hi
heres a good cooking tip when you are frying up a pork chop put water in the bottom in you pan place a pork chop (frozen or not) in the water add a little salt and pepper and onions if you want and what ever else you want. Turn it up on high and cover it. Let it cook and when you think it is done cut it open to make sure it is. (Its faster and a little better for you because of the water not only boils the pork chop but its better than oil or butter.
Theresa
Hi, all I have to admit i hate to cook so we only eat, sandwiches,pizza,hotdot, fast food,order out, i want this time to work i haven't been here since 2002,and have gained alot. the problem is if i don't cook early before 12 (i stay home) i won't cook, i'll just sit on my lazy *** all day, and sleep,(having a hard time sleeping at night so i sleep in the daytime)
ok enough:
I need help with very fast healthy meals, 3-4 ingredents. I have three at home 16 and 6,7,3
majestical -- Welcome Back and stick around with us, I promise we can help....
I just found this on the Dr. Weil site about sleep:
Establish a consistent bedtime routine, and try to go to bed at the same time every night.
Get plenty of exercise during the day. The more energy you expend during the day, the sleepier you will feel at bedtime.
Reduce or eliminate your intake of caffeine, stimulants and alcohol. Even when consumed early in the day, these can affect sleep.
Avoid large meals late in the evening.
Learn and practice a relaxation technique regularly. Breathing exercises, meditation and yoga are good examples.
Don't obsess about not sleeping. Instead, remind yourself that while sleeplessness is troublesome, it isn't life-threatening.
Now for the cooking tips:
1. Start using your slow cooker for goodness sake it's a lifesaver... you can make soups, stews and so much more and freeze them in single serving containers... I use mine all the time...
2. If you have alot of energy in the morning before noon, make all your daily meals at that time and just nuke it at lunch and supper times...
Location: On the road in our travel trailer! Ask me sometime!
Posts: 43
I love to cook so finding healthy alternatives to help my weight loss journey has been alot of fun. First things first for me, after grocery shopping I wash all my produce and prep it out for consumption. I just bought a salad spinner and I love it for prepping veggies. It makes sure that all the excess water is off so that they don't spoil. I've spent some money and bought Tupperware Fridgesmart containers for my veggies. They are designed to keep food longer and boy do they ever!!!
I bought a nice fruit bowl and keep it well stocked with fruits ready to eat. Making it easier for me to grab fruit instead of something else.
I've completely stopped shopping the inner rows in the grocery store. I don't buy pre-made food anymore, I pre-make them myself. I save all my veggie ends in a bag in the freezer and whenever I cook a chicken I throw the broth, bones and my bag of veggies in a stock pot and let it simmer for a couple of hours. Then I strain it and pour it into muffin tins and freeze it. When it's frozen it goes into a huge freezer bag and I have portion controlled chicken broth (1/2 cups) to use in recipes. You could skip the chicken and use water and veggies to make vegetable broth or add fish to make fish broth. I find that chicken is the one I use the most. Then I know that there are No preservatives in it and no added sodium etc.
When I make pasta sauce I bake whole tomatoes in the oven till they are soft (cut a cross in the top) and then add them into my food processor and chop. Then I add them, one muffin sized broth, garlic, couple of dried chili pepper flakes, and assorted veggies to make a quick, healthy pasta sauce.
I could not live without my BBQ, Chef knives, good sautee pan, good stock pot, and bread maker. Love them all!
Hope this was helpful!
Wanda
Last edited by scrappinitblue; 09-28-2004 at 01:01 AM.
Reason: typo
I have one of those gas stoves/ovens, and i found a grill that sits like a pan on the stove. It is great. No matter the weather, or the amount of food i am cooking, it is easy and fast to use, and to clean. (is has a pot type for the bottom part, you put water here, and there is a large hole in the middle-not sure how that helps out!, the top half is the grill, which is like a pan, only it has holes all around. the water heats up and the steam heats up the pan and voila!) I only hope when i move that the pan can be used on the regular stoves!!!
I also use plastic bags almost all the time in the fridge or disposable tubberware. that way if food goes to long in the fridge i dont have to clean a nasty bowl-or waste my good bowls holding fridge food-and the plastic bags makes more room in the fridge-especially since i prepack all my meals for work.
