Where do I begin?

[xxdrippy]

Hello,

I would like to start cooking for me and my girlfriend (been living togeather 2 years) but I am not sure where to begin. We waste ALOT of money on fast food and pre-made food from the store when we do go shopping. I really want to start cooking for us to be healthier and save money. I am sick of the fast food and premade food we always get.

My girlfriend is wanting to start a diet so I am not sure how I can incorporate healthy eating into our meals. If anyone is able to help me where to start some simple meals I can start with and how to move on from there. I know how to cook simple things it's just been so long since I have I don't know where to start. Thanks everyone look forward to this forum :).

[jpmcgrew]

Welcome drippy you will get alot of advice here. So my first question would be what things can you cook at this point and then we can go from there and maybe reccomend some simple cook books as well. Plus what kinds of foods do like as far as meats/ vegetables/ dishes etc. You picked a great place to be.

[giggler]

Tacos..

Buy a pkt. of Taco mix in the spice/ soup isle of the grocery...

Read the back of the pkt. for instructions...

if you use a lot of lettuce/ tomatos it's very healthy... buy bottled hot salsa of your choice.. sort of exotic and very good...

We make Tacos about every 2 weeks! there are many other good options on that McCormick/ Lowery's isle!

Eric, Austin Tx.

ps Welcome to this group! Wonderful people here.

[xxdrippy]

Well I can make basic foods I guess (grilled cheese sandwhiches, stir fry, chili). As long as I have directions that aren't too complex to follow I am ok I think haha. I love all kinds of meats, most vegtables. My favorite dishes would be chili and fettachini alfredo.

I really don't know how to go about making full meals though for me and my girlfriend. Usually its just premade food like I said and we eat watching tv or on the computer etc I would like to have a meal made so we can actually use the dinning room table and have a variety of food IE: chicken, potatoes, veggies, salad etc. I have to also figure out how to make somewhat healthy meals. I know my gf is wasting so much money on buying lean cuisines and things of that sort which are I think $3+ per box and she gets how many for each day.

[Bigjim68]

I don't believe that I am saying this, but I believe that Rachel Rays recipes would be a good place to start. They use a lot of standard ingredients, not much in the way of kitchenware, and can be quickly be put together. As far as healthy, I believe that the less packaged the food, the better for you. Fresh everything, few canned goods, processed foods, etc. Also, the internet is always a good place to start. A very basic cookbook would not hurt.

[xxdrippy]

Alright I'll have to check that out does she have a site with recipes or a book I should look for? I know I really want to start getting into fresh everything again. I have been eating so terrible lately I miss all the good fresh foods I had growing up on a farm.

[Bigjim68]

Try foodnetwork.com. She has a cooking show. I think that if you google her name, it will lead you to her site and/or cookbooks. (Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals)

[xxdrippy]

Ok i'll check that out thank you.

Anyone else have any tips/help for me to get going on this?

[ChefJune]

If you purchase a package of mixed greens, a couple of lemons and a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, you can make salads to start your dinner every day. Then you can add sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, zucchini, scallions, whatever both of you like, to vary the salads..

That is easy and healthy, for starters. And if you start your evening's eating off with a salad, you will not be quite as hungry when the main course is ready, so you will be likely to eat a bit less.

There are so many places to go on the web for ideas for healthy eating. Have you tried googling "Easy, healthy dishes?" You could try that phrase not only at google, but at epicurious.com, foodnetwork.com, foodandwine.com, saveur.com, gourmet.com and probably a whole bunch more.

Please come back and let us know what you've found, and what you're cooking!

[babetoo]

rachel is really good, however i would advise you to buy at least one cook book. betty crocker's basic cook book. it will tell you how to do some of the things , you will need to know..

simple cooking terms for instance.it is billed as "everything you need to know about cooking today. when you buy one kinda skim all the info. then pick something simple to make.

don't overwhelm your self with things that are to involved.

most of all enjoy!