What did you eat when you moved out if you didn't know how to cook? (page 3)

ohiocowboy

Experiment. Learn what spices go the best with different foods. Rice can be made a thousand different, tasty ways, anything from rice and beans, dirty rice, to rice pudding. It goes well with any meat or veggie. Pasta is also great as it can be served many ways. It can be done with a tomato sauce, cream sauce, or simply served tossed with olive oil, garlic, pepper, and a little melted butter, and add any meat or veggies that you like.

Buy pizza crust mix or learn to make your own. Top it with anything you want. You can make a chicken and broccoli pizza, an exotic veggie and cheese pizza, a chicken, feta cheese, and greek olive pizza, or just a regular old pepperoni pizza. The possibilities are endless, and since there are so many toppings to choose from, you will never get tired of having to eat the same old thing.

Try not to use canned veggies if you can avoid it. You will feel more full with fresh veggies and they will be better for you, and the difference in taste is enormous!

One of the most simple things is to put chicken breasts, thighs, etc. into a pan, and throw a can of cream of mushroom soup on top and bake at 350 until done. Very simple, but very good, and you can substitute the chicken for pork chops if you want. When done, put it on a bed of rice, or serve with a veggie of your choice.

My first cook book was the very simple yet great "The joy of cooking". I learned how to use the proper heat to cook things, etc. Never cook food on High! At the most, use medium/medium high heat. Your food and your stomach will thank you. Food will be more moist and succulent. Too many people rush while cooking and use too much heat.

If you are being frugal, ask the meat person and the produce person if there are any mark downs for the day. Most times they will accommodate you and find great stuff for you and mark it down. The supermarkets I go to, I always make it a point to ask the meat guy or produce person if there is anything getting ready to be reduced. If it's not busy, they ask me what I want, chicken, pork, beef, etc. You would not believe how many times I get day old but still fresh Boneless Chicken Breast for .99/pound, or 93% fat free ground beef or sirloin for $1.99 per pound. The same for veggies. It is not rare to get a bag of 6-8 nice green peppers for .99 cents, etc. Swallow your pride and ask nicely, and you will eat like a King-or Queen-lol.

If you flat out can't even boil water, invite a friend over who does know how to cook, and make dinner together. It will be a good chance to learn to cook while entertaining a friend.

If all else fails, save up and go to a cooking school. There are some that are very inexpensive to go to. You will have fun, and you will also meet new people.

I started cooking when I was 12-13. By the time I was in High School, I would win awards for cake decorating, cooking, etc. It used to drive my mother crazy. I even got slapped in the face when I brought my cake decorating award home-lol. She yelled "Why couldn't it have been for football or something like that" LOL

Just have fun, BE CREATIVE, and take your time.

Good luck!!!

jam

aware you sound like my boys.

Buy you a roast, cheap cut. This will provide at least

two or three meals. Buy can vegetables (progresso my favored).

When you don,t have a lot of time to spend on cooking, cut up the

leftovers(roast) add your soup and potatoes to thicken it up, a nice

stew. The same with chicken, add your soup. The roast and chicken

also makes great sandwichs.

I guarantee you will learn how to cook my friend, eating out can

get very expensive.

finally awake

learn how to cook eggs - they are cheap and easy. get a betty crocker cookbook and read the instruction section before the actual recipes.

greenhornet

Walter White will show you how to cook

Iamallcool

Buy Frozen Fruits. There are very few frozen fruits that does contain sugar, I avoid them since I have low blood sugar. Try Kashi Cinnamon Cereal, no sugar and no salt! Try to find a gf that likes to cook.

Aware!

Walter White will show you how to cook

I don't think I had that kind of cooking in mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Zk__Qgmb4

Aware!

ohiocowboy- Your advice is excellent!!! I will definitely ask for mark downs. Your chicken breasts in a pan with a can of cream of mushroom recipe also sounds very good and delicious. And the pizza with enless topping possiblites? Wow, another thing to look forward to when I'm on my own. You are right, the possibilities are endless. Reading your post made me hungry.

finally awake- So far I only know how to boil eggs. lol

jam- Are you teaching your boys how to cook in case their wives don't know how to either? Thank you for the stew idea. Another thing I look forward to trying when I move out.

Imallcool- I love Kashi Cinammon cereal! It's not super sweet, yet it's not too bland. I buy it because it has no high fructose corn syrup. Same with the granola bars althought they're more expensive.

I hope this thread helps others who are in a similar situation.

darthfader

I ate rather poorly! In fact, very poorly. Ramen noodles. The only veggies I got were the onions on the Taco Bell bean burrito. One of my shining cooking moments was when I went out and bought a "tube" of cookie dough. I squeezed the dough out of the tube and placed it on a plate and put it into the microwave and proceeded to nuke it for about 5 minutes. You see, I lived in a studio apartment without an oven. It had a micro refrigerator, a two burner hot plate and a microwave. Needless to say, the dough just got hot and burned a bit on the edges. I let it cool and I ate it with a spoon. That was my special desert.

Jadeen

Don't even bother buying ramen. Get pasta or rice noodles and some bags of frozen mixed veggies Heat up your water, follow the directions on the pasta bag or box, add your favorite spices to the water (I like to use garlic, onion, Mrs Dash), add a generous helping of veggies, and you got homemade soup without the nasty flavor packet! If you want to add some meat, boil some chicken then shred or chop it up, and use the broth.

For pizza cravings, buy tortillas, pizza sauce, pepperoni slices, your favorite toppings. Spread sauce on the tortilla, your toppings, and pop in the oven. The tortillas make a great thin crust. Or you can microwave it, but the tortillas don't get nice and crispy. Tortillas are great for quick rollups too. Just put ham and cheese on a tortilla, roll up, and microwave.

And don't forget about sandwiches. You can make your own for half of what a convenience store or sub shop charges.

skeeter1

Costco. The "Costco Brunch" is the cheapest way to eat. On a Saturday at noon, you can get all the free samples from their carts. You can get inside Costco without a card. Just tell the Costco Bouncer that you are going to the optical department for an appointment. I get waived in without showing my card. Then, you can eat away!

Costco is also great if you are out and about. The pizza, hot dogs, yogurts, at the stand are all super cheap. And, you don't need a card to get inside the food court either.

Veggies & fruits? Find a local stand or farmer's market. Buy only enough for what you think you will eat in 5 days. Don't forego the fruits and veggies. Health is more expensive then food. If not in season, buy frozen at Walmart.

Deli sandwich meat & cheese? I now buy exactly what I am going to eat. 5 sandwhiches this week? That's 5 slices of cheese and 10 slices of meat.

Best advice - get a girlfriend who likes to cook.

What did you eat when you moved out if you didn't know how to cook?

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