Any one use SPLENDA? If you do you might want to type: "the truth about splenda" into your search engine. I found some very interesting/disturbing information. Just a little FYI. Tell me what you think...

freeze meat with saucein the bag to make it easer to cook later. glen

Another tip about freezing chicken or meat is to freeze it with the marinade already in it, so that while it's thawing it's marinading...

I put a paper towel down whenever I'm peeling potatoes, carrots, etc. Then I just pick the whole mess up and throw it away. If it's summer, I empty the peelings into a compost bucket and thow the paper away. Aluminum foil seems like overkill!

Lots of great hints here!

Trying to save money here, cause I'm cheap , I use a plate and throw the heap of peels in the garbage...

if you use paper towel it's easier clean the counter after and you don't need to clean the plate. glen

Glen and Ilene.. I have a plastic rectangular dish tub that I keep under the sink. When peeling vegetables, I place it in my sink sometimes with a plastic bag liner.. sometimes without, and just peel the vegetables right in the tub. It is quite comfortable as I am able to keep my hands at the same height as my counter and let the peels fall in. If I need to use both parts of my sink for a moment before I am finished cooking, the tub comes out easily and I set it on the counter. When I am finished peeling and cutting, I dump everything in the trash or toss it on the compost heap. Just rinse and place the tub back under the sink.

Cut cakes with dental floss

Keep a water jug in the fridge so you grab that instead of soda

Costco sells chicken breasts pre-packaged 2-per bag - easy for freezing

Costco/Sam's sell fresh salmon fillets - cut into individual portions and place in freezer bags

Hello All!

My most used cooking utensil is my grill skillet (has raised ridges but otherwise is like normal skillet). Fat drains off, it’s easy to put in the dishwasher. This is great for giving the “grilled” effect any time of year. One favorite recipe is to spray it with no stick spray and grill apple slices. My family loves them!

Another useful item is my electric rapid boil hot water kettle. One push of the button and water is brought to boiling very quickly with minimal time and energy expended. It’s really handier than the microwave in my opinion. The whole family can help themselves to making hot tea, cocoa, broth, instant oatmeal, etc. I don’t know how we got along before we had it. Makes healthy food fast.

Love my Blender Bottles from HSN for making protein shakes. They have little wisp balls inside to help mix things up!

We love McCormick No salt steak seasoning and McCormick No Salt chicken seasoning. Gives a gourmet flair to simple meats.

Beware: Many of the new combination stewed tomatoes in the can have sugar or corn syrup added. Read the ingredients on the BACK of the can carefully! Del Monte in particular.

Majestical—Break out that slow cooker. There are a lot of good healthy recipes here on this site. Fix your food in the am while you are energetic and then forget it until supper. Also, that rapid boil kettle would be a good item for you. You can succeed. I’m not crazy about cooking either but I want to set an example for my children so this old dog is trying to learn some new tricks. The wonderful gals here will cheer you on.

Mahtha—I can’t wait to try your pulled pork recipe. Do you think diet ginger ale would work?

Thanks so much for the great tips, everybody.
BJF

I got this tip recently and it really makes peeling boiled eggs incredibly easy!

Add 1-2 tbsp of vinegar to the water you boil the eggs in.

My favourite tool ever is my egg cooker. You can make eggs really fast and add up any ingredient you want -spinach, cheese, etc - using little or no fat at all.

I LOVE my Food Saver! I can cut and seal the bags to any size I need. They also go from freezer to micro just by cutting a small slit in them. I can reuse the bags by washing and resealing. Food stays so much better in the freezer.

I cook 5pds of gr beef....drain & divide.....then freeze. Do same with meatballs.When cooking chicken,cook a lot...pick meat off bone & freeze....use the strained broth as base for noodle soup.
I keep a plastic grocery sack on the counter for all disposables....peelings,etc.I also fill the sink with hot soapy water& wash pans as I go.
My slo cooker will cook a roast to perfection overnight.The pork roast is then shredded & used in pulled pork swiches....with added barbecue sauce.....so easy! Use a can of NF refried beans to thicken chili
I keep a container of shredded carrot,cabbage ,onion & green pepper in the fridge...all made in my mini food processor..& also used to make bread crumbs.

Leftovers are my best friend! Everything (and I mean everything!) I make for dinner has to feed us for a least two nights. This way, I only cook every other night at the most. Some of the meals I make feed us for three nights and I have one casserole that will last for four nights. If we get tired of something after the second night, I freeze the remaining portions.

This is a huge time saver not only in terms of cooking, but also planning and shopping (I only have to plan and shop for three meals per week instead of seven). It doesn't take much extra time to double a recipe and it is such a relief knowing I have a meal ready to go on that second night.

- Barbara

My tip is use sunflower oil when cooking. Its actually heart healthy, it has mono and polyunsaturated fat. Just thought i would share