Trying to eat healthier, but can't cook!

[Kunra9]

So over the past year or so I have slowly attempted to change my diet.

I have ate terrible for the last decade, and I'm to the age where I should really start worrying about this shit.

I have cut way down on fast food, but still eat it about once or twice a week.
I cut way down on soda. I use to buy a 12 pack and that would last me a week at most. Now I buy a 12 pack of diet soda and it will last for 2 months. And even when I usually open a can, I rarely finish it.

I have increased my fruits and veggies intake, but definitely still need to eat more.
I drink a lot of green tea. And I also enjoy those V8 Splash drinks.

However I am still not eating healthy overall because I'm not much of a cook. Most of the food I eat at home is from a can or frozen which is almost as bad as eating out many times.

I can make simple things like spaghetti and hamburger helper n whatnot. I'm not bad with a BBQ as well.

I love chicken and would love to eat it way more often, however there's a catch to my situation.
I am colorblind.
I have trouble telling when meat is cooked just by looking at it. I usually only cook meat if someone is around to tell me the color is good. I'll cook a steak on my own, because even if I undercook it, it's not a huge issue. Chicken is a different story however. Undercooking that can have some serious consequences.

I have purchased a meat thermometer and am going to experiment with chicken soon, but it's still scary lol.

So I'm looking for some advice, and tips on some simple things to cook that are somewhat healthy.
Please keep in mind I have the palette of a 5 year old.

Veggies I really enjoy: corn, green beans, peas, carrots, spinach, broccoli
Veggies I hate: Cauliflower, asparagus, onions
Love most fruits
I'm not allergic to anything.

 

[PlayboyMegan]

Oooo! I'd like an answer to this, too!
Or can I just get a hot model to come over and cook for me?

 

[Nordling]

Browning isn't as important as actual internal temperature. Go to amazon.com and order a decent meat thermometer. I use mine for any kind of meat I'm cooking.

One of my favorite meals that would probably work for you is salad...make it with all the vegetables you like...the more the merrier...then quickly fry some chicken strips and add to the salad. Add the dressing of your choice and you have a tasty, filling and healthy meal.

Both rice and potatoes are easy to fix and are healthy. Use brown rice (for fiber and vitamin A) and leave the peelings on the potatoes, no matter how you fix them. May not be as pretty as you're used to, but a lot of nutrients are lost when potatoes are peeled.

 

[ElaySmith]

Crockpot!

You can make great healthy meals, including chicken and rice, Stew Beef, veggie soup, chili, bbq chicken, meatball and all sorts of other things! Turn it on, put the ingredients in and it cooks for hours! You can even leave it cooking to run quick errands! It really is a great investment, I use mine at least once a week and more in the winter to make soups and things like that.

 

[LuckySmiles]

I go back and forth about being a health nazi... mostly because I love food,all kinds, healthy and horrible and a good challenge. I also cook for myself at least one meal a day every day so... I have practice...I try my best to eat for optimum health as opposed to weight or whatever.

I have increased my fruits and veggies intake, but definitely still need to eat more.
I drink a lot of green tea. And I also enjoy those V8 Splash drinks.

