crock pots are wonderful, you just throw stuff in there and the meal is done. I also get chickens from sams club then all I have do it sides also a good idea.

Basically, everything. I just don't enjoy cooking. Some people find it very relaxing and soothing, I find it stressful and a chore. You mess up your kitchen, you have lots of dishes to clean afterwards, you get all hot, and you have dirty counters to clean up. I sound lazy, but I assure you I'm not.

since you don't mind baking---find more recipes and foods you can bake--- most anything can be baked and its so much better anyway--- and see what you can cut down on in the cleaning up department--- maybe you don't need to use as many pots and pans for the meal--- maybe start stacking some foods or using the same pot or pan for the different parts of the meal

what i do is double up on everything --- i love to cook but i dont have the time for it ---but i hate to clean and the kitchen is the worst b/c as soon as its clean its dirty again--- i learned to not let it bother me too much---what i do now is cook enough for two days and then do the dishes and clean the stove the next day ---so i alternate--- it works out well for me --- and sometimes i'll even freeze stuff and reheat them at another time

I like to make stuff that all goes in one dish -- I make A LOT of stir fries or stews or Italian chicken or portabello mushrooms, Chicken Marsala or Greek Lamb with a tomato sauce and lots of veggies. Then, with my rice cooker, I just make brown rice in there and throw whatever else I've made over the rice when it is done. Doing it this way means hardly any dishes to clean up, no exact measuring and the fun of dumping a bunch of different things into one pot and watching how it turns out. I view cooking like art -- no two pieces are ever exactly the same, but they are yummily unique each time.

I have this reputation among my friends as being this amazing cook -- it makes me laugh because I couldn't tell you the next DAY what exactly went into the meal the night before.

The key is just not to TRY so hard -- let it come easily. Cooking is fun, It should never feel like a chore.

I hate cooking for myself. My mom owned a restaurant and I'd cook all day long for other people but when it came time for me to eat I'd just throw whatever was left on a plate. Usually gross and I could have had something good if I just would have taken 5 minutes like I did for everyone all day long. I'm still that way, I usually cook lunch and dinner for my bf but its not food that I can eat. While his is cooking I usually zap a LC or throw together a quick salad. Today I breaded chicken and cut potatoes and fried it all up for him it took me 30 minutes just to make some chicken strips and fries, my salad took 2 seconds. Thats fine with me as long as its not the other way around, strange.

i like cooking.
I just hate how much time it takes to get it done.
I just hate to have to clean after that
And i hate how my body smell the food i've just cooked.
I hate washing dishes too.
...
uh oh.... >"<

I'm gonna get all psychological here, but . . . cooking is about self nurturance, being kind to yourself. Is there any part of you that thinks you don't deserve to care for yourself and take the time to fix yourself healthy food?

Not at all. It doesn't have anything to do with that. I just hate cooking.

I'm beginning to love to cook - the mess isn't as bad now since I keep up with it rather than waiting till everything (including eating) is overwith.

I only like cooking when its with my bf.

When we make a recipe together, its usually pretty fun.

When its just me, its not so fun because I tend to screw up and it doesn't turn out super awesome.

So there's the "I hate to Cook Book" by Peg Bracken. You may want to check it out of your library and take a look at it.

I hate to cook if I haven't planned. But here are some basic concepts that can improve the chore of cooking.

Cooking a large item, perhaps on the weekend, that you can eat from several days during the week - either exactly the same or in variation. Roast beef, pork roast, turkey, chicken(s), lasagne or another large casserole. These can show up with the same sides, different sides, on salads, in sandwiches, wraps, etc.

Find 3-4 things that you can bake at the same time and just have one mess. Reheat the rest of the week.

Grocery store assembly: bagged salads, rotisserie chicken, pre-prepped veggies salad bars, deli meats.

"Cracker barrel" sardines, smoked oysters, low-fat whole grain crackers, low fat cheese, sliced fruit, carrot sticks, celery - some combination of finger foods that includes protein & lots of veggies and very little "bad stuff" and very little prep.

Other simple ideas: sandwiches, baked potatoes with toppings (ok so you do bake the potatoes), baked sweet potatoes with toppings, sandwiches wrapped in foil and baked, quesadillas - you can do these in a no-stick fry pan, you don't need a special press.

George Foreman grill - grill boneless skinless chicken breasts (marinate briefly in balsamic vinegar or another marinade that won't burn on the grill) and microwave frozen vegetables while they're cooking. Cook extras to slice onto salads.

One pan dinners (on the stove or in the oven). Lots of good suggestions for this have already been made. You can do a stir fry that includes pre-sliced meat and pre-prepped veggies from the grocery store.

If you're planning meals ahead, you can bake brown rice earlier in the week when something else is in the oven, then reheat it (microwave) the night you want to eat it. Think about this for anything that will take a long time to cook.

Crockpot is good for some things as well.

I know it's the wrong time of year for most folks to suggest this one, but don't forget your outside grill. It's not just for hamburgers and it keeps the heat and mess outside.

Overall, to minimize mess and cleanup - have a sink, dishpan or large bowl with hot soapy water already in it as you cook. This makes it easy to rinse out and wash items as you use them so food doesn't get dried on them and hard to clean off. Cleanup will be almost done when you're ready to eat.

Unless you're baking, eyeball quantities. If you're measuring things like a half cup of diced onions, a cup of mushrooms, don't. Eyeball it and add it. Be careful with strong spices, but practice measuring things in the palm of your hand. Learn what a tsp and Tbs look like. This will really speed up cooking and cut down on things that need to be washed.

When you're dealing with oil, butter, peanut butter or anything else dense with calories, then measure.

You probably still won't love cooking, but maybe some of these ideas will make it a little easier.