I’m new to cooking and trying to figure out how to make healthy food that actually tastes good. I’m a complete novice, and because of that I’ve been really attracted to methods of cooking that give you great results with no expertise. For example, slow cooking because it can take a tough, cheap cut of meat and turn it into something amazing with almost no effort.

What excites me is learning about simple tricks or techniques that can completely transform a dish. For example, I recently learned that roasting vegetables caramelizes their natural sugars and makes them taste sweeter—that felt like such a life hack. I want to find more tips like that, ones that make me feel like I can take whatever I have at home and turn it into something amazing.

I’m looking for a book that can teach me these things, do you guys have any recommendations, or just a favorite book of yours and why.

I just want flour, water, yeast, and salt (and possibly some butter). Nothing more. I've been toying around with the idea of making my own, but is there anything out there at all that doesn't have 256 ingredients?

Lately I've been making dishes such as Tacos (chicken or beef), Taco bowls, hamburgers, sausages, creamy pasta, pizza, Korean beef bowls.

And now I'm sick of it. I need a break from heavy food containing beef, cream, rice or cheese. Tbh I'm so sick of it I feel turned off even thinking about it.

At the same time, I also need a break from recipes that require multiple pots and lots of standing over the stove. I recently moved and am still going thru the stresses of moving. So at the moment the last thing I wanna do is stand over the stove or chop a dozen ingredients.

I'm looking for dinner ideas that are "light" and also low maintenance during the cooking process. Either slow cooker or one pan (either stove top or oven)

I find that when I eat on a schedule (like breakfast at 7, lunch at 12 etc.) that I actually end up consuming more calories and feeling ravenous at the end of the day compared to when I pay attention to my hunger and fullness cues. Just curious what works for all of you?

Hi! On my food bank stop a while ago I got a HUGE bag of sugared dried fig bits as my preserved fruit- I don’t like food waste and I’m not picky so I’ve been trying to finish them off, but there’s really only so many dried figs you can eat before you start getting sick of them . I still have like 3/4 of a bag and I’m trying to figure out how to eat the rest of them. I’ve thought about making a trail/snack mix, but can anyone think of anything else I can use them for? Thank you!!!

Found a wholsesaler that'll do 20kg chicken breast for 65 quid, almost half what i spend on 20kg if I bought from local shops.

Problem - how do I marinade it

Request - please provide 1-2 recipes that will cover 20kg of chicken breast. Sounds dumb but I simply don't know how to marinate that amount of chicken at once

The prices of fast food and convenient meals are about to go through the roof if trumps tariffs take off. But there are also some foods that are so tedious to make at home that they're almost always worth buying instead. What staple foods are better off bought vs what do you make at home much cheaper?

https://i.imgur.com/e3mISsr.jpeg

Definitely cheap, definitely easy, VERY quick, healthy is relative and this is sure as heck healthier than my local take-out.

Ingredients for ~2 servings:

• 1.5 cup vegetable broth
• 1.5 cup water
• 8-10 frozen mini dumplings
  • Trader Joe's Chicken cilantro wontons are my go-to for this
• 1 Green onion, sliced white and green separated
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Handful of baby spinach
• Optional items:
  • Crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 Tbsp dark soy sauce (if using, consider reducing regular soy sauce to 1/2 Tbsp)
  • Sesame seeds
  • Chili crunch/oil (this stuff is the best imo)

Bring broth, water, soy sauce(s), sesame oil, and whites from green onion to boil. Add red pepper flakes if using. Add mini dumplings and spinach, cook for ~3 minutes. (check the directions on your frozen wontons, but most small ones cook in 2-4 minutes). Serve. Top with green onion, sesame seeds and chili crunch if using.

There's a lot you can do with this. It's really just a base that's easy to throw together, so you could easily embellish this with shrimp, leftover chicken, mushrooms, etc.

Overnight oats recipe:

Reduced fat milk 2% milk fat - 1 cup

Milk Malt drink mix - 2tbsp

1 banana: half mashed, other half sliced

Peanut butter, creamy - 1tbsp

Greek yogurt, Organic non fat plain - 2tbsp

Oatmeal, quick - 1/2 cup

Summary: 584cal

27% - Fat 17.9g Saturated fat 5.4g Cholesterol 25.2mg Sodium 235.6mg

57% - Carbohydrates 84.1g Fiber 8.1g Sugar 37.1g

16% - Protein 23.2g

I was just playing around with some measurements and other ingredients i could put in it. But I’d like to know some opinions on what i can do to make it better if the summary nutrition isn’t quite good 🙂

I hate cooked vegetables/fruits, something about the mushy texture just puts me off; on the topic of mushy textures i also hate mushrooms, tomatos and onions; i hate seafood (I've ate fish and shrimp and i'm honestly not keen to try anything), eggs and ground up meat; i also hate sauces (i tolerate ketchup and BBQ)

The list of things i like are very VERY short, chicken nuggets, burgers (without tomato, onions or any kind of sauce), pizza (just plain pepperoni, i hate everything else), Wings, Rice with chicken, noodles, red meat, pasta, potatos and cold sandwiches (mostly bologna, lettuce and a slice of cheese).