V8 splash is tasty, but it's all sugar. High Fructose Corn Syrup is one of the main ingredients. It's a shame. It's comparatively better than soda, but not really a healthy drink. Original V8 juice has more nutrients but is loaded with salt, and not everyone's taste but I like it. They make a low sodium version as well. For juices I find it's better to stick with apple, cranberry, or grape with no added sugar or corn syrup. There's this Boathouse Farms drink too that's loaded with different fruits but kind of expensive, superfruit blend something... I like it and it's loaded with vitamins.
Smoothies are great and easy for breakfast, any kind of combo of berries, grapes, bananas, and some kind of plain yogurt for protein in a blender. I like to use one of the fruits as frozen (right now I have frozen blueberries) to act as the "ice" in the blender... but not for all the fruits, fresh is always much healthier than frozen.
You like broccoli, Toss it in a pan with some olive oil and fresh garlic and it's the easiest thing to throw over some whole grain pasta, I like penne. A little salt and parmesean and red pepper makes it awesome. that's the fastest lazy healthy meal I make.
I freak out about cooking chicken too. I have found some simple recipes for cutlets baked in the oven and as long as their pounded thin (beat your meat :lol: ) they're fully cooked in about 20-25 minutes I have two seperate recipes that I like... a healthy one, and then one loaded with butter lol. But both good and super easy if you want them.
Rice and beans is underrated and easy to make healthy and tasty. Homemade chili can be very healthy and easy as well if you do it right and like it with loads of vegetables. Potatoes get a bad rap as a starch,but they're healthier than pasta or bread, and can be super easy in the oven. Either baked, or seasoned and red roasted. I could go on for days...Cooking's one of my favorite things! and I was raised on really good but REALLY unhealthy food, so I have fun trying to do things that taste yummy in healthier ways.

 

[AmberCutie]

I second getting a digital meat thermometer and a crock pot.

Our healthy go to meal is about 10 frozen chicken thighs in a crock pot of teriyaki, takes about 6 hours. Then I get bags of frozen stir fry veggies from costco, and sautee/steam/wok them in olive oil to cook/heat em up. We have this about 3 times a week for dinner, since it's relatively low carb and filling before bed. (We eat late dinner after I cam, I hate eating carbs after 8pm.)

 

[lordmagellan]

For veggies, try the steamables that are so popular nowadays; the ones that are just the vegetable on the package. That's one thing to look for anyway: as few ingredients as possible.

Chicken is funny. I think people get overly concerned with it, honestly. Whenever I see a healthy recipe article listing chicken with a picture- it's pink. Now this may just be an artsy thing to make it more appealing, I'm not sure, but as far as I'm concerned, a lil pink is okay.

Don't forget fish, too. Lots of protein and omega 3s found in salmon, and tuna, I think. Only problem is the farming of fish is depleting all the healthy stuffs, so make as good a choice as possible.

Alternatives to rice and potatoes- quinoa, barley. Quinoa is great and loaded with protein.

Also, something to try, seeds! Flax seed is loaded with fiber and protein and great for digestion, but don't get whole seeds look for flaxseed meal. The body won't digest whole seeds. Meal can be used to coat meat instead of flour. And, funny as it may sound, chia seeds. Healthy as fuck. Plus they swell a bit, so they're filling. From my reading, hemp seeds are great as well, but I've yet to try them out.

Fruit's great, but stick to fresh. Dried fruit is usually loaded with unnecessary sugar.

I feel like this makes me sound like a health nut, but nothing could be farther from the truth (well some things could). I just do the cooking and have been trying to help the wife lose weight and get healthier, which starts with nutrition. According to the blood work from her last doctor's visit, I've been pretty successful.

For being color-blind and cooking, I guess stick with the thermometer.

Are you up for a game of Uno?
Sorry. Have a friend who can't tell green from blue, so Uno was always fun.

 

[Nordling]

I created this dish simply by experimenting. It's got rice, chicken, onion, green pepper, carrot and fresh tomato (which I add at the end of cooking and only allow to heat through). It's very easy and I use different spices each time I make it for variety of flavor. I prefer freshness, even in cooked food, so I'm not a big fan of crock pots which tend to make everything taste the same and overcook the vegetables, but I know many friends who swear by them.

 

[Neudiin]

You are on the right track. There are lots of different juices out there now, go look for them. I am digging the Naked line of juices. Things I'd add to what you are already doing is water...drink more. Gross subject but you should have really pale pee. You didn't mention exercise? So add some of that in there. Start slowly and build. And ya know what? Don't give me that shit excuse "I don't have time" You seriously can't carve a hour or less starting out to keep healthy? BULLSHIT...DO IT slacker lol

If you want to eat healthy, stay on the outer edge of a grocery store. Nothing on the isles is good for you. In most stores now, you get fresh cooked and baked items. So even the bad stuff cakes, doughnuts and breads are still better than the isle stuff cause they are "home made". But the outer edge has fresh fruits and veggies along with the meat and sea food.

