New and can't cook...please help!

I'm always looking for quick and easy, yet healthy, recipes so... bump.

www.goneraw.com

no cooking necessary!

http://healthydoesntmeanboring.blogspot.com/

Healthy recipes. Some are harder, some are easier. I try to include images of parts of the process (when I remember); diced vs. chopped, etc, along with detailed descriptions and a glossary for unfamiliar terms.

Try a light spaghetti carbonara with tuna and whole grain/fortified pasta (I like Barilla Plus). Also there's a great lentil soup recipe on Allrecipes (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lentil-soup/detail.aspx) that takes little effort, just some chopping and you have to let it cook for a while. It's low-cal and super filling (lots of fiber and protein). We only usually cook for 3 in this house so the leftovers are great on the side of half a sandwich for a low-cal lunch, too. Also it doesn't take much effort to whip up a fancy-seeming caesar salad with chicken, shrimp, or scallops. Use a non-creamy dressing (we use Newman's Own caesar, but not the creamy one...it's so tasty!) and portion it exactly. Leave off croutons, bacon, parm, etc. or serve them on the side so your kids can have them but you don't have to (or can go light on it). But the go-to easy, healthy dinner in this house is poached or grilled salmon with sauteed spinach (in a little olive oil, with plenty of garlic...put in way more spinach than you think you'll want because it shrinks a LOT when you cook it) and maybe some sauteed squash, asparagus, potatoes, or sweet potatoes. As long as you are careful with your oil it ends up being really low-cal and satisfying.

I'm a decent cook but because of work I usually go for easy stuff- my favorite go to dinner: hormel pre-cooked meats (they're usually near the raw meats) my favorite is the beef roast au jus, uncle ben's ready rice whole grain medley, jolly green giant steamers frozen veggies- the boxes are about a cup and the bags are about two. LOVE this. So easy, everything's microwaved. It's a little high in sodium and definitely processed food, but on the healthier side. yum! I love the jolly green giant veggies- most nights I just have a box of those with a protein (i also love frozen tilapia filets, they're SO easy to pan fry. not much skill involved- just defrost and put in a sprayed pan on medium until the fish is easily flaked with a fork and not opaque anymore- turns white.

If you have the time, watch some Food Network or the Cooking channel. I have learned so much from watching my favs, Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten), Rachael Ray, Emeril green show, Bobby flay for grilling. Ellie Krieger was good but I have not seen her show on in a while, but you can also view on the website, and there are great recipes there I use all the time. some of the shows are more diet friendly than others, but you can always tweak the recipes using lower fat/lower cal ingredients.

I just grill twice a week enough meat for my fiance and I for 1/2 a week then do it again. I generally cook some chicken, sasusage, chicken sausage, tri-tip etc and then of course store bought cottage cheese and costcos pulled pork. For each meal we grab meat, some veggies and fill extra calories as we like. I usually eat a couple peices of fruit then fill in with some carbs (we make bulk pasta or mashed potatoes etc) or treats like cookies or chips etc.

My fiance eats a lot of carbs so she fills hers with those since she is training for an ironman this year.

I use a variety of seasonings for the meats and we found a 0 calorie dressing from Henrys, sesamie ginger. Oh and salsa and Hot sauce! Yum...

If you start with fresh healthy ingredients anyone can cook something yummy! Keep it simple and don't be afraid to experiment. But for an idea, here's a standard dish I make when running short of time and ideas. Fresh veggies (and maybe some frozen) like carrots (running short of time? use baby carrots and eliminate peeling and chopping) corn, peas, an onion and garlic chopped up for flavor, whatever you like. Sautee for a minute or two using just a limited amount of olive oil (1 or 2 TBSP) (extra virgin...remember, it's a healthy fat, and good for you when used in moderation) or use steam if you have concerns about the EVOO (did I really just use a Rachel Rayism? Oh No!). Slide veggies onto a plate, and use the hot pan with remaining oil to sear the outside of some boneless skinless chicken breast strips. Don't cook them all the way or they will be dry! When seared on both sides add the veggies back in with a can of stewed chopped tomatoes and a little water. Season with whatever you like (my standard is sea salt, pepper, and greek oregano). Cover and let simmer for a little while (20 minutes maybe?) so the chicken can finish cooking...don't worry about drying it out. Now that it's in the liquid it should be fine. Then add some couscous (whole wheat is the healthiest, and I can't taste the difference) depending on how much liquid you have in the pan. Usually a 1/2 cup should do it. Remove from heat, but keep that lid on. Once the couscous absorbs all the liquid you're good to go. it's a 1 pan meal that is healthy and the kids should like it too.

Aside from that, the hardest thing I think is trying to diet when the rest of the family is not. I'm incredibly luck in that I have a husband who not only is a good cook, but wants to cook most nights. But I hated to tell him don't make this or that because I can't eat it. He's Greek. He makes Greek food. And it's SOOO good, but not always low fat or low carb. And my 2 year old son is already obsessed with helping in the kitchen, which I think is wonderful, so I don't want to discourage that either. What I do is control everything else I can. I have steel cut oats with frozen berries for breakfast. Salad for lunch. Non fat greek yogurt for my morning snack. Carrots for the afternoon snack. Maybe a handful of almonds or walnuts if I'm still hungry. Then at dinner I can mostly eat what I want (if it's a home cooked meal that is) so long as I measure out what I'm eating to keep healthy portions. And don't go back for seconds. That's my biggest temptation...seconds! Anyways, just wanted to let you know that I understand...it's hard with families. You want to set a good example for the kids by eating healthy, but you don't want to eat things that are boring or tasteless because then that's what they will associate eating healthy as---bland and boring.
I would also recommend subscribing to cooking light if you don't already. So many good ideas in there...and since they tell you calories and serving size it's hard to go wrong.

My staples for every meal have to be baked/grilled veggies. I don't have a grill since I live in an apartment but I will slice a whole eggplant/brussel sprouts/zuccini/squash (really whatever I'm craving) add a little olive oil and sprinkle with Mrs. Dash seasoning (no salt AND it's so flavorful). You can also saute zuccini and squash in a pan on the stove but keep it on low, don't add oil just some water and cover with a lid. This steams the vegetables without adding extra calories from butter/oil.
I also love Quinoa. It's a healthier grain that essentially cooks itself. Quinoa needs to be mixed with something or else it tastes bland. I usually make up enough for 2-3 days and mix it with Israeli salad (tomotoes, cucumbers, a little bit of onion, parsley and lemon juice). You can also mix quinoa with kidney beans.
I am also a fan of making meat in bulk for a few days, then you can just grab and go!
www.allrecipes.com is also helpful and I like the tips other cooks leave.

One of my favorite meals is stir fry. I always vary what vegetables I use but they usually include a combination of eggplant, onion, bell pepper, celery, carrots, bok choy, snow peas and usually tofu as the protein. I use water to steam/sear the veggies on the stovetop and I will add a little bit of soy sauce for flavor and I serve it over a little bit of brown rice. I prefer to use more veggies and less rice.

I can't cook much either, but I recently bought a Hungry Girl cookbook. It is stocked full of awsome recipes. You can get the one where all the recipes are under 300 calories or the one where all the recipes are under 200 calories. I have tried cooking some of the recipes and they are soooo easy to make and taste great. My husband has loved every meal I have made so far. You should check it out!