Help me please,

I am a diabetic and really struggling. I need to cook healthy foods but the problem is when I go looking for recipes out there to make foods- they are way too complicated for me. Is there anywhere to get simple recipes without all those added spices and stuff (which most of them I don't even know what they are) or with foods that can only be purchased on some remote island in the West Indies. I am a basic southern person who likes beef and chicken and simple vegetables. But, I need to learn to cook things with some more taste. We grew up here cooking with lots of fat while frying anything that moved. Help me please. Guide me to some place to get these simple recipes please!!

Am I just stupid or does anyone else struggle with this!

HI Coach, first of all good for you for taking the initiative to get your health and nutrition under control.

I've seen a couple of cookbooks in the stores in the recent past (sorry I can't remember the details) that have only recipes with 5 or 7 ingredients or less. And theres plenty more about "meals in 30 minutes" or something like that. Also, there are a slew of cooking books for people with diabetes.You may want to go the library and check out some cookbooks to see what you like.

Mainly, cooking just takes practice, experimentation and determination. (kinda like sports, eh?) Soon you'll whipping up tasty meals in no time. I never was taught how to cook growing up (I grew up southern and my mom fried plenty) but I learned alot by just watching. In college I worked in restaurants and paid attention to how they do things. Over time I followed recipes in books and watched the occasional cooking show and soon it began to sink in. Sometimes a recipe looks complicated on paper, but upon reading the whole thing through its not so bad after all. They just write every step to make sure some people remember to pour the food out of a can or take the turkey out of the plastic HAHA.

Also, most frozen veggies don't even require cooking, just heating in the micro and they don't even need to be cut. After they're done you can throw some butter or olive oil and Ms. Dash on them for flavor, or a dab of salad dressing, etc.

I hope this helps. I bet by this time next year you'll be entering a chili contest! Good luck.

You're not stupid at all. It's hard to re-learn something after years of doing it one way or only eating foods made certain ways. But it can be done.

Here's a website that might have a few recipes you'd like to try out:
Low Fat Southern Recipes

I only looked at a couple of the recipes so far but they seemed really simple. Like the one for chicken and dumplings...yum.

I was one of those people who thought they'd never use a George Foreman grill until I was given one for Christmas a couple years ago and now I love it. It makes cooking so simple and fast. I buy marinades in pouches at the store and add only the vinegar and water...no oil. I marinate the meat...usually chicken breasts overnight or at least an hour. Then I cook them on the grill and serve them with veggies and pasta or rice and it makes a great meal.

Hi, Coach: I'm diabetic too and hate to cook so I usually head for the frozen food aisle. But check out the American Diabetes Association website for cookbooks. They have books with 30-day menus that seem rather easy. There might be something there that will be helpful. I cook with olive oil rather than butter or other types of oils. Balsamic vinegar is good for flavoring pasta. I often add garlic to things too. Also, I use lite soy sauce (in moderation) to flavor steamed vegetables. Hope this helps.

The more you can cook healthy meals at home, the better-off you'll be! Also, don't underestimate the value of pre-packaged low-calorie entrees, which bridge the gap between our ability and available time for cooking and our need to eat healthy, nourishing meals. I use meal replacements strategically to help me lose weight and maintain my weight loss.

Look for lowfat crockpot recipes. Most dishes I've made using them are really simple. Are you following a traditional diabetic diet, or are you following another plan? Let me know what guidelines you are eating from and I'll search for some good ones.

I've got a healthy (don't remember if it's low fat) crock pot cookbook. I think the author's name is Mable Hoffman. I'll look it up when I get home and update the post later.

I haven't cooked in more than two years but I love cookbooks. I've looked thru this one and dog-eared many recipes to try one of these days.

I ordered five flip cookbooks from the ADA. They are divided into three parts so that you can mix and match breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and always have your daily meal values meet the ADA criteria. If you are following a low carb plan though, look out - some of the carbs per meal looked really high to me and that was before I even started reading about low carb.

Sunday, p.m.:

The name of the book is Health Crockery Cookery by Mable Hoffman.

The books from the ADA are called Month of Meals. They sell them individually or sometimes in sets of five; you can customize your set. I bought Soul Food Selections, Old-Time Favorites, All-American Fare, Meals in Minutes, and Classic Cooking. The website is http://store.diabetes.org (no need to use www).

I just received my new issue of a cooking magazine called Healthy Cooking. You may want to check it out. It has some neat features like menu planning, recipe makeovers, and reader success stories. The new issue included a story on a newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetict teenager whose Mom uses the magazine to help plan their meals. The website is www.lightandtasty.com.

I'd suggest finding a simple recipie or group of foods and start from there. Something I love to make started from just that. I love mushrooms and would throw a pack into a skillet, cook them down, and add some red wine, and enjoy. Then I added garlic (tons, I love the stuff!), then I took out the red wine and added a little instant marinade, the added long grain rice. What was a side or snack is now a meal around 300 calories. Add in some chicken and I have dinner.

Find something simple and go from there. When making foods, you don't need to add all the spices either. It's a great way to learn what you like. Start off with a few like salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, etc. Add one to a dish and see if you like it and how it changes the meal. It's a great way to learn how to cook and to stick with the new lifestyle. I found out how much I love garlic, and no store bought meal would ever come with enough of the stuff in it, which makes me look forward to cooking. When you see people cook on TV you see gallons of oil, even olive oil, going into pans. I was suprised to learn that when I started cooking, I never use a drop. I use a non-stick pan and go from there. Baking is another thing as far as fats and oils go, but try to cut it out when you cook, and you'll probably be suprised. I never missed it, and when I cooked the same meal that others made with oil but without it, they couldn't tell the difference.

The most important thing is to not be afraid of what you make. If it's really turns out that bad it can be a soup for dinner that night!

where are you coach and how is your cooking? frozen veggies are easy.
chicken with shake and bake is easy also. glen