Chook Me!

What are some easy, healthy, quick dinners I can make for my family? (Read details!)?

My mom is a fabulous cook who has raised us to eat vegetables with almost every meal (french fries don't count!)...but she left the family. Now I am the only woman in the house. I am seventeen years old, living with my dad and my sixteen year old brother. I did not inherit my mom's culinary skills at all. I burn macaroni and cheese for crying out loud, and my cornbread is so hard it bounces off the floor...anyway, I'm going crazy. Dad can't cook anything but sausage and biscuits. Little brother loves to cook (he has already taken culinary classes) but he only wants to cook for himself. So Dad went to Wal-Mart and bought a cart full of "groceries"--frozen pizzas, frozen chicken nuggets, frozen french fries, hot dogs, Fudgesicles, Hot Pockets, sandwich stuff, and vienna sausages. Which is fine for every once in a while. But a frozen pizza once a day? I can't take it. I need my vegetables--peas, beans, greens, everything--and I need my protein. I literally feel sluggish because I haven't had a green vegetable in a couple of weeks. I'm the only one who is willing to cook...except I can't cook! I've attempted, and nothing works. I have tried pasta, and had moderate success, but my dad doesn't like pasta. I have tried burgers (a turkey burger for myself because I don't eat beef) but I really have issues with handling raw meat. I was gagging the whole time I handled the ground beef, and while they were cooking, my patties all fell apart so my dad and brother had to eat sloppy joes without the sauce. I've also done Hamburger Helper, but once again, the meat is an issue. So--do you have any ideas for easy, healthy, quick dinners that anyone can cook? I need to make sure we're all getting our nutrients, and I'm in all AP classes so I don't have time to make something elaborate like meat loaf because I have so much studying to do. My family really likes: Chicken Pork Mexican and Asian cuisine Vegetables...lots and lots of vegetables Casseroles Southern foods--fried chicken, chicken pot pie, black eyed peas and ham, red beans and rice, etc. We're not picky eaters--I don't like beef or fish and Dad doesn't like pasta. That's it. Also, do you have any tips on how to get over a fear of handling raw meat? Thanks for helping us get off the "frat boy diet"!

