
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kshama2001 wrote: »I liked Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals on TV but her tone doesn't come across in the cookbooks. (Never-the less, the cookbooks would still be useful.)
Looks like you can get all 28 season online: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/30-minute-meals/episodes.html
I definitely recommend the book so the ingredients are already made into a list. Just my point of view based on the OP's habits and saying she's too busy to make a list.0 -
Once you start cooking, you will figure out how to make things without a recipe, you'll end up memorizing some recipes and you'll learn how to adapt recipes to suit your family. It does get easier!0
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My most efficient time saving tip is get a crock pot. Just last night before bed (9 pm), I put in a bag of carrots, a roast (not an expensive cut) on top of that, then added potatoes (didn't even peel them), then added a box of Beef Stock, with a dash of soy sauce, salt and pepper and let it cook all night (yes 8 hours). Got up this morning and it was done and I shredded the meat, stirred it up, and put it in the fridge. I will add some boxed Mac n' Cheese as a side ...since my fiancé gets more calories than I do and we will have this for several days and can use it in many different ways (with tortillas, with a salad, etc.). Can't get any easier.0
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I know it's dated, so maybe there's new versions, but I recommend Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals. The whole concept is that in the time it takes to bake a pizza, you can make a homemade meal. At first, you can just use her recipes as the shopping list. They're fairly family-friendly, easy, and if there's a weird ingredient you can't find (let's say capers) she often will tell you an easy replacement (or you can just skip it).
Get the book, get it from the library, pick 3 meals this week to make. Make the grocery list. YES, it'll take half an hour to pick the recipes and make the list. But next week, you'll already have the list made and the food picked.
I've been cooking for 2 years and I still don't make fancy recipes with fancy ingredients. If it has more than 6 ingredients, I don't even look at it.
Start small. There's no need to start with 'recipes'. One protein with seasoning, veggies, another side if you want (lettuce, rice, potatoes, whatever), and you have a meal.0 -
Start small. There's no need to start with 'recipes'. One protein with seasoning, veggies, another side if you want (lettuce, rice, potatoes, whatever), and you have a meal.
When I first started cooking regularly, thinking about it this way, and focusing on using what I had at home, is what made it simple for me too.0 -
you just have to find the time just like you find the time to do other stuff. The more you do it, the easier and quicker it becomes. Use google. there are websites out there that give u a shopping list along with a recipe. take a few minutes to read some recipes, youll find you have much of the stuff already.0
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I just do it. I know that sounds glib, but that's the truth. I find recipes and bookmark them on my phone. I make my shopping list from that, categorizing each item by department/location at the store, which makes shopping faster. While at the store, I also grab anything that's on sale that I would normally buy. Especially meat. For example, last week I got beef stir fry, roast, and boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were getting close to their use by date for significantly less than they normally are (> $1/lb off). I also buy chicken in bulk twice a year. After I get home from shopping, I put the list of meals on a white board in my kitchen. As I make each meal, I mark it off so that I know what meals I still have the ingredients for. I do this 2 weeks at a time. When it's time to make dinner, I can pull up the recipe on my phone.0
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This way of thinking makes planning and cooking dinner so straightforward! (I actually think of dinner as three parts: meat/fish, starch, and vegetable. Unless it's vegetable soup, or pancakes, or something even more fancylemurcat12 wrote: »
When I first started cooking regularly, thinking about it this way, and focusing on using what I had at home, is what made it simple for me too.Start small. There's no need to start with 'recipes'. One protein with seasoning, veggies, another side if you want (lettuce, rice, potatoes, whatever), and you have a meal.
) And as I'm a somewhat picky eater, plus quite lazy, I've never ever followed a recipe to the T anyway, and they still turn out successfully.
Very important to keep in mind. Everything you do for the first time will be more difficult and take more time than when you are used to it. So I really recommend relying on well known and tried dishes for everyday use, and reserving new more elaborate recipes for days with lots of spare time.Jennloella wrote: »The more you do it, the easier and quicker it becomes. Use google.
I think this is symptomatic. Are we getting totally helpless? So many new "services" offer "dinner tips" and this. How difficult can it be to transfer the ingredients from a recipe to a shopping list? How can anyone not know what they want to have for dinner?there are websites out there that give u a shopping list along with a recipe. take a few minutes to read some recipes, youll find you have much of the stuff already.
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beachhouse758 wrote: »Oh, I forgot to add, take a look at this website:
http://myfridgefood.com/
You plug in the ingredients that you already have at home, and it yields recipe results based on those things.
Much faster than trying to search something in the whole internet in the hopes that you will have all of the ingredients at hand, IMO
Thank you for that link! I could have really used it this month since, except for milk and bread, I have been living on what I have on hand. But I'll save it for those nights where I don't really want what I planned but to keep me from ordering in.
