I want to lose weight and I want to learn how to cook
May 23, 2015 11:30 AM Subscribe
... and I want to do both at the same time. Where can I find recipes for food that
- is geared towards beginners (not too much prep time, not too many ingredients)
- has calorie counts per serving/weight
- is not always red meat or grain-heavy
- and doesn't require an oven? (I only have a microwave and two heating elements.)
1. and 2. are the most important, 3. is kind of a preference, and 4. is actually also a deal-breaker, although I guess I'd sift through the oven recipes given a blog or an index.
Also feel free to post recipes here!
1. and 2. are the most important, 3. is kind of a preference, and 4. is actually also a deal-breaker, although I guess I'd sift through the oven recipes given a blog or an index.
Also feel free to post recipes here!
I love SkinnyTaste. I'm not very comfortable in the kitchen but I've done many of her recipes with success.
If you don't have a slow cooker, you should get one. There are lots of super easy and healthy recipes for slow cookers.
I'm a Weight Watchers member, and I keep my recipes on Pinterest if you want to take a look.
Main courses
Slow cooker
Sides & snacks
Desserts
posted by radioamy at 11:49 AM on May 23, 2015 [7 favorites]
If you don't have a slow cooker, you should get one. There are lots of super easy and healthy recipes for slow cookers.
I'm a Weight Watchers member, and I keep my recipes on Pinterest if you want to take a look.
Main courses
Slow cooker
Sides & snacks
Desserts
posted by radioamy at 11:49 AM on May 23, 2015 [7 favorites]
When I was learning how to cook after I had lost weight, I was surprised to find that the most invaluable beginner's resource was also one of the most common: the Betty Crocker Cookbook.
What makes it great is that it's the perfect blend of a reference and a cookbook, with both clarification of all of the fundamental cooking techniques as well as recipes for the most commonly prepared American dishes. I had avoided it since I thought it might be a dated 50s throwback featuring jello and hot dogs, but it was wholly contemporary, with detailed nutritional information and healthy, modern recipes. It covers a huge span of different recipes featuring different foods. It's perfect for beginners and intermediate cooks who want a large variety of options, and if you're buying one cookbook, that's the one it probably should be.
That said, while the Betty Crocker Cookbook is likely to be valuable to you even if you don't have an oven, the oven is required for many of the recipes. You may want to browse cookbooks on Amazon or in used bookstores that have the keywords "stovetop" or college", which will feature recipes you should be able to duplicate with your heating elements.
posted by eschatfische at 12:03 PM on May 23, 2015
What makes it great is that it's the perfect blend of a reference and a cookbook, with both clarification of all of the fundamental cooking techniques as well as recipes for the most commonly prepared American dishes. I had avoided it since I thought it might be a dated 50s throwback featuring jello and hot dogs, but it was wholly contemporary, with detailed nutritional information and healthy, modern recipes. It covers a huge span of different recipes featuring different foods. It's perfect for beginners and intermediate cooks who want a large variety of options, and if you're buying one cookbook, that's the one it probably should be.
That said, while the Betty Crocker Cookbook is likely to be valuable to you even if you don't have an oven, the oven is required for many of the recipes. You may want to browse cookbooks on Amazon or in used bookstores that have the keywords "stovetop" or college", which will feature recipes you should be able to duplicate with your heating elements.
posted by eschatfische at 12:03 PM on May 23, 2015
For getting started cooking, I liked Help My Apartment Has a Kitchen. The recipes are easy to make and tasty and it tends to make sane portions for a smaller number of people.
I also liked Eat What You Love. Healthy recipes that taste good. Not too complicated, and a lot of good tips on healthy cooking. IT does have a lot of nutritional info included for each recipe.
posted by nalyd at 12:35 PM on May 23, 2015
I also liked Eat What You Love. Healthy recipes that taste good. Not too complicated, and a lot of good tips on healthy cooking. IT does have a lot of nutritional info included for each recipe.
posted by nalyd at 12:35 PM on May 23, 2015
I think learning to stirfry is very useful, especially if you want to go low-carb. You can stirfry just about any lean protein and chopped up vegetables and have dinner in about 10 minutes.
posted by Ideefixe at 1:23 PM on May 23, 2015
posted by Ideefixe at 1:23 PM on May 23, 2015
I've recommended this so many times in AskMe: EatingWell Serves Two. Lots of great advice with good nutrition information and reasonable portions for two (or one).
If you want to bake things for one person, you might consider buying a toaster oven. We use ours for everything from roasting veggies to making muffins to baking potatoes to frozen mini-pizzas.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:55 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you want to bake things for one person, you might consider buying a toaster oven. We use ours for everything from roasting veggies to making muffins to baking potatoes to frozen mini-pizzas.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:55 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Have you considered a convection capable toaster oven? Then can do many oven things including baking & broiling, but are much smaller/cheaper. Would open up more cooking options. Like, random good housekeeping convection toaster review
posted by TheAdamist at 3:58 PM on May 23, 2015
posted by TheAdamist at 3:58 PM on May 23, 2015
Appetite for Reduction is actually a vegan cookbook, and so is totally meat-free. The recipes in it are fantastic and straightforward. It gives calorie counts and variations so you can often tailor the recipes to your own taste. I love it, everything I've made has been delicious.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:45 PM on May 23, 2015
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:45 PM on May 23, 2015
I think the easiest thing to start with is 1) learning one new fundamental cooking technique or skill that will upgrade your cooking skills by a ton 2) making many different types of salad.
For the first option, I consider cooking, eating, and entertaining to be skills you can master over a lifetime. Because of that, it's really awesome to learn fundamentals from skilled people, which save you tons of time and brings you exceptional results. An example of what to look for is Serious Eat's Wok Skills 101 and the Kitchn.
Look up the knife skills section on each of those websites as well!
The salad option works for three reasons: 1) no more spending tons of money on expensive Whole Foods or restaurant-style salads 2) learning to check for fresh produce, good deals, and good flavor combinations 3) many of them can be tailored or paired together with another dish to bulk up on vitamins, minerals, fiber, and etc, but also helps with being in line with your calorie deficit.
I just made this Shredded Green Cabbage with Lemon and Garlic salad today. Sounds weird but is super delicious.
posted by yueliang at 12:19 AM on May 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
For the first option, I consider cooking, eating, and entertaining to be skills you can master over a lifetime. Because of that, it's really awesome to learn fundamentals from skilled people, which save you tons of time and brings you exceptional results. An example of what to look for is Serious Eat's Wok Skills 101 and the Kitchn.
Look up the knife skills section on each of those websites as well!
The salad option works for three reasons: 1) no more spending tons of money on expensive Whole Foods or restaurant-style salads 2) learning to check for fresh produce, good deals, and good flavor combinations 3) many of them can be tailored or paired together with another dish to bulk up on vitamins, minerals, fiber, and etc, but also helps with being in line with your calorie deficit.
I just made this Shredded Green Cabbage with Lemon and Garlic salad today. Sounds weird but is super delicious.
posted by yueliang at 12:19 AM on May 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
« Older Best books on medieval / early modern British... | Is there an age when a kitten may outgrow biting? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Beginner to one person is boiling an egg...
(Stir-frying frozen asian veg mix with pork mince & tom yum paste, and freezing half for later, is still cheaper than eating out, but you're probably looking for something more cook-like than that).
posted by Elysum at 11:40 AM on May 23, 2015