I whole hardly agree with crock pots and using a good probing thermometer not saying that one...but one like that. Learning to cook = eating burnt stuff from time to time....and yes fear the raw chicken lol

 

[LadyLuna]

You didn't mention exercise? So add some of that in there. Start slowly and build. And ya know what? Don't give me that shit excuse "I don't have time" You seriously can't carve a hour or less starting out to keep healthy? BULLSHIT...DO IT slacker lol

Yeah, even if you can't carve out a full hour all at once, if you do five-minute snippets throughout the day you just need 12 of them to get your full hour in.

Cardio FTW!

 

[Jessi]

I keep these in my freezer for when Im too lazy to cook.
http://www.amys.com/products/product-de ... ies/000023
You get a pretty good sized serving for 160 calories.

 

[Kunra9]

You are on the right track. There are lots of different juices out there now, go look for them. I am digging the Naked line of juices. Things I'd add to what you are already doing is water...drink more. Gross subject but you should have really pale pee. You didn't mention exercise? So add some of that in there. Start slowly and build. And ya know what? Don't give me that shit excuse "I don't have time" You seriously can't carve a hour or less starting out to keep healthy? BULLSHIT...DO IT slacker lol

If you want to eat healthy, stay on the outer edge of a grocery store. Nothing on the isles is good for you. In most stores now, you get fresh cooked and baked items. So even the bad stuff cakes, doughnuts and breads are still better than the isle stuff cause they are "home made". But the outer edge has fresh fruits and veggies along with the meat and sea food.

I whole hardly agree with crock pots and using a good probing thermometer not saying that one...but one like that. Learning to cook = eating burnt stuff from time to time....and yes fear the raw chicken lol

Oh yeah, I'm also incorporating small amounts of exercise. Particularly when I'm at work.

I work in a big hotel/casino, so when I'm switching spots there's lots of room to get a brisk walk in between. If it's slow I'll take a couple laps around as well. Our employee dining area is down stairs and I always use the stairs and never the elevator. We also park off-property, when the weather starts to warm back up a bit I will probably start walking between the parking lot and the hotel.

Sometimes I'll even go for a brief jog around my condo community. I currently have ZERO stamina so just one lap around seriously kicks my ass. But it's a start.

Aaaaaaaaaand without further ado.. I present tonight's attempted meal!!

I know, not a whole lot going on there, but it's my first time trying to cook chicken so I didn't want to make it too busy

 

[Just Me]

Get one of these

Quick and easy for most of what you like to cook, certainly better than just the oven for doing chicken breasts.

Cooking is really easy, doesn't matter if you are color blind or not. If you can follow simple directions just look for recipes that you might like. If you have questions about how to cook something, google is great for finding out how long, what temperature and how you should cook something. :thumbleft:

 

[Kunra9]

And now the final product!

Everything on the net said take the temperature to 165 on the chicken, so I took it to 175 just to be safe.

It does seem a tad dry but tasty still.

 

[Rose]

If you can drive or know how to read, you should be able to make these recipes:

*Stuffed bell peppers-Get your choice of colored bell peppers, boil the peppers until desired soft/crisp-ness, make plain rice (white or brown), brown some ground beef, get you some diced tomatoes and cheese, cook everything, then stuff all the ingredients inside the peppers and cook until cheese is melted and yummy and everything's hot. The beauty in this recipe is it's pretty much fool proof. You can season it or not and add extra veggies as you like; my favorites to add are mushrooms and onions.

