I need simple, easy to make recipies.

mitch239
mitch239 Posts: 78 Member
So, long story short, I've moved out of my parents and decided to take better care of myself.

I could do with some simple recipies. (Ideally without weighing stuff) that I can just wack together and cook, then eat. The easier the better honestly. Any ideas, or any ideas where I can get some ideas from.

Replies

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,000 Member
    This is the first meal my mom taught me how to make for myself at age 12. It's a staple among students in China.
    https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/classic-tomato-and-egg-stir-fry/

  • katescurios
    katescurios Posts: 224 Member
    I do this a lot for lunch and as it’s mainly veg you know it’s low cal so don’t have to worry about measurements.

    Green beans
    Mushrooms
    Sugar snap peas/mange tout
    Baby corn
    Asparagus

    Mix of any of the above, 1 cup of green beans is about 40 cals, 1 cup mushrooms 20 cals and so on, they’re all about the same so you can have a big plate full for under 200 cals.

    Trim and chop them into whatever size you like, then steam either in a steamer or in a microwaveable bowl with a tiny bit of water, covered with cling film. 3 minutes in the microwave.

    When done, add some chopped up spring onions/scallions, salt, black pepper and 1 teaspoon of real butter (35 cals).

    I then chop up some slices of wafer thin ham (3 slices 27 cals) or chicken and add that, if you’re vegetarian you could add some cheese or a sliced boiled egg (medium egg 65 cals).

    The butter, onion and pepper makes it tasty and rich, the big quantities of veg make it filling and healthy, lots of fibre and nutrients.

    Takes less than 5 minutes to make.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    If you’ve just moved out of your childhood home this is the perfect time to learn to cook.

    It’s something you will have to do almost every day for the rest of your life. As such, it’s absolutely worth learning to love cooking. There’s a lot of pleasure and satisfaction to be had from feeding yourself and others with tasty, nutritious food!

    Much better to learn, be enthusiastic and interested in something that will be a fundamental foundation all your life than treat it as a chore that needs to be endured every day!

    Start simply with food you know you love, learn to cook it well. Move on to new things by reading recipes (Pinterest is a great place to start!) and trying recipes that appeal.

    Happy cooking! 😊
  • PKM0515
    PKM0515 Posts: 3,089 Member
    @mitch239, how are you doing? I'm not much of a cook, but I'm wondering if a slow cooker might be a good idea. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in. 😉
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Slow cooker is absolutely a great investment. I was not a fan of cooking when I started watching my health, and slow cooker is what got me started. I could throw it all in there for set amount of time (although you do have to measure stuff, but that is easy), and it makes batches of meals so minimized the number of times I had to cook.

    Since then I have started branching out into oven-baked casseroles and skillet meals, although they still make me more nervous than the slow cooker's plop it and forget it method.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,000 Member
    Here is another dead easy recipe popular with students in China.

    Coca cola chicken (lazy man's teriyaki)
    Brown the skin side of some chicken parts in a sautee pan or wok. If using skin on chicken, and you start this process off in a cold pan and then turn on the heat which will render off fat gradually, you won't need additional oil. Toss in some chopped garlic. As garlic starts to colour (but before it burns) toss in a can of full fat coca cola. Add a few large glugs of soy sauce. Simmer gently about 20 minutes with the lid off. turning chicken occasionally. Taste and adjust with more cola, more soy, lemon juice for your preferred balance of sweet/salt/acidic. Check for doneness by cutting into a piece of chicken (should not be pink) or using a meat thermometer (72C is safe for chicken). In the last few minutes turn up the heat to a furious boil to reduce the sauce into a syrupy caramelized mass.

    Serve with rice and some cucumber salad. If making rice is too tricky, try instant cous cous. That's made by measuring out cous cous, measuring out boiling water, and letting it all steep a few minutes in a covered bowl. More detailed instructions will be on the package.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,000 Member
    Another meal for an absolute beginner in the kitchen.

    Jacket potato with tinned baked beans.
    Prick a large potato all over with a fork to allow steam to escape (prevents explosions) and microwave on high. It will take 5-10 minutes depending on wattage of microwave and size of potato, so give the potato a squeeze after 5 minutes and use your judgement. In the meantime, open up a tin of baked beans and and warm up in a small sauce pan. Cut the potato in half, pour over some beans. Optional toppings would be grated cheese, sour cream, chopped jalapeno, or fried bacon bits. Have some fresh tomato slices to make this a balanced meal or have fresh fruit for dessert.