But i do love vegetables, not fruits or milk, but i love vegetables and yogurt; carrots, broccoli, lettuce, lemons, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage; i also like sour stuff, so for example i do eat Green apples, Strawberries, Cherries, Reine Claude Verte.

Furthermore, i have to make everything myself (or order out from the same place) since i very rarely like the cooking of someone else; i also like my foods full and flavorful of spices, salt, pepper, red pepper, paprika, lemon grass, thyme, garlic powder.

No luck so far trying to move away from non dairy creamer. Whole milk doesn’t have the same creamy taste. Heavy cream is delicious but lots of fat and calories. I like creamy sweet coffee a couple times a day after my morning black coffee. Not super sweet just not bitter.

Then there’s all those nice syrupy flavoring to put in coffee too.

(edited to correct nonsensical autocorrect)

So, I am going to surprise my boyfriend with a trip and I've booked an Airbnb, good news, I know, but, the problem is I am a student and I blew all my money on the trip and travel and was wondering if people can give me easy meal ideas, that I can make in the Airbnb easily with a cheap Aldi food run but feels very fancy, almost 5 star level 😂. Can someone give me ideas for meals for 3 days please I can start you off :

1. Wagamama style ramen with buldak noodles

Any help would be greatly appreciated

What are some good snacks to take on your high schools senior trip? We are driving 4-8 hours to our destination and staying Sun. to Sat. while also going to a couple of theme parks and doing a little shopping.... I'm looking for some good snacks for the road trip up there and for the parks and while also chilling at the place.... just looking for some good ideas... and cheap!

I’ve been trying to eat better lately, especially since I really do want to see my results when I work out these days.

I always have 2 simple avocado toasts in the morning with some matcha tea for breakfast for something a little light.

For lunch I just eat whatever food my family makes. I’m from the Philippines so It’ll usually be some soups, curry, meat, or some veggie related foods.

Same for dinner. But lately I’ve been trying to make overnight oats? I had bought this non-fat plain Greek yogurt because that’s the recipes I’ve been seeing. But the yogurt taste seems to throw off the rest of the flavor in the oats.

Which Greek yogurt do people usually use for overnight oats? The one I always see for recommendations in the comments on the video recipes they say to get plain non fat Greek yogurt. The one I bought tastes sour, or like sweet in a way. It’s quite strong

I’m asking for advice on how to commit even more crimes against chili here, so please don’t be too traditional.

I already add 2 cans of beans to 1 lb of beef, but is there a way to stretch it even further? I saw someone say they add quinoa to their chili—is that very noticeable? What about red lentils, would that be subtle? What do you do to stretch your chili?

ETA: Wow, thank you all so much for your suggestions!! I didn’t expect so many comments, but I really appreciate all of you taking the time to share your tips & tricks!

I have been focusing on my skin and hair health since I want to look clean and having full thick hair and I have found that simply boiled eggs 🥚 and sardines can 🐟 (whether vegetable or olive oil preferably) works pretty well together, in companion with rice and green vegetables leaves like Spinach 🌿 and I have been eating that for the last two years very very frequently in my lunchtime and I feel like I have improved my skin and hair overall. I know can items have high sodium and try to choose the best one and having some reserves of the can for the next day, so I don't get overwhelmed with sea food (fortunately I'm not allergic). I know Vitamin C is always fundamental and there's plenty of othera food that contribute to the skin and hair directly but so far I found those enough for the daily intake, lentils is another super food I enjoy a lot and often (At the moment not that much since I had focus in the previous plate 🍽️) If you don't like sardinea, you can replace it with salmon, tilapia (which I loved) or any other instead. I have not suffer from any stomach pain or discomfort 👍🏻.

I dont have a store near me within a 5 mile radius that has a fresh produce section and I lack transportation. But there are multiple dollar stores around me that sell canned vegetables and such.

What I'm wondering is how can I make a healthy and edible meal from canned ingredients that has a good amount of vegetables and protein. Anyone have any recipes?

I was gifted a bucket of hard red winter wheat berries, maybe 5 years old.

Aside from grinding into flour, what else could one do with these? I've read you boil them (how long? wasn't clear) but also that they hurt your gums if you eat too much?

Had my wisdom teeth removed yesterday, been super super afraid of eating anything that could possibly get stuck. Been drinking most of ensure though, and eating some jello here and there. I’m not starving by any means but I miss having something with substance already lol. Any suggestions? Also, with what I should eat on each day would be appreciated. Example: Day 2: stick to soft foods like jello, etc. Thanks!