*Colorful breakfast burritos-Scramble some eggs, pick your preferred choice of colorful veggies (some favorites are bell peppers, potatoes, onions, mushrooms and occasionally tomatoes), add a dash of cheese or not, wrap it all up into a healthy tortilla. BJ likes to add sausage and bacon to his. There's really no wrong way to make these though, just add whatever tastes good to you.

*Pasta salad-Pick several different kinds of healthy pasta and cook, add in veggies of your choice, add in any extra cheeses or meats (I like parmesan but BJ likes to add some sausage to his), toss it all into a bowl and toss with a light dressing. Can be eaten hot or cold unless you add in meat. Makes for great leftovers that last awhile and a quick meal on the go.

*Veggie and one meat stir fry-Pick your meat of choice (we prefer chicken in my house) and cook until done, put meat in a separate bowl, pick your choice of veggies and sautee with light seasoning, once done toss everything in a big bowl together and enjoy. This can also be used to make fajitas, soups or added to pasta depending on how you season.

*Chicken or beef roast (this one is REALLY easy!!)-Pick your choice of meat and cook as desired: sautee, grill, bake, etc, then toss it in a casserole dish, get your choice of aromatic veggies (carrots, onions, mushrooms, potatoes, etc, are some I've found work FANTASTIC with this dish), chop as desired and toss into casserole dish with cooked meat. Add your choice of seasoning (Campbell's golden mushroom soup works great here!), add a tiny bit of water to the bottom of the dish, throw everything in the oven and let cook on low for a few hours. Serve once everything reaches desired softness/doneness.

*Homemade chicken soup-Take your leftovers from your chicken roast, throw into a pot with extra chicken stock or water, add some noodles of your choice, let cook in a crock pot on low for about 5 hours. Eat, enjoy.

*Beef stew- Similar to making chicken roast, this one is really easy and makes great leftovers. Chunk your beef into hearty bite size pieces, cook as desired (or you can skip this part and set your stew to cook at a higher temperature for longer, but I don't recommend that) and toss into your waiting pot. Gather up some veggies (I've found stewed tomatoes, chunked potatoes, onions, mushrooms, green beans, corn and celery work great) of your choice, toss into pot with meat, add plain water to fill the pot, cook at a low-medium temperature for the rest of the day. Come dinner time, serve and enjoy! Depending on what you add to your stew, 2 cups should run you about 300 calories. It's really filling and makes great leftovers for a quick meal later. This one is a favorite in mine and my parents' houses.

*Pasta and veggies-Cook your choice of pasta, add your choice of sauce, add your choice of cooked or fresh veggies, toss it all in a big bowl and serve.

If I think of any others I'll post again. These are some of the staples in my house and make for healthy meals that the whole family enjoys. They can all be modified to fit your taste preferences by adding or removing veggies/meats. :thumbleft:

Eating is supposed to be fun so don't be afraid to mix it up and try something new. A good way to make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need is to make colorful meals. Try adding a different colored veggie to your plate each night and build from there until you regularly eat every color of the rainbow. :dance:

 

[Nordling]

I second getting a digital meat thermometer and a crock pot.

Our healthy go to meal is about 10 frozen chicken thighs in a crock pot of teriyaki, takes about 6 hours. Then I get bags of frozen stir fry veggies from costco, and sautee/steam/wok them in olive oil to cook/heat em up. We have this about 3 times a week for dinner, since it's relatively low carb and filling before bed. (We eat late dinner after I cam, I hate eating carbs after 8pm.)

Yes! I think that's the secret of crock potting...use it to cook meat or poultry with seasonings but cook the vegetables and side dishes separate. I've seen so many crock pot recipes that called for throwing in everything you planned to eat, like a stew...then turning on the pot, going off to work and 8 hours later come home to a pot full of dog food.

 

[Rose]

I second getting a digital meat thermometer and a crock pot.

