Does anyone here cook all their meals from scratch?

[MaddiesMommie]

Great thread!
I LOVE to cook but find myself getting into a rut and making the same things over and over. I also have a hard time cooking meals for 2. We will eat leftovers, but a roast or something like meatloaf will last several days. I just get tired of it and end up throwing it out.

[Ashley V]

Originally Posted by MaddiesMommie

Great thread!
I LOVE to cook but find myself getting into a rut and making the same things over and over. I also have a hard time cooking meals for 2. We will eat leftovers, but a roast or something like meatloaf will last several days. I just get tired of it and end up throwing it out.

It's just two of us also. My hubby eats a lot and whatever is left over I take with me to work the next day for lunch. Tonight I'm making italian sausage rigatoni and will have enough for dinner for both and lunch for me for tomorrow.

There are also websites like allrecipes.com that you can look up recipes. Say if you want a chicken dish, just go on google and type in chicken recipes and you will find so much stuff. That what I do a lot of times when I want to do something different. I also like to look through cooking magazines and if it seems like it will be a lot, then I will cut the recipe in half or make it and freeze what we don't eat. It I buy a large chunk of meat, I will sometimes split it in two so I don't have to make it all at once and freeze the other half.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Ashley V

It's just two of us also. My hubby eats a lot and whatever is left over I take with me to work the next day for lunch. Tonight I'm making italian sausage rigatoni and will have enough for dinner for both and lunch for me for tomorrow.

There are also websites like allrecipes.com that you can look up recipes. Say if you want a chicken dish, just go on google and type in chicken recipes and you will find so much stuff. That what I do a lot of times when I want to do something different. I also like to look through cooking magazines and if it seems like it will be a lot, then I will cut the recipe in half or make it and freeze what we don't eat. It I buy a large chunk of meat, I will sometimes split it in two so I don't have to make it all at once and freeze the other half.

I love allrecipes.com! I got my cookie recipes from there and just modified it to my family's taste.

Does anyone know if Rachel Ray's show can be seen on Netflix or Hulu? On the food network website? I really need more ideas. I only make 3 good meals, but I can't keep rotating between the three!

[manolos mom]

30 Minute Meals Recipes : Food Network


I just love her easy recipes!

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by manolos mom

30 Minute Meals Recipes : Food Network


I just love her easy recipes!

Yay! Thank you.

[MaddiesMommie]

Originally Posted by manolos mom

30 Minute Meals Recipes : Food Network


I just love her easy recipes!

Thank you for the link. I book marked it.

[MaddiesMommie]

Originally Posted by Ashley V

It's just two of us also. My hubby eats a lot and whatever is left over I take with me to work the next day for lunch. Tonight I'm making italian sausage rigatoni and will have enough for dinner for both and lunch for me for tomorrow.

There are also websites like allrecipes.com that you can look up recipes. Say if you want a chicken dish, just go on google and type in chicken recipes and you will find so much stuff. That what I do a lot of times when I want to do something different. I also like to look through cooking magazines and if it seems like it will be a lot, then I will cut the recipe in half or make it and freeze what we don't eat. It I buy a large chunk of meat, I will sometimes split it in two so I don't have to make it all at once and freeze the other half.

I have to give credit to my hubby, he is pretty good at cleaning up the leftovers. I have quit eating a big or heavy lunch. I made Baked Pasta tonight but will not take it for lunch tomorrow. I eat a good breakfast and usually have something really light for lunch (salad, veggies w/dip, or hummus and pita).

[My Sophia]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

I love allrecipes.com! I got my cookie recipes from there and just modified it to my family's taste.

Does anyone know if Rachel Ray's show can be seen on Netflix or Hulu? On the food network website? I really need more ideas. I only make 3 good meals, but I can't keep rotating between the three!

allrecipes.com is the best! I love how they don't just give you one version of the dish. You can type in quiche Lorraine for instance and get dozens of versions along with comments from people who have used THAT recipe, how it turned out, what didn't work, if they did something a little different with it.

[Ashley V]

Originally Posted by My Sophia

allrecipes.com is the best! I love how they don't just give you one version of the dish. You can type in quiche Lorraine for instance and get dozens of versions along with comments from people who have used THAT recipe, how it turned out, what didn't work, if they did something a little different with it.