Public Comments

1. Time seems to be a large issue in your house so I suggest using the weekend to prepare meals for the week to come. This is what my family often does and it saves a lot of time over the weekend. It is also a good idea to make food in large batches and then freeze the meal into smaller portions which can be thawed out when you need a quick meal. Your father doesn't like pasta which is quite difficult to work around when making freezable meals, but you can make do. I strongly encourage you to make soups in large batches and then freeze in plastic ice cream tubs or other dishes. Barbecue can also be made and frozen. Instead of using beef, use shredded turkey or chicken. It still tastes great! Pepper steak would also be a great meal. Easy to follow recipes can be found on the internet. Breakfast is also a great idea for dinner. Bacon or sausage, eggs, pancakes or french toast. It is very quick to prepare and tastes great any time of the day. Your fear of raw meat probably comes from not working with it often enough. The only way to conquer the fear is to make it a point to work with it often and become more comfortable handling it. If you don't like the feel, try wearing plastic gloves which will prevent you from having to touch it directly. Start out working with meats that aren't as bloody or gross to look at and then gradually work your way into the messier cuts of meat. Ease yourself into working with raw meat. It makes things much easier.
2. Crock pot meals don't require a lot of your time...And you can have your meat and vegetables... Crock Pot Chicken, Rice and Broccoli 2 pounds chicken tenders or boneless chicken breasts cut in strips or cubes 1 1/4 cups uncooked converted rice 1 package Knorr’s Cream of Broccoli Soup Mix 1 1/2 cups chicken broth pepper, to taste and parsely for color Broccoli, carrots or cauliflower Place rice in a lightly greased slow cooker. Sprinkle with parsley and pepper. Top with chicken pieces. Mix together the soup, mix and broth. Pour over chicken and rice. You can add vegetables now or wait until about 1 hour before serving if you like them firmer. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. I don’t recommend cooking this for a shorter time on high... Crockpot Pork Chops and Mustard Sauced Potatoes 6 pork loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick 1 Tbsp cooking oil 1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth 1/2 cup Dijon style mustard 1 tsp dried thyme, crushed 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 tsp pepper 6 medium potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices 1 medium onion, sliced In a large skillet, brown pork chops on both sides, in hot oil. Drain off fat. In a large mixing bowl combine soup, wine, mustard, thyme, garlic, and pepper. Add potatoes and onion, stirring to coat. Transfer to crock pot. Place browned chops on top of potatoes. Cover; cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high 3 1/2 to 4 hours... Vegetable Stir Fry Mixed vegetables, chopped thin - 3 cups Ginger finely chopped or paste - 1 tsp Garlic finely chopped - 1 tsp Corn starch or arrowroot powder - 1 tbsp Soy sauce - 1 tbsp Vinegar - 1 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt - 1 tsp or according to taste. Water or vegetable stock -2 tbsp Chili sauce - 1 tbsp Pepper to taste Mix arrowroot powder(or corn starch) in a little water or vegetable stock in a small bowl. Add soy and chili sauce and vinegar, salt to taste. Mix, Keep aside. Heat oil in a wok or skillet. Keep the flame medium. Add onions. Stir for 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic. Stir. Add cabbage, carrots.. Start by adding the vegetables that take longer to cook. Add a tablespoon of water if you want to cook the vegetables soft. When the vegetables are almost cooked, Add the arrowroot mixture. Mix well to coat all the vegetables. The sauce will thicken as it cooks so stir briskly... You might check out some cook books..try to get ones that have step by step pictures.. Hope this helps !!!
3. Don´t worry, you are not born a cook, it needs practice and experience, but once you get into it you will learn quickly. I can say the same about the raw meat, you will get used to it. You say you like Asian cuisine, do you have a wok at home? Because with it you can make super easy fast healthy food. You just need some oil,vegetables,meat (optional) and sauce for it. The whole thing doesn´t take more than 30 minutes. Just search - stir fry and you will find tons of recipes. Another very easy thing is for example to make some vegetables on a pan. Just put some olive oil, cut vegetables, season them as you like and then mix them with some rice you made on the side. Also you can cut meat into strips and fry it and mix it in. A simple nourishing food can be just some meat and potatoes. It´s easy to prepare chicken, get some chicken breasts, beat them with something a little bit so they are flat, season with salt, pepper, thyme, or anything you like. Put on a pan in hot oil and fry on each side for a few minutes, it usually doesnt take more than 10 minutes. You can make potatoes in many different ways - peeled and boiled, in an owen, mashed potatoes...If you don´t know how to make those just search for example "basic mashed potatoes". I suggest you search for some cooking tutorials on youtube, it might be easier to see what you are supposed to be doing...And there are lots of easy recipes on the internet. I enjoy watching Jamie Oliver´s cooking, he makes everything so simple! Try watching him... Good luck!
4. I have just recently tried to make pork chops more tender. I discovered that if I cook them in salted water in a large pan, covered, for about 1-1 1/2 hours, they will come out fork tender. Then you can prepare any way you prefer, with veggies, BBQ'd, or a little breading and quick fried with a small amount of oil. Maybe if you ask your brother if you can watch him prepare a few meals it will teach you a little more about what goes with what and so forth. I love to make fish (steamed) and add a small amount of lemon, chopped garlic and butter to the liquid after the fish is cooked. It makes a delicious sauce and serve with a lemon wedge along side with any vegetables and a salad. For the recipes I cook with, I will go on-line to several different sites. If I don't have one or more of the ingredients, I will just improvise. That way you will get more confident with trying out all the recipes, and do it your way. If something doesn't come out perfectly the first time, try it again by switching the recipe around. Below are some sites I go to.