Our healthy go to meal is about 10 frozen chicken thighs in a crock pot of teriyaki, takes about 6 hours. Then I get bags of frozen stir fry veggies from costco, and sautee/steam/wok them in olive oil to cook/heat em up. We have this about 3 times a week for dinner, since it's relatively low carb and filling before bed. (We eat late dinner after I cam, I hate eating carbs after 8pm.)

Yes! I think that's the secret of crock potting...use it to cook meat or poultry with seasonings but cook the vegetables and side dishes separate. I've seen so many crock pot recipes that called for throwing in everything you planned to eat, like a stew...then turning on the pot, going off to work and 8 hours later come home to a pot full of dog food.

Ditto! I prefer to cook my meats first and then toss it all into the soup pot for simmering at a lower temperature. That way it just softens the meat a bit and is done before everything turns into mush.

There's some magical way that my mother knows how to cook it all together in the pot, but I have no clue how she does it that doesn't make it dog food-ish. I've never been able to do it so I'm convinced she's either lying or using magic.

 

[Nordling]

I second getting a digital meat thermometer and a crock pot.

Our healthy go to meal is about 10 frozen chicken thighs in a crock pot of teriyaki, takes about 6 hours. Then I get bags of frozen stir fry veggies from costco, and sautee/steam/wok them in olive oil to cook/heat em up. We have this about 3 times a week for dinner, since it's relatively low carb and filling before bed. (We eat late dinner after I cam, I hate eating carbs after 8pm.)

Yes! I think that's the secret of crock potting...use it to cook meat or poultry with seasonings but cook the vegetables and side dishes separate. I've seen so many crock pot recipes that called for throwing in everything you planned to eat, like a stew...then turning on the pot, going off to work and 8 hours later come home to a pot full of dog food.

Ditto! I prefer to cook my meats first and then toss it all into the soup pot for simmering at a lower temperature. That way it just softens the meat a bit and is done before everything turns into mush.

There's some magical way that my mother knows how to cook it all together in the pot, but I have no clue how she does it that doesn't make it dog food-ish. I've never been able to do it so I'm convinced she's either lying or using magic.

One way I did it was from an old recipe from the Galloping Gourmet. Start with a small, top round, roast place it on a bed of carrots, potatoes and onions in a large pot. Cook it on the range for a half hour, covered. Then remove the vegetables and set them aside--they're spent. Put a whole new set of vegetables in the pot and place the roast back on top of them, cover the pot and place it the oven for another half hour.

The vegetables come out perfect along with the roast. The spent vegetables? Place them in a food processor with a spoonful of horseradish....WHIRRRRR! and voila! A side dish.

 

[lordmagellan]

I do a beef stew for my lunches every couple of weeks on and off. I toss in the meat with some broth on high for a couple hours- I'll add potatoes too, if I'm slicing my own. Then I turn the heat down and add a bag of frozen veggies. Let that cook on low for five hours while I sleep and it's good to go. If I decide to cut my own veggies I do the same except I turn the pot to warm instead of low.

Generally, root veggies, depending on size can be tossed in with meat, along with dried spices.


Also (though I loathe to advertise a tv product), if you're pressed for time, consider a NuWave oven. My mom bought me one for Christmas last year and, though I had my initial doubts, it's pretty fucking spiffy. It's an infrared oven and cooks meat in no time. A thawed one inch steak gets like three minutes per side and it's done. Chicken? Much the same. I did a steak and some herbed parmesan potatoes tonight and it was rather tasty. I mainly use it for meats on Sunday nights when I cook for the week, but it's become rather invaluable for me.

The only drawbacks so far are the timer: if I don't go past like five minutes and turn it to a lower time, it won't stop; and the rack which needs to be replaced as it's wearing out from oxidization.

http://www.nuwaveoven.com/

I'd feel better if Billy Mays was doing the advert.......

 

[Rebecca Buck]

I highly recommend The 4 Hour Chef (And possibly also The 4 Hour Body) both by Tim Ferriss. It's basically lifehacking. Tim Ferris introduced me to a concept called "The slow-carb diet", which the 4 Hour Chef is all about teaching you to cook, as well as learning to cook 4-star-restaurant quality food quickly, so that you become a super chef with crazy sexy abs and shit.

