Simple recipes for someone who can't really cook!

JailhouseBabe

Hi Sophie,
Well done you! If you want to start simple, jacket potato and salad makes for a healthy meal. Or if you go for something like a chilli con carne, you can sneak lots of vegetables into the sauce (e.g. celery, carrot) without your dad and brother noticing.

Whatever you decide, you can always come back and ask more questions if you get stuck and someone will have an answer for you.

Good luck!

JB x

Chuzzle

Can I just say WELL DONE SOPHIE!!:T I think it's brill that you have decided to take this on.

I started off by writing out a list of meals that I knew the family liked, then I searched on the internet and through cookery books I got from the library to find recipes for each of these things. Then I just make a list of the ingredients and go from there.

Good luck, it is a bit scary to begin with but after a couple of weeks you might wonder why you hadn't done it sooner - and just think if you start doing this now, when you do leave home in a few years you'll have a head start on others of the same age!!

LandyAndy

sophie131 wrote: »

I like eating pasta, my Mum likes pretty much everything but it's my Dad and brother who will just eat rubbish. They will eat chips, burgers, curry etc.
My parents do shop, but will literally just come back with a load of rubbish you can't make a single meal out of!
After losing 2 and a half stone last year I can see the weight slowly creeping up and if they won't change there shopping habit, i'll just have to change it for them!
Thanks for the help so far

Burgers aren't rubbish if you make your own.

The same goes for curries.

Oh and well done and good luck.

LandyAndy

Be aware that cooking proper meals from scratch may well, sadly, be more expensive than ready meals. It's more an exercise in knowing what's in your food than saving money.

LandyAndy

newlywed wrote: »

What kind of ready meals do you like (ish) eating?

Start there. If everyone likes spaghetti bolognaise then start with that, or lasagna or shepherds pie or chilli etc (all recipes that can be used started with the same basic onion, mince and chopped tomato sauce)

:beer: The Holy Trinity of 'chuck it in and hope' cookery.:beer:

newlywed

LandyAndy wrote: »

:beer: The Holy Trinity of 'chuck it in and hope' cookery.:beer:

Too right!!! That describes all of my cooking in any case!!! :rotfl:

newlywed

Here's a previous post about learning to cook which should help (lots more links put in there too) http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=906123

Also, Easycook magazine is good and often gives costings etc and recipes for 4 people.

ceebeeby

G.F.Y. Sophie!!!

How bout some home-made burgers and potato wedges - to appeal to everyone, if you're on a budget, Morrisons has got the meat burgers for 50p for 4 this week?

Home made burgers: minced-beef, seasoning, half a beaten egg (to bind) - and that's it. Grill or dry fry.

Home made potato wedges: Wash tatties, cut into wedges, season if wished. Spray with one-cal - put in medium-hot oven for 35-30 mins. You can get wedge seasoning in a packet, but might be OTT.

Extra's: If they like spicy, use 2 tin's of Value or Smart Price Baked Beans, add a couple of spoonfuls of curry or chilli powder (add it gradually until you find your right level), heat and serve with your burger.

Go adventurous for your dessert. Make a large meringue (2 egg whites, about 4 tablespoons of caster sugar, whip together until stiff). Put on greased proof paper in very low oven for about an hour. Allow to cool.
Add large tub of very low fat, favourite yogurt flavour (strawb, peach etc.) or natural with spoonful of honey to sweeten. If you want, drain a tin of fruit and add fruit as decoration. Slice and serve.

Very low fat meal, but yummy and very filling.

Total for dinner prep ... 20 mins???
Total for dessert prep ... 5 mins???

Good luck

count_rostov

Well done Sophie, this is a brilliant thing for you to do for your family.
What about making a chilli with baked potatoes?
Take a large saucepan or casserole pan, preferable one with a metal handle and lid that can also go in the oven.
Turn the oven on to 180C, gas mark 4, sorry, I don't know what this is in farenheit.
Chop a large onion, three cloves of garlic, and one red pepper, fry gently in a little oil. Add a packet of beef mince. Stir to break up the lumps of meat, so that all the meat gets browned. Add two tins of chopped tomatoes, one drained tin of kidney beans, one teaspoon of chilli flakes, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Turn up the heat so that the mixture starts bubbling, then turn the heat down so that it cooks really gently for about 40 minutes. If you have a saucepan which can also go in the oven, put it in the oven.
Wash the potatoes, !!!!! the skins with a fork and put them in the oven too. They may take a little longer to cook depending on the size, but the chilli can simmer for ages, it will only get better. They are cooked when they are soft if you squeeze them (through a tea towel).
As Newlywed says, you could make double quantities of this, then the next day you can scoop the leftover potatoes out of their skins, mash them with some melted butter and milk. Put the left over chilli in an oven-proof dish, cover with the mashed potato and bake at 180C for about 40 minutes.
So, your shopping list for this would be:
sunflower oil
large white potatoes
1 large onion
one clove of garlic
1 red pepper
2 tins of tomatoes
1 tin of kidney beans
1 packet of mince
1 jar of chilli flakes
salt
pepper

When you first start making meals from scratch it's quite expensive but you will build up a storecupboard of herbs, spices, oils etc and then it becomes much much cheaper than ready meals. And of course, much much healthier.
Good luck - and well done on the weight loss!

Penelope_Penguin

newlywed wrote: »

Here's a previous post about learning to cook which should help (lots more links put in there too) http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=906123

Also, Easycook magazine is good and often gives costings etc and recipes for 4 people.

Newlywed - thank you so much :A I've been searching all afternoon (on and off) for more threads, and you've found them :T I'll add this thread to the one NW found, so that you can easily refer to all the links Pink made.

Penny. x