I do my meal plans a month at a time, though it does change quite often. I do this due to the fact that my work schedule is very variable and it helps me stay on track. Another thing I do is plan meals that can cover me for more then a single day. Soup, for example, can be my dinner for 3ish days.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »I liked Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals on TV but her tone doesn't come across in the cookbooks. (Never-the less, the cookbooks would still be useful.)
Looks like you can get all 28 season online: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/30-minute-meals/episodes.html
I definitely recommend the book so the ingredients are already made into a list. Just my point of view based on the OP's habits and saying she's too busy to make a list.
Right, IIRC she has a list of staples, too, which could be helpful to the OP.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »I liked Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals on TV but her tone doesn't come across in the cookbooks. (Never-the less, the cookbooks would still be useful.)
Looks like you can get all 28 season online: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/30-minute-meals/episodes.html
I definitely recommend the book so the ingredients are already made into a list. Just my point of view based on the OP's habits and saying she's too busy to make a list.
Right, IIRC she has a list of staples, too, which could be helpful to the OP.
And at least the first couple books were grouped in vague themes. Pasta night. Grill night. Etc.0 -
Actually I cook less on this diet. Precooked chicken, raviolis, shrimp,..Are all lo-cal. Roasted vegetables are fast as are Steamed in microwave.0
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It takes about 10 minutes to cook a frozen pizza or 10 minutes to make a box of macaroni and cheese. I cook every meal in 10 minutes or less. I buy 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken that has a pollo marinade on it from the supermarket (there are also other flavors) I then cut it up into 8 oz portions. I BBQ them all at once and then I place each 8oz portion into tupperwares for other dinners and lunches. For veggies I buy the microwave in a bag green beans. They take about 3 1/2 min to cook. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Potatoes...The Little Potatoe Company makes baby potatoes that are in a microwavable box. They can be found in the produce section at the stores. They also come with the season packets....they are to die for. Delicious. There are many things that you can get at the supermarket that are all ready diced up and seasoned in the produce and meat departments. Just slap them on the grill, in a frying pan or in the mircowave. All very easy.0
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I do not have the time nor energy to sit down and come up with healthy meals and create grocery lists for them so I know exactly what to buy at the grocery store. Between work and kids, I find is much easier to just grab a frozen pizza and some boxed Mac n cheese. How do you all find the time/motivation to come up with a grocery list and recipes and everything and stick to them?
Balderdash. If you had the time to sit down and write this post, you have the time to come up with a menu and create a grocery list.
It takes all of fifteen minutes at the most.0 -
http://www.cooksmarts.com/weekly-meal-plan-service/about/
This is what I use and I prep on the weekend. I make enough for 6 people, sometimes more. Then I have lunch the next day. CookSmarts gives you ideas of what to do with leftovers and tells you what freezes well.0 -
I'm throwing some steaks in the oven with some veggies. Takes the same amount of time as a pizza
yesterday it was broiled shrimp with a little butter, garlic and herbs and asparagus. Took less than 7 minutes. Day before that threw some turkey chili in the crockpot took at most 10 minutes and that was just to cut up the herbs and make sure the ground turkey was cooked before I added the rest. All less than cooking a frozen pizza 0 -
I love cooking, but I still find it a chore to do the menu plan and shopping list once a week - HOWEVER, it does make life so much less stressful, for me and my husband (who is not a natural cook) and it's cheaper if we don't go to the supermarket multiple times a week. It's a delayed gratification thing.0
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I don't plan meals. I check the flyers, see what's on sale, and that's what my list is... basically stocking up on staples when they are on sale - frozen veggies (steam in bag, I'm lazy), fresh cut veggies when they are $1 a bag, rice, pasta sauce, pasta, tortillas, taco shells, Greek yogurt, bacon, spices, onions, eggs, frozen chicken nuggets and other kid snacks etc...
Then I go to the store, stock up on what's on the list, buy 3-4 proteins (fish, ground turkey, chicken sausage, lean ground beef, chicken breast/legs/drumsticks, pork, steak), bread/milk/fruit if we need it, and that's pretty much it.
Then at dinner time I put a protein on the grill/oven, microwave veggies, sometimes add rice/pasta/potatoes, and that's done in less than 10 minutes, typically. Sure, sometimes I feel like making something fancier, but then I just add a couple things on my list (tomato paste, some spices we don't have, buns if we want burgers, whatever) and make it one night when I have more time.
It doesn't have to be complicated.
WHO ARE YOU, AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING IN MY KITCHEN CUPBOARD WATCHING MY FRIDGE?!