The first thing he has you make is a meal I like A LOT, called Oso Bunko. Basically just lamb shanks on a bed of carrots cut in half, with a can of whole peeled tomatoes, some garlic salt OR real garlic, and throw it in either a cast iron dutch oven (Or, since we don't have one, we just use a covered pot) and throw it in the oven at 400 for about 2 hours or so. It's so super easy, and it's delicious.

The best thing I can recommend is making stuff that gives you leftovers, because I don't like to cook either, and the way we do it I really only have to cook 2-3 times a week. The other thing I do is I try to keep bottled water on hand, because where I am, tap water is NOT safe to drink unless you filter it somehow, and even filtered it tastes really really weird. A lot of times when you think you're hungry, you're either just bored or you're dehydrated, so I make myself drink a bottle, and if I'm still hungry after, make something small and light to eat. A sandwich, usually, or some fruit.

PS: Big breakfast, moderate lunch, tiny dinner.

 

[Jessi]

Low calorie, single serving dessert recipes. That you can cook IN THE MICROWAVE.
http://www.foodiefiasco.com/?page_id=11 ... one&ui=706
You're welcome.

There are lots of sites dedicated to easy, relatively healthy cooking. And microwaves. Dont let the substitutions scare you!

 

[Nordling]

I do a beef stew for my lunches every couple of weeks on and off. I toss in the meat with some broth on high for a couple hours- I'll add potatoes too, if I'm slicing my own. Then I turn the heat down and add a bag of frozen veggies. Let that cook on low for five hours while I sleep and it's good to go. If I decide to cut my own veggies I do the same except I turn the pot to warm instead of low.

Generally, root veggies, depending on size can be tossed in with meat, along with dried spices.


Also (though I loathe to advertise a tv product), if you're pressed for time, consider a NuWave oven. My mom bought me one for Christmas last year and, though I had my initial doubts, it's pretty fucking spiffy. It's an infrared oven and cooks meat in no time. A thawed one inch steak gets like three minutes per side and it's done. Chicken? Much the same. I did a steak and some herbed parmesan potatoes tonight and it was rather tasty. I mainly use it for meats on Sunday nights when I cook for the week, but it's become rather invaluable for me.

The only drawbacks so far are the timer: if I don't go past like five minutes and turn it to a lower time, it won't stop; and the rack which needs to be replaced as it's wearing out from oxidization.

http://www.nuwaveoven.com/

I'd feel better if Billy Mays was doing the advert.......

Ah, sounds like a convection oven with some fancy advertising claims. There is no better way to cook steaks or a whole chicken IMHO. They cook fast without making the meat tough and unlike conventional ovens, the meat doesn't shrink. My brother-in-law's mother always insists on calling them "are you using your CONFECTION oven tonight?"

 

[Kunra9]

Awesome stuff guys!

I'm definitely not trying to lose weight. I'm a skinny dude, a little bit underweight even. But I'm also not as healthy as I should be due to my diet.

So that's what this is all about for me

 

[DudeExtreme]

Oooo! I'd like an answer to this, too!
Or can I just get a hot model to come over and cook for me?

Okay. What time you want me to come over? Oh crap! you want healthy food. nevermind.

 

[CallMeWilliam]

Sounds like you are starting down the right track and there have been some great suggestions so far like the slow cooker. You can cook entire meals in this thing and the only time you need to spend is the prep work up front.

A good quality digital thermometer is key when you want to cook meats on the grill, in the oven or a skillet. Most thermometers have trouble detecting temperatures at or near the end of the probe or often give false readings so make sure that a quarter of the probe is in the meat (shut it!).

