Yeah, um, that would be me.

Seriously, I hate cooking. I am not good at it. I can do it, but I hate it. I hate it worse than anything on the planet (as far as domesticity goes). I avoid it at all costs. One of my favorite phrases is "The only reason I have a kitchen is coz it came with the house!" Usually when cooking is done in my house, it's my husband doing it.

So my diet consists of very little cooking. Not to say that I eat a lot of processed foods - I don't. Mostly frozen veggies that I can pop in the mike, (my current fav is Green Giant Healthy Vision) lots of fresh fruit & raw foods (sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers of a various style) and yeah, I might throw a few skinless chicken breasts in the oven & use them throughout the week for protein purposes, but in general I.DO.NOT.COOK.

How do you other non-cookers handle your specific menus?

Like you, I cook maybe once a day, mostly with the microwave. And I'll also do up a batch of chicken breasts, lean pork chops, etc. to use the rest of the week--along with steamed broccoli, steamed summer squash. The rest is microwave, eating out, or foods that don't need cooking like deli meats, cheeses, packaged bars, etc.

Jay

Hey JayEll!

I'm just glad to know I'm not the only one... so many people seem to be chef-worthy... and I'm soooooo .... NOT.

I cook several servings of fresh or frozen veggies to last a few days. I use my george foreman grill for most meat. I love loaded sandwiches.

I do not cook. Don't like to cook and honestly, I am not very good at it. My DH does most all the cooking too.
I eat really simple things if I have to cook for myself, lots of microwave meals (low cal), salads, egg in the microwave, veggies and fruits.
I can feed myself but my kids shudder when dad is not home to cook dinner.

Yeah, I still wonder how I got through this weight loss. I. Do. Not. Cook.

Like you, I *can* make some things, but I don't like to, most times. If I try to make something new and it comes out good, I'm usually shocked.

I'm just not one of those cooking-inclined folks. It doesn't come naturally for me. Most times, I have to follow recipes. That's how I got through the first year of weight loss. I cooked a lot, but I'd find recipes off of the Weight Watchers website and follow them precisely. I have to laugh when I think of how many times I had to ask a co-worker "What is this ingredient??" and "Where do I find it??".

I get so nervous if someone is going to eat something I've cooked.

You know I hate to cook, too. I eat a salad for dinner every night and I've been grilling my protein most nights. I have also decided that I am pretty much done with cookbooks and recipes. The less ingredients the easier to count the calories. My new eating style is actually BETTER for my hatred of cooking!

I'm a lifelong non-cook. I'm single and have never had to cook for anyone, although I've occasionally made attempts. Just not fun to cook for one and too many dishes and pots to wash afterwards. I don't have a microwave but am fortunate to live in a city where there are plenty of prepared foods, both healthy and not, available -- at a price, of course. Despite my non-cooking status, I save interesting recipes and watch the Food Channel. I'm a "Chopped" addict.

Well, I can cook, but I hate to do it. So my new favorite thig is Ziploc steamer bags. Wash some fresh vegies, toss them in the bag, put bag in microwave, and presto, perfectly steamed vegies. To shake things up a bit, I'll occasionally throw some spice into the bag with the veg - like red chilies, or black pepper. Brussel sprouts done up in the steam bag with a spray of cooking oil and some red chilies are delicious!
I'm thankful my dh is not fussy (to him opening a can of spaghetti-o's and eating it cold out of the can is haute cuisine/fine dining!) and I'm thankful my mom lives with us. She is very creative in the kitchen and most days will do the lion's share of the cooking.

COOL!!! I have not heard of these! Thanks for the tip!! -I'll get some of those this weekend and rustle up some of my own steamed fresh veggies! (But I'm sure I'll still buy the Green Giant Healthy Visions... it's just so yummy!)

I like to cook, but my husband's worked as a chef, so he's better at it than I am by a fairly long stretch. I definitely advocate marrying someone who likes to cook--and it sounds like you have that part covered!

Although I do like to cook, there are a lot of days that I just plain don't feel like it. Roasting is a great option for non-cooks, as you can roast a whole huge mess of chopped vegetables at once and eat them alongside other meals throughout the week. You only have to heat your kitchen once, you only need one big cookie sheet or baking pan, you don't need any spices beyond salt and pepper (but you can add more if you like) and you don't have to watch over the stuff closely. It's perfect non-cook cooking.

I do this once or twice a week and eat roasted sweet potato wedges instead of dessert or throw some roasted acorn squash alongside a sandwich or a bowl of prepared soup to bulk up the meal and add some nutrition and flavor to it. Roasted asparagus goes with everything and tastes phenomenal compared to canned or steamed versions. I even put bacon in the oven instead of cooking it on the stove top; it comes out delicious and stays nice and flat for crumbling onto salads or flavoring sandwiches.

Other non-cooking or low-cooking options I like:

- BLT sandwiches (with the right bread and spread, they're under 300 calories)
- Pre-cooked rotisserie chickens (they're good as is or when used as a base for chicken salad/chicken enchiladas/chicken tacos/chicken anything)
- Raw chopped salads (lettuce gets boring; chopping stuff up and putting it on lettuce is less boring)

My husband doesn't *like* to cook... he LIKES to *eat*! But he doesn't MIND cooking, whereas I truly hate it. So yeah, it works for us! (I do the cleaning; he hates cleaning, I don't mind it...yup, it works!)

Roasting! What a novel idea! I say novel, because, as a non-cook, I've honestly never thought of it!! And I'm definitely gonna give that bacon-in-the-oven thing a try! Thanks!!!

I also hate to cook, but I force myself to do it on weekends only. I am single and cook full meals on Sat and Sun. I will eat off the leftovers all week for lunch, dinner and sometimes breakfast. That way I will only have to fix a side every once in a while. So it is microwave city during the week.

I hate it too. The crock pot is a good investment, and so is a George Foreman grill. I have about 8 "default" recipes, and I'm starting to get sick of them, so it's time to look for more... but let's just say I eat a LOT of chicken, sweet potato, and salad. And roasted veggies.

I'm not big on cooking, but I know from past experience it's something I have to get back into. When I lost a lot of weight between May - November last year I made dinner for everyone, so I controlled the menu more, and made healthier meals. I also made my own meals, but still I did it in such a huge batch that it'd last the week.

I hate cooking for the worst reason, CLEAN-UP!! LOL .... I HATE doing dishes. I hate the thought of putting my hands in such filthy water, and scrubbing the pots and pans, and dishes...Sadly I'm the only one who does the dishes at this house, and I know why. When I do the dishes, they SING, they're so clean you rub a finger down the side it squeaks as though its singing.