I love that people can comment on the recipes! It makes things really nice because you can alter the recipe based on someone else's trial and error. I did that with a cookie recipe I found there once. A person omitted something that I didn't have in my cabinet, so I tried it and it worked great!

[DvlshAngel985]

Just joined the Food Network site. I already have 11 recipes I want to try. They also have 30 min meals on hulu.com. It's not the full version, but you you understand.

[alaskayorkie]

I lost a bunch of weight (since gained back) on WW a few years ago, and I had a system that worked pretty well for me. I'm a horrible cook, so I cooked almost exclusively from recipes in WW books, divided up the portions and froze most of it.

I'd cook 2 to 3 double recipes a week, with each providing about 8 portions. After several weeks, I'd have some decent variety in the freezer.

On my latest effort, I was all fired up about WW frozen meals, but I just read the new government report saying frozen meals have way too much salt.

I hope to get back to my original system.

[celstu1]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Thanks for the replies. Tell me, do you guys consider yourselves good cooks?

I ask because one thing about my "everyday" cooking is that everything sort of tastes the same. I have two "standard" recipes right now - stuffed peppers, and chicken roasted with veggies.

I cook at home meals about 95% of the time. Yes, we do eat out or get take out once in awhile, but not that often.

I get bored too.... same ol' food, same ol' flavor. So I look up recipes all the time. Either I know what I took out of the freezer for dinner that night so I look up recipes on a different way to prepare it.

Or I look up recipes in general and then when I food shop I'll buy the stuff to make the recipe in that weeks meals.

I look up simple recipes really because I get home from work at 6pm, so I can't take an hour prep time before I cook, then we will eat too late. I'm pretty adamant about being done dinner by 7pm since anything later than that would really pack on the pounds.

Simple stuffed shell recipe that I make is:

1lb turkey burger
1 packet taco seasoning
Cook together in a skillet until brown
Add 1 packet cream cheese
Mix together well

Boil Large pasta shells or manicotti shells until tender.

Stuff the shells with the meat/cheese mixture
Line them up in a 9x13 baking pan. Pour a can/jar of enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle some mexican shredded cheese and bake for 20 mins on 350.

I got a marriage proposal when I made those for a work function. The kids LOVE them and making 2 pans is as easy as making 1, so there can be the option for leftovers or for none.

Also I am a huge veggie eater... I think I could be a vegetarian if it weren't for bf, the kids and that one time a month when I crave steak! (you know the time)
I find that cubing veggies and mixing them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a mixture of chopped FRESH herbs then broiling them in the oven is delicious and takes no time at all! Dried herbs are not as good as fresh though.

Also sometimes just a nice grilled chicken breast with a capresse salad (my fave!) is delish!
Capresse salad is just tomato slices, basil leaves, mozzarella cheese slices stacked up, drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with a bit of sea salt. YUM!!!

Sorry! I could go on about food forever... I LOVE IT!

[celstu1]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

My problem is that I'm an "event" cook also. I can do a Thanksgiving dinner, and I love cooking chichi desserts, but I've never been one to cook simple, healthy meals on a regular basis. I'm having some trouble converting, I guess. When I try something new, it becomes a huge production. I use every pot in my kitchen, and spend all day making one meal.

I tend to like mushy food / soups also, so my default is to boil everything into oblivion.

I'm also thinking about taking a knife skills course.

BF came home with Elephant Garlic the other day when I asked him to get garlic. Since I never heard of it, I googled it. I found out that its good for seasoning but does not take the place of garlic, it is more like a leek than real garlic. So then I was thinking, what the heck am I going to do with all this stuff then. So I googled elephant garlic recipes and found this soup recipe that, to me, sounded delish! Guess what I'll make this weekend? A whole big pot! haha

Roasted Elephant Garlic Soup with Grilled Eggplant Recipe - CHOW

[sugarmamma]

I try to cook daily from scratch. I consider myself a good cook. My favorites are any type of curry, homemade pasta sauce, soups, stews, falafel stuffed peppers (YUM) and many others. I try to keep my recipes low fat and low cal too.

I do take a little help from the store when I can. Starting with a mix and "fixing it up" or even a soup base....you can create wonders in no time!

[Princes mom]

I cook everything from scratch, and have never bought premade food. I like to do some things the old fashioned way. I also juice veggies and fruits.