One of the most important things to do is educate and read the labels on the food you are buying (in the case of anything that is packaged/processed). A couple of the items to focus on are saturated fat and sodium. Educate yourself on the daily limit and what that means when you are combining the ingredients of many foods. Also never just go by the packaging on how healthy something is, just because it says low fat does not mean they have not increased the sodium levels by 3-10% and the opposite also applies. Spaghetti sauce is notorious for high sodium; in some cases a 500ml jar can have over 100% of your sodium per day. Now I realize that you would not eat a whole jar of sauce in one sitting but when you consider the entire day and all the other foods you are eating the daily limit goes up fast. There is a reason why North Americans’ consume 2x the amount of sodium than they should and it’s because of this. Also when buying packaged foods compare between brands and between the “healthier versions”, you would be surprised with the differences in nutritional values (for example spaghetti sauce). Most companies when they say “healthier” are referring to the saturated fat content not the sodium content so be wary of false claims.

If you want an eye opener visit the website of your fav. fast food place and read the nutritional guide. That burger and frys may have half of your sat. fat and or sodium content for an entire day.

When I started down this path of healthy eating I started with replacing the current foods I ate with a more healthier versions (less sat. fat, sodium & calories). Then started to cut out any packaged/processed food that I could make myself (be weary of "helper" foods as they are often worse than fast food) and I bought fresh. Fresh vegetables are the best but frozen is often more convenient, if you have to use canned then do not use the liquid they are canned in and wash/rinse them off and use fresh water to cook them in. During this time moving to more fresh foods meant I had to prepare my own meals more often which meant having to schedule in time for it. I can honestly say that I prepare 95% of my weekly meals now and even when I do go out and grab something it usually isn't crappy fast food. However I also see nothing wrong in grabbing a greasy burger once in awhile all in moderation right?

As a side note I would also say add more fibre to your diet as much as you can. I usually try and make sure to get at least around 85% of my daily limit. My family doctors father (who also practised family medicine his entire life) always said if you are not regular (when and kind of bowel movement) you are not living healthy enough (food, water, exercise & stress level).

:twocents-02cents:

 

[dougk3454]

Check your portion sizes.

A weight scale so you can know exactly how many ounces of something (and thereby know the calories) is essential.

 

[Anonymous]

Nordling will cook for you. :-D Every time I talk to him, he's just prepared something yummy.

It seems like all I'm ever cooking is baked potatoes and bacon (cuz it never gets old)...lmao.

 

[NoelleBright]

Low calorie, single serving dessert recipes. That you can cook IN THE MICROWAVE.
http://www.foodiefiasco.com/?page_id=11 ... one&ui=706
You're welcome.

There are lots of sites dedicated to easy, relatively healthy cooking. And microwaves. Dont let the substitutions scare you!

Those look so cute!
I'm really pleased that they all use alternative flours instead of white or wheat and healthier sweeteners.
This is my favorite resource for healthy desserts: http://www.elanaspantry.com/gluten-free-recipes/desserts/
There are a ton of other sections too!

 

[ElaySmith]

Check out this little rice cooker as well http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/...Black+&+Decker-_-45957150372-_-mkwid_DYO6L5S5

I own the one linked and the instructions that come with it tell you how to cook different meals using it. I have never personally cooked more than rice and/or steaming veggies but it works well and is simple to use and cleans up easily. I have had mine for several years now and use it weekly...IMO for $20 (on sale) its definitely a worth while investment.

 

[Nordling]

Check out this little rice cooker as well http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/...Black+&+Decker-_-45957150372-_-mkwid_DYO6L5S5

I own the one linked and the instructions that come with it tell you how to cook different meals using it. I have never personally cooked more than rice and/or steaming veggies but it works well and is simple to use and cleans up easily. I have had mine for several years now and use it weekly...IMO for $20 (on sale) its definitely a worth while investment.

I use a B&D steamer too; I only use it for rice, but steamed rice REALLY does taste better than boiled rice.

Mine is a different model but is similar to this Oster: