First time cooker! :P (beer, ingredients, burgers, diet)

[SubaruFiend]

I have pretty much never really cooked for myself (I've made recipes here and there but not on a regular basis)

I'm about to move like 900 miles away from my parents (ie from my mom who is the "cook" of the house) and I am scared I'm guna get FAT from eating crap since I'm not use to cooking for myself.......

Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can avoid this (it's kinda like the freshmen 15 :P) Like if you know of any cookbooks that have GOOD recipes that are EASY to make and LOW FAT (ie healthy),..........

Also, I'll be living in Denver, does anyone know of any good "discount" grocery stores there like Aldi, cuz I know aldi isn't out there........ I'm guna be on a super budget when I get there so buying food is guna be a process :P

[luzianne]

Go search through recipes at allrecipes.com I have found lots of good recipes there and other places and I rarely ever break out a cookbook anymore. At allrecipes.com I usually will only try recipes that have 5 stars, but I read the reviews and see what people say about it before trying something.

[Jaxson]

Gee there are so many good easy cookbooks out there. If you are worried about gaining weight then look at some of the Weight Watcher cookbooks. If you want all around basic try Joy of Cooking, Better Home & Garden, Betty Crocker types. If you are wanting specialty foods there are way too many to suggest. If you are really challenged in your cooking you might even look at a kid's recipe book so you will have step by step pictures to help you out.

Don't be afraid to try new things! Good luck HTH.

[alphaluce]

I know how to cook! Where's the can opener?

[jacq63]

All you need is a bit of money and a phone/internet connection.
Go to fridge and remove all home-delivery options stuck thereon.
Open fridge and remove beer. Open beer and drink whilst perusing aforementioned home-delivery options.
Once you've decided, you need to act fast, because indecisiveness has ruined many a good intention.
Dial number/enter details on computer keyboard. Transfer intention to verbal desire, make sure operator repeats it back to you with details of price.
Have money ready and close door quickly once meal arrives, in case tip is slightly lukewarm.
Pour another beer and enjoy!

[wanneroo]

When I lived in Colorado, I was budgeting plus didn't have room or time to get lavish with cooking. My diet consisted of hummus, pita bread, peanut butter, tomato soup, corn chips, cheese, crackers, lunch meat, salad, carrots, pickles, cereal, milk and the odd french bread pizza. Also I liked to get the supermarket deli cooked chicken or turkey for $6-8 already precooked and that would do a couple of meals. I brewed my own iced green tea with mint with one of those mr. coffee iced tea makers. At times I was eating on about $30 a week on that diet at Colorado mountain resort prices. After much experimentation I found using the simple ingredients above and keep my meals very simple and not using a lot of processed food keep my costs and time usage down.

When I first moved to Colorado, which was the first time away from home, I didn't have much money and didn't really know what to do so I ate a lot of frozen food instead of fresh and blew out the budget. One thing I found as a single person, is that in many cases I was better off going to an inexpensive restaurant, say Chipotle for instance which uses good ingredients, and getting something there instead of making it myself. It was easier to buy a couple of tacos and a drink for $8 at Chipotle, than if I went to the store, bought all the necessary ingredients and did it myself. Plus the time factor was considered as well.

[skbs]

I cook everything low fat and low budget. I have two kids and cook for a family of four on one income. So, I understand where you are coming from. I feel the main goal is to find things that are healthy and nutritious. Instead of giving yourself treats of cookies and cakes give yourself the treats of fruits and veggies first.... they cost quite a bit but are high on the nutritional scale. Search out the local farmers markets. Not only do they tend to be less expensive than the local grocery stores, they are a form of free entertainment on a Saturday or Sunday morning. They will most often carry meat, eggs, dairy, breads.... things like that you might want to investigate as well. I have an amazing one in my town and can purchase the majority of my groceries there fresh and on a very small budget. Buying on a small budget you will be looking at making choices for cost... a lot of the foods are completely jammed with fillers and have no nutritional value....sugar cereals at Aldi's for instance may be dirt cheap... but they are going to fill your waist line before they fill your belly for the morning.... If you are concerned about the weight gain... these are the things you have to think about prior to going into these types of chains (who do cut their costs by using fillers btw- but I do shop there as well)... Aldi's has a great low fat brand that I tend to stick to when looking for crackers/popcorn/turkey burgers/coffee creamer/yogurt...... Anyway.... good luck....

[TakeAhike]

Think about what you are eating now and perhaps ask your Mom for meal planning/shopping tips.

The crock pot is your friend.

[chilegal]

Originally Posted by TakeAhike

Think about what you are eating now and perhaps ask your Mom for meal planning/shopping tips.

The crock pot is your friend.

Great idea, and start your own cookbook with your mom's favorite recipes. Or your favs that your mom makes.
Ask others for their recipes also. Its a great way to think of them as you are cooking their recipe.

[HighlandsGal]

I live in Denver and the ethnic grocers (especially Asian and Mexican) are great for lower prices on things like fresh produce and baking essentials.

wanneroo gave some good advice. On Fridays, Safeway grocery stores sell whole roasted chickens for $5. You can get a few meals out of that for sure.