Whenever I cook pasta or rice, I cook extra and freeze the leftovers in individual servings in ziploc bags. It freezes well and zaps up quick in the microwave.
A few things that have made healthy cooking easier and more interesting...
Growing my own fresh herbs
Keeping lemons and limes in the house at all times (a little juice or zest adds a lot of flavor)
Building a collection of different vinegars and oils - lots of flavor and healthy fat at my disposal
Buying good knives and keeping them sharp
Buying a zester (for the above mentioned fruits and for hard cheeses)
Separating portions of fresh meat into plastic bags and freezing them individually
What changed how I cook is to look at recipies as guides. When cooking, I cut out all the oil.
I do the ziplock meats seperate thing, very handy.
When I cook, (it's just me) I make enough to last for a few days, but I serve it all into containers and portion it all out into equal sized before I take my first bite. When I am done eating, I know that the rest of what I made is already cool in the fridge and prevents me from taking seconds.
When I make casseroles, I typically make 2 and freeze 1, for nights when I don't feel like cooking.
Also, I buy my meat at Sam's Club in bulk, but when I get home, I go ahead &:
1. boil the chicken and cut it up into bite size chunks for use in casseroles, soups, etc -- freeze in 1 lb packages (freezer bags)
2. separate the ground beef into 3 categories - 1) make into hamburger patties separated with wax paper, season and freeze, 2) brown the hamburger meat, and freeze in 1 lb packages for use in spaghetti, lasagna, tacos, hamburger helper, etc etc etc, 3) remainder I don't cook, but just put into 1 lb packages for things such as meatloafs.
By doing this, I can pull out meat for dinner and 1/2 the battle is already done!
Buy great spices and seasonings! I'm a big Penzey's fan - they have great blends and rubs so I can grill or bake chicken 3 nights a week and not feel like I'm eating the same thing over and over again.
I also try to "prepare" two meals at a time. Tonight we're having roast pork so I bought a big one. We'll eat about 1/3 for dinner and I'll throw the rest in the crock pot with a can of ginger ale and some onions and a little seasoning. When it's really tender I dump it, throw it back into the crock pot and shred it, then add a bottle of spicy BBQ sauce. VIOLA! Easy pulled pork that freezes really well in portion controlled freezer bags. (just be careful to use BBQ sause with low sugar content or it may burn)
Nathan's Grill and Griddle! The griddle part is cool cuz you can spray the no fat no cal Mazola Cooking Spray and it cooks great!
As mentioned above, Mazola is a lifesaver! Its so much better that using oil, margerine, or even butter in the pots for greasing. Same can go for greasing casseroles, its a great healthy alternative!
this is agreat thread!!! ok low fat recipe tips from me
If you want a hearty low fat meal always use a tomato base ie: sautee onions and garlic in vege stock, add oregano, basil, salt pepper a little sugar, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste a little water all your fav eges and serve 1/2 cup of this on 1 cup pasta and sprinkle with a little parmesan delicious!!!
Replace butter with apple sauce in brownie and pudding recipes works well!!
use skim milk and stock in bechamel (white) sauce instead of butter and whole milk
mashed potatoes are nice with skim milk no butter and if you add some cooked pumpkin it's gorgeous (golden mash)
for creamy pasta sauces use light evaporated milk tastes creamy, but next to no fat and low cals
I usually take the honors of making my friends' birthday cakes, because I make them lower in fat, and no one knows. They even like them better. I have to say that my absolute favorite, AND easiest thing in the world to make is the Diet Coke Cake! All you need is a cake mix, a can of diet coke, and voila!!! Mix them together and you are ready to entertain.
Just make sure to keep checking on it, because I find the time that it bakes in is inconsistent. It comes out very spongey!
Chocolate mix + Diet Coke, Yellow Mix + Diet Sprite, but have fun! I have had Diet Coke in yellow mix and it is really, really good.
For frosting, blend a packet of fat free, sugar free pudding with fat free cool whip. TRY IT!!! )
First day back (again) I HATE TO COOK HELP
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