GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
Also, all of those can be made with beef, pork or chicken and sometimes fish or shellfish. Just because a recipe calls for pork loin doesn't mean you can't use chicken.
Hi Charlie
Welcome to DC.
Josie
Thanks Aunt Bea!
like for instance, lets say I have recipes for Mon-Wed but I have leftover ingredients from those recipes, how would I find recipes for the rest of the week that can use those leftovers while at the same time, not calling for a whole new giant set of different ingredients?
that's my main problem.
Welcome to DC Charlie. It is good to hear that you are seeking a healthier lifestyle. You have already found two sites that are not suitable for your needs. You have started out on the right foot.
There will be plenty of excellent advice here at DC. You have hundreds of combined years of experience at your fingertips. All you have to do is ask. And EVERY one wants to help you.
But we do need a wee bit more personal information.
There have been a lot of good replies, but the thing that really helped me stretch my creativity in the kitchen was to join a CSA program. In the program I joined, I paid a lump sum to get a bushel of vegetables and 3-5 lbs of meat each week.
it's about re-connecting with my food so that I know where it comes from, how it was treated, and how it was grown.
Next year I will have my own vegetable and herb garden as well as the CSA program and farmer's market, and my goal is to be nearly supermarket free by the end of next year.
Edit: Forgot to include that I am working on losing 135 lbs as well, and so far so good (down 10 lbs) from just eating fresh veggies and high quality proteins, such as free range chickens and grass fed beef. My doctor suspects my weight problem is a result of estrogen poisoning.
Cripes, it's been a long day.
I also forgot to mention to learn where you can make substitutions. One example for be olive oil for canola oil, as I think olive oil or EVOO is healthier than canola or vegetable oil (maybe a more knowledgeable person can clarify that).
Also, learn some recipes for healthy sandwich spreads and dips, such as a good humus recipe and pair that with some roasted seasoned chick peas. Personally, I love a good humus on a wheat cracker so my cooking journal has a humus recipe I want to try out.
Overall though, the closer you can eat to whole foods, the better you will because there will be fewer preservatives. Another thing to get is a vacuum sealer, worth their weight in gold in my opinion.
84, that's mostly good advice but preservatives are not a bad thing. Their purpose is to help prevent food from spoiling, which prevents food poisoning.
Use Google's advanced search options. You can search for specific words and phrases and include words that you *don't* want in the results.
Google Advanced Search
We have a forum here called "What can I do with these ingredients?" Ask and ye shall receive many suggestions Experience will also help.
So search for recipes for those four dishes above. Plus soup, frittata, quiche, tacos or enchiladas or quesadillas, pasta with various sauces, Thai curry. They all can be made with the same set of ingredients.
Also, all of those can be made with beef, pork or chicken and sometimes fish or shellfish. Just because a recipe calls for pork loin doesn't mean you can't use chicken.
This is a difficult question to answer without knowing the specific ingredients and your likes and dislikes. I live alone and I use various strategies to use leftovers and eliminate waste, I'm always learning.
I use my small freezer compartment to hold meal size packages of raw and cooked meats.
I cook ground beef with various vegetables added and then freeze it in meal size packages.
I buy shredded cabbage/coleslaw mix in one pound packages and use part of it in a cabbage salad, a handful in a pot of soup, another handful in a stir fry, etc...
I shop where I can buy individual fruits, vegetables, bulk food etc... so I can get the amount I need.
I buy frozen vegetables in one pound bags so I can pour out just what I need for a meal and toss the remainder back into the freezer.
and sometimes I just eat the same thing over and over and over until I get bored with it!
Hang around DC and you will get several ideas that you can adapt to your situation.
CharlieS, I was just going to say some of the things Aunt Bea suggested. I live alone too, and it can be challenging to use up perishables before they go bad.
The purpose of preservatives may be good but I personally believe that a lot of preservatives are very bad for us.