Seriously, though...this is basically how I do things. Also, cooking several meals' worth of whatever it is at one time so there's "leftovers" that just need reheating.0 -
I have two toddlers and I work ft and I found it really difficult to come up with a plan and list each week, so I signed up for emeals and I LOVE IT. They have several different plans, low cal, slow cooker, etc. The app sends me the recipes, and categorized list each week and I can check off the items I already have, or the recipes I dont want to make, and it's fun, because we're always trying new stuff0
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I'm super lazy, pretty busy, and I haaaate cooking. I cook for myself and my parents. So, I just cook with a crock pot or an outside grill. It takes me 10 minutes tops to throw chicken or steak in the crock pot with vegetables AND pack my lunch for the day. Another 5 minutes to make gravy before dinner. When I cook on the grill, it doesn't take long at all to grill fish, steak, kielbasa, sausage, hot dogs, or chicken and throw a couple potatoes in the microwave for baked potatoes. Other easy things I make are sloppy joes, spaghetti with meat sauce (once a month or so I fry up a ton of hamburger and freeze it in portions which saves tons of time), kielbasa with mac and cheese, beef stroganoff over rice, and simple things like that.0
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If you think it is all or nothing, fixing meals every night or not at all, then you are bound to fail. Do exactly what you've been doing, except once a week plan a home cooked meal. Get good at that meal until you don't need a recipe or shopping list to create it. Every few weeks you'll learn another meal. The goal is to work up to 15-20 meals you can shop and cook from memory. If it helps, print the recipes and put them into a binder or folder.0
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Start with some simple meals using things you can keep in the freezer and fridge so you dont need to shop so often.
Supermarkets such as aldi also have vacuum sealed meats which last longer so you don't need to worry about it spoiling if you can't cook it right away.
I recently made this for my kids and they loved it. Takes no time at all and stuff you would already have at home.
Frozen salmon (or any other fish) portions (no need to thaw)
pinch salt
Some oregano dried
Few slice tomato
Olive oil
Place above in foil lined with baking paper and wrap it up and seal the edges
Put in the oven for about 30min
Whilst that's cooking chop up some veggies and sprinkle some salt and olive oil then roast at same time.
dinner done in less than an hour and minimal washing up! Healthy and delicious. The fish comes up so moist.
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I just plan a few days at a time, and also a few times a year make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce and a huge batch of chili, and freeze 10 meals of each for days that I need something I can throw together in a hurry.0
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I use a crock pot many mights. Ridiculously quick to get ready and easy and dinner is ready at the end of the day. I don't meal plan...I buy staples each week at the store (lean meats, a variety of veggies, broths, sauces, etc). And then I just wing it. Dump a bunch of things in the crockpot pt, or have taco night, or a stir fry, or a roast that just bakes in the oven. I have 4 kids at home, one who is medically fragile, so I really get the no time and energy thing. But eating is a necessity and I want my kids to have good eating habits too.
And seriously, get a crock pot.0 -
i was brain trained at slimming world to cook all my meals from scratch, its so great and healthy for the kids. i even make my own chips still never buy frozen stuff - as for grocery shopping i do it online to collect once a week all the fresh food and ingredients i need. then once a month i go to a meat wholsaler and bulk buy.0
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DeguelloTex wrote: »It doesn't take much more effort to put a chicken in the oven to roast than to put a frozen pizza in the oven to bake.
Almost everyone is busy. That's almost always a cop out answer to rationalize laziness.
Thank for your rude opinion, but I didn't ask for it. I'm a single mom with two jobs and two young children. I spend most of my time working and then when I'm home, between watching my kids and cleaning, time isn't exactly something I have a lot of. It's not "lazy" to be busy.0 -
It is a satd fact that many people have almost no cooking skills and are overwhelmed at the idea of preparing home cooked and healthy meals. The truth it, it is not as difficult as most people think. Cooking a meal can take as much or as little time as you want. Don't be afraid to experiment. Honestly unless you burn it or use too much salt it is really hard to get it wrong.
Keep a good assortment of herbs and spices on hand and a few basic meats and veggies and assortments of grains and pasta can provide a wonderful variety of meals that don't take a lot of time to create.
I look are recipes online sometimes for ideas but almost never actually follow one to the letter. Most of the time you can leave out or swap ingredients. Most foods are easy and forgiving.
A great basic dinner I make frequently, takes maybe an hour. Cut some veggies up. Whatever you have, or even use frozen. Add some chicken or other protein, (best to have it thawed out first) Drizzle with a little oil salt and pepper and whatever herbs and spices appeal to you that day. Bake at 350 until the veggies are fork tender and the meat is done.
Use a meat thermometer to know if it is cooked properly. This is a very inexpensive tool that can be a big help.
Just pop it in the oven and set a timer and go do other things until it is ready.
By mixing up the variety of veggies protein and herbs you use you virtually have a different meal every time.
Baking is a whole other story and does require more precision to do from scratch.
Also if you are a parent include your kids in the process. Part of the problem today is that kids are not being exposed to thehse activities and grow up knowing nothing about how to prepare food. Encourage experimentation and have them help you pick out healthy foods at the store that they will help you to prepare.
And let's not shame people for being intimidated by the idea of preparing food. It does not help them to find the courage to try.
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