Hello Redditors! Long time lurker of this subreddit :)

I am looking for some ideas/advice on meals I can cook for my elderly aunt and uncle who have some health issues. I used to cook for them a lot but I don’t live in that area anymore. My aunt doesn’t cook (and has Dementia) and my uncle is an old East Coast farm boy so he can make beans and that’s about it. They are very much meat and potatoes people and don’t really do salads or things like that. Also they don’t like spicy foods, curries, or overly spiced food.

I want to freeze them a bunch of meals that they can easily reheat, including a holiday dinner. For the holiday dinner it will be standard mashed potato, sage and onion stuffing, vegetables, gravy frozen separately. I was thinking for the other meals Lasagna (their favourite) baked ham and scalloped potatoes, shepherds pie, chicken soup from scratch.

I am looking for some suggestions and drive. What recipes do you suggest? I need things that freeze well and are easy and simple to reheat. Also advice on the best way to freeze things (I have a chest freezer space is not an issue). Is it better to freeze them in the tinfoil trays so they can pop them in the oven? I heard that changes the taste of the food. Is it better to freeze them in plastic containers that I don’t need back? Also what tips do you have for freezing potatoes and vegetables? What style of potato dishes freeze the best? What vegetable dishes freeze the best?

I’ll be putting all of these meals in a cooler and driving them a couple of hours to drop them off, so they would have to survive the trip there as well.

Any advice is appreciated! I’d just like to make sure they have some really delicious meals that they can enjoy though the holidays. Thank you!

I have bought them bagged in the grocery store. I have bought them from the freezer. Is there a food processor that will create sweet potato cubes or do you always have to chop them by hand to get them? I know this is a basic question but if there is a less expensive way to get them, I would like to know because I eat them all the time and they are kind of expensive.

I have depression but have been putting effort into eating better. So I've been using a lot of microwavable rice and veggies. Yeah it's not the most elegant but there's almost no dishes and it's quick...And on days you can barely get out of bed that's good.

So I've been looking for recipes that I can make with these ingredients and other quick prep ingredients like canned beans, pre packaged tortillas, etc etc.

P.S. Before anyone asks yes I am in treatment for my depression it's better than it was but the low energy thing hits me hard sometimes.

Mix 2 cans of sardines with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Add sliced black olives. Spoon onto 4 leaves of romaine lettuce and top with sliced tomatoes. Thoughts anyone ?

I'm participating in a community Thanksgiving, it has Young adults and teens as the main cooks and food supsuppliers. What's something that's pre-cooked or something that can be modified that I can bring?

(Also, I'm not opposed to cooking. I normally cook for myself and not a group, and I have a weird cooking style and don't want to bring something that taste good to me but is slop to someone else.)

EDIT: Ran out of prep time, I'm taking two dozen pre-cooked biscuits and covering them in my own garlic butter. Thanks for all your suggestions!

I am looking for some skillet dishes that are simple to make. Due to getting a broken leg I have been advised to limit my standing and walking to about 30 minutes for now. So I am looking for some easy recipes to make.

I am a little tired of:

• Sloppy Joes
• Bean and Beef taco skillet thing
• Sausage, Green Beans and potatoes

At this point, I don't mind if it is an: cook the meat, open can of this and that and dump.

I am also searching through this sub looking for things...

(I also have an Air Fryer..)

Hi I'm trying to find a way to plan out meals between paychecks to help lower our spending and to try and eat better and lose a little weight what to you do I can try to implement in my planing

Costco had a fab deal on smoked chicken breast, and I’m now stuck with 800g of it.

Do you guys have any ideas/recipes for where the smoky flavour would really pair well with? Obviously I can treat it the way I normally would with regular poached chicken breast, but I’m looking for that je ne sais quoi ✨

Hi, I'm looking for tips on how to prep veggies to eat for meals. I'm trying to up the veggie intake for our whole family (F29, M34, toddler 2) but with the toddler, and 2 neurodivergent adults, it's hard.

We have a short list of vegetables we do like between my partner and I, and my partner (who is on the autism spectrum) is unwilling to deviate and try vegetables he doesn't like. My toddler is in a picky-eater phase but I know it's important to give him the opportunity to try new foods so I'm not as concerned if he doesn't eat it.

We like broccoli, regular lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, green beans, and snap peas. My partner will tolerate asparagus and raw carrots. I like more vegetables than my partner (cucumber, zucchini, tomatoes, and cabbage). My partner will NOT eat anything with onion or tomato.

How do I prep these veggies with enough variety to not get bored of them? This is my biggest struggle: I know we need to eat more vegetables but I'm so tired of steamed broccoli (which I will make with salt & pepper and either butter or parmesan).