Hello everyone,
I need a little bit of advice
Okay this is the deal… For years I've been eating mostly at fast-food restaurants or sticking to only microwavable meals. I plan to move away from home, so I’m trying to make a list of all the things I will need in order to be successful at cooking and eating healthier... What items do you suggest that I have for the kitchen? I’m on a budget of $200-$300. Any websites or anything else you could offer would be great. Also if you have some really quick and easy and most importantly college student budget meals I could prepare please send them my way. Thanks to all in advance.
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*Remember* Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
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A food scale is good, and inexpensive. It will help with portion control. I buy some snack foods and divide them into single serving portions myself (you can get the mini zipper bags for this) and it\'s much cheaper than the 100 cal packs you buy at the store.
Also, measuring cups and spoons.
These items will help a lot.
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For recipes, I use Weightwatchers.com, allrecipes.com and cookinglight.com...
OTher then that, experiment!!!! Trial and error girl! [I

Hi! Here\'s a few ideas. I gather you\'re looking for healthy, no hussle, inexpensive recipes that can be done in a single piece of cookware. Welcome to my world. Some of my favourites that my firends also appreciate:
- pan fried salmon with veggies. Frozen farmed salmon fillet is cheeeap wher I come from, I don\'t know about you. Fresh is better, of course. Unfreeze the fillet. Heat up a pan with just a few drops of oil. Put the fillet in (skin-free side down), press to the pan and let it sizzle for a minute. Then, take the pan off the heat and leave it to stand, because the fish will stick to the bottom until it cools off a bit. Be patient, don\'t push it about. When it unsticks, turn it around (now it\'s skin down) and put on high heat. By this time, put you choice of fresh veggies in the pan as well (cut into small pieces, I prefer brokkoli or cauliflower, or carrots, but not together), cover the pan and let it fry for another 5 minutes. Then, take it off the heat, and while the almon is getting unstuck again (it will unstick, I promise), put some of your fauvorite seasoning in the pan (a bit of garlic, or maybe chillies, or cilantro, ...) and either a bit of soy sauce or sprinkle of salt. Delicious!
- all time fauvorite lentil soup. Chop up one BIG onion. Throw it into a large pot with a bit of oil and let it soften up, but not burn. Then, scoop in a spoonful of curry powder (I use the hot stuff, but the mild or medium is good, also). By that time, the smell in the kitcken is going to make your mouth drool. Then, immediately, put in green lentil beans (2 cups), stir, pour 5-6 cups of cold water over it, and cook for 45 minutes on medium heat (just so it bubbles slowly). Then it\'s ready to serve. Hey, it seem a bit dodgy, but it is delicious!! Now, if you\'re like me, you\'ll want to take a blender and mix it all up so it gets really smooth when it\'s done. But, that optional, of course. If you\'re feeling luxurious, throw is some meat at the point when you put in the lentils and the water. Cubed lean beef, shicken pieces, or (myfauvorite), some good quality smoked sausage (a little bit goes a long way). This soup seems rich in taste but it\'s calorie count is ridiculously low. High on protein, low carbs, and onion helps drain away excess body water.
- another easy recipe: make a huge bowl of fresh salad. Anything you like, as long as there\'s lots of variety. Lettuce, tomato, onions, cilantro, peppers, ... Dress with a mustard dressing. In a pan, scramble and fry two eggs with a bit of salt and pepper. Thrw the eggs over the salad when it\'s dressed. Serve with toast. Heaven, my dear.
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I love to cook, Walmart or Kmart has cheap pots and pans go for the stainless steel, some of the other ones whatever they use to line the inside can sometimes be scraped of and that can get in your foods. Get 2 cutting boards; one for veggies the other for meats, lowers the risk of spreading bacteria. I recommend the Mazola Pure cooking spray it has no silicone or alcohol. Get a convection toaster oven. I have one that fully cooks frozen chicken breats in 20 mins and they don't come out dry. I make just about any thing in there.

This was my cooking bible when I first started cooking. Not only are these familiar recipes, but they will help you understand about yourself. You will gain an understanding about what ingredients you use most often that are calorie dense to you.


TopSecretRecipes.com

I would definately look into containers. That way you can save food (save $), keep things fresh, and you won't feel obligated to eat everything just so you won't waste food. I would get some good mixing bowls, spoons, a good set of pans, one that has a steamer for a pot, a good measuring cup, the best thing I can also recommend is get a membership to Sam's Club or BJs you can save a lot of money. I don't know if you are renting an apartment or living in a dorm, but if you have access to a regular refridgerator I would buy chicken breast and veggies in bulk. You can freeze the meat and trust me you will save a lot of money. If you are strapped for cash you can eat healthier. I find that a lot of people will actually buy junk food because it is cheaper, but if you buy at a bulk club you will do fine. Buy some good food containers....again keeps food fresh and saves you money in the long run.