I think one of the biggest deterrents to people eating healthier and living a healthy lifestyle is they don't know how to cook healthy foods and depend on the microwave for dinners. For instance, in my house, the 3 other roommates in The House pretty much eat out or use the microwave for their food. What sort of basic healthy meals do you cook? Or have you found a way to eat healthy without cooking on a daily basis?
I know how to cook. I cook both healthy and not so healthy foods. I make a meal everyday and try to balance it out with more healthy then bad. I personally am on a sautéed spinach kick so I'm making that as a side just about everyday this past week. I'm also trying to get my kids to eat alot healthier.
I can cook and enjoy it. Even if I am in a rush I don't like to use the microwave to make something. I have been using a lot of lean proteins and large salads for healthy dinners. When I want to splurge on calories I make spaghetti and homemade meatballs. In my opinion there are so many easy recipes out there there's no excuse for not cooking.
I'm a great cook and when women are visiting me [they always think they are better cooks] I ask them to try one of my delicacies. I've never heard a complaint and their kids always say, uncle X cooks better. Most of the stuff I cook is organic so quite obviously, the food has to be 'healthy.'
I am a great cook but can rarely be bothered to put in the effort for just myself. I don't like to rely on the microwave but sometimes I find it convenient. I will often make a large batch of something and freeze it in portions. Those frozen portions are often heated in the microwave but at least I know what went in to the original dish. Home cooked meals are great but by the time work is done, the groceries are purchased, and all the housework is done, there is often little time to prepare an elaborate meal. In some ways our modern society has made cooking a thing of the past as we no longer have someone at home all day to attend to household duties while the other spouse is the sole bread winner.
I love to cook, but then again I grew up cooking with my mother and my grandmother, so it was inevitable. The microwave isn't necessarily a bad thing, you can still make a lot of healthy recipes from scratch in it - with the right ingredients and the right recipes. Many types of pasta, for example, can be cooked in the microwave. Just put the pasta in a large plastic bowl and add enough water to cover it by a few inches, then microwave it for about 15 minutes or so (depends on how thick the pasta is). Drain that, then microwave some frozen veggies of choice. You can toss it all together with some olive oil or butter and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, and perhaps a little black pepper. Much better than those Ramen Noodle pouches that are loaded with salt and MSG. Arrow brand corn starch also has a recipe on their site to make a cheese sauce in the microwave. If they like to eat out at places like Taco Bell or Chipotle, try making those items at home. They will save you a lot of money and trips to the drive throughs. There is a site called Chipotlefan which has copycat recipes for most of their stuff, but a lot of it is rather easy and doesn't really need a recipe. To make a copycat of their chicken, just get some boneless skinless chicken thighs and toss them into a plastic bag with a can of chiplotles in adobo, and let them marinate overnight. Then just grill the chicken thighs on high until cooked through, let them rest for a few minutes and dice them up. Their rice is nothing more than steamed rice tossed with fresh cilantro, some lime juice, and some sea salt - all to taste. Their corn salsa is simply fresh corn, red onion, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper. I'm also a big fan of Lawry's "Fire Roasted Chili & Garlic" seasoning. It's a great blend of smoked paprika, chili powders and garlic - perfect for making some quick chicken or steak soft tacos at home. Then I just top them with some shredded iceberg and homemade pico de gallo. Stuff like Turkey Meatballs in sauce or home made chili you can make in large batches and freeze portions of it for spaghetti & meatballs, or a meatball sub, or a baked potato topped with chili along with a side salad... For breakfast, omelettes are super easy to make as long as you have a non-stick pan with a matching lid. Just scramble the eggs and pour them into a non-preheated pan, sprayed with cooking spray, on medium low heat with the lid on until the eggs set. In the meantime, quickly saute some fresh veggies to go in the omelette, or microwave some frozen veggies. Towards the end of cooking, just add some cheese and the veggies to the omelette and put the lid on for a bit just until it melts, then carefully roll it out on to a plate.
I can cook simple things like rice, pasta, make sauces, grill some steak, fish or chicken, salads, steamed veggies... stuff like that. i'm a bit afraid of cooking because I hate wasting food by throwing it away, so whenever I try a recipe that does not work it makes me mad and frustrated. When I was in college I always tried cooking and many times it did not work and I ended up throwing it into the trash can, so I kind of gave up on trying different things and just cook what I know I can make!
I love cooking and trying different recipes for our meal at home. I cook a lot of different vegetables along with other food items so I can make sure my family is eating healthily. I wasn't a fan of cooking before I was married but it instantly became my obsession after becoming a wife and a mother.
Unfortunately, I don't know how to cook. The only thing that I know how to cook is friend stuff, like fried rice and hotdogs, lol. I would actually love to learn how to cook, since I know that it is cheaper to cook your own meals as compared to having to buy them outside. Right now I still live in with my parents so food is not yet a problem, but when I move out, it will be, lol.
My father kept a portion of our yard as his vegetable garden and so back when I was still living with them, he teaches simple ways to cook vegetables. The simplest I know is just to steam Chinese cabbage and it can even be eaten fresh via dipping it to vinegar or mayonnaise. Fish soup can be prepared in less than an hour because all it needs is just unions and tomatoes and some moringga leaves.
I don't know how to cook. But I am now learning. Because recently I realized that there's really a need for it if I want to live a healthy life while I am pleasing myself. The foods that I really like eating I know are not healthy, but they are so delicious that I can't take myself off from them. So my goal now is to make something like them that will make me fit. A heavenly - in terms of taste and nutrients - version of the sinful foods I like. I am learning cooking vegetables and healthy French fries.