  • PKM0515
    PKM0515 Posts: 3,089 Member
    Okay, today I made rice in the slow cooker. I'm never too happy when I make it on my electric stove top, but the following "recipe" worked really well for me. (I used half the butter and cooked it for 90 minutes on high and 10 minutes on low at the end.)

    https://momswithcrockpots.com/easy-crock-pot-rice/#


  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Stir-Fry 101

    So many ways to "personalize" recipes to suit your needs

    https://www.cooksmarts.com/articles/guide-to-stir-frying/

    Crockpots are simple - mostly brown meat, add to crockpot. Then dump remaining ingredients, set temperature and go. Check black Friday sales.......

    https://www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/slow-cooker-favorites?slide=316563#316563
  • IronIsMyTherapy
    IronIsMyTherapy Posts: 482 Member
    I like to cook a bunch of rice and a family pack of chicken on the weekend. Then I can make a variety of meals using that as a base.

    Add some beans, salsa, shredded cheese, lettuce, etc for a burrito bowl
    Or
    Hummus, feta, tomato, cucumber, olives, greek yogurt and greek dressing for Mediterranean
    Or
    Curry sauce, peas and yogurt for Indian.

    Its pretty cheap, fits my macros well, is easy and allows for some variety.

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,000 Member
    I thought of another recipe for absolute beginners in the kitchen.

    Hack's soupe au pistou.
    Boil a few cups of water, add several handfuls of mixed frozen vegetables and a chicken or vegetable stock cube. When veg is almost done toss in one or two tomatos chopped skin, seeds and all into the soup, Also add a tin of drained tinned of chick peas or white haricots (no sauce). Ladle into bowls and add a large dollop of pesto (at least a tablespoon) into each bowl. Sprinkle with grated cheese. To make this a more substantial meal, have it with bread and poach an egg for the last two minutes in the soup if you like a runny yolk. Longer if you like a firm yolk.
  • PKM0515
    PKM0515 Posts: 3,089 Member
    Are you still here, OP? 😃

    Stumbled across the following older thread and thought it might help:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10799957/simple-please#latest
  • htownmoving
    htownmoving Posts: 2 Member
    PKM0515 wrote: »
    @mitch239, how are you doing? I'm not much of a cook, but I'm wondering if a slow cooker might be a good idea. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in. 😉

    The Instant pot from Amazon has been very beneficial. I add a breast or two and can switch things up by adding barbeque sauce, fajita seasoning, or even just a little green pepper and onion (chicken philly steak). Since I eat a fair amount of whole wheat tortillas and whole wheat buns, I can just scoop and go. It's been great. Hopefully this helps.
  • htownmoving
    htownmoving Posts: 2 Member
    Did I mention the chicken takes less than 25 minutes and I can pull it apart with two forks. It's awesome.
  • NDeroehn
    NDeroehn Posts: 1 Member
    The biggest thing to get used to is meal prepping and planning. If you don't have the time during the week to make meals, plan ahead earlier in the week. Having your food prepped and ready keeps you in check for staying on track. This includes snacks and meals. It takes some time to meal prep, but it is worth it in the long run.

    My husband and I really like the recipe book: Cook Once, Eat All Week. Everything is broken down by meat (options for vegetarians), starch, vegetable. You have three recipes plus 2 bonus if needed and a list of what is needed for the week. Then you prep it all at the start of your week and then piece the recipes together throughout the week. We have found it helpful when we get home and need to put dinner on the table in 30 minutes. Helps us know what we need at the grocery store, no mid-week trips. Helped us stop eating out as much because we knew what we were having. And was able to keep portions in check. We split up the prepping each week so that it doesn't always fall on one person.

    For lunches, try having a couple of options during the week. If I meal prep the same thing, I am so bored with it by Wednesday and I will tend to go off track.

    Make sure to try basic recipes first. Pinterest is a great resource, but don't pick the most complicated recipe on your first go! Try a recipe with 5 or fewer ingredients. Start small, learn the basics, find the foods you enjoy cooking with and eating, then start some of the harder recipes! I love steak, but I can not cook it! So if I am cooking, steak is not something I attempt. I let my husband cook steak or I save that item as something I choose when we go out to dinner!

    Good luck!
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    edited January 2021
    I got really tired of eating the same thing every day for a week with batch cooking. Cooking for 1 is a pain sometimes and there are things I would rather be doing than cooking and cleaning. like taking longer hikes in the park. I don't cook much myself anymore. Last spring I discovered Freshly and I order 6 meals a week from them. The food is tasty, healthy and there are plenty of choices. The food is so good that I don't even want take out anymore. High Protein, low carb and gluten free. Just pop on in the microwave and I have a mea in 5 minutes. If I could afford it I would order twice as many and never cook again.
  • CertifiedPersonalTrainer
    CertifiedPersonalTrainer Posts: 15 Member
    edited January 2021
    Made from only 5 Ingredients.

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    Scan with myFitnesspal to easily count the calories. 👍🏽 💪🏽