I've just come to a very sudden realization. I think I'm going to have problems .... I don't know how to cook! NO, I mean REALLY don't. My idea of "eating right" has been Smart Ones. I know in a few days I can start eating soft chicken etc., but shoot I don't know how to make it.

I looked at the food forum for ideas, "1 tp of this and 1 cup of that," and I'm going, what the heck is THIS and THAT that you even use to make the meal? I sound country don't I. Ugh, I wish I would have paid more attention to my grandmother in the kitchen, and now I'm several states away from any family. My husband makes fun of me for boiling Water and setting the smoke alarm off. I have a lot to learn. :help:

Sounds like it is time to buy a good basic cookbook. Try the Betty Crocker, or one that is similar. They don't have a lot of fancy recipes. And it also will explain some of the cooking terms you will come across. Like, what it means to saute something, or to baste it. If that is not something you can do right now, I would be glad to help as much as I can over the computer...I manage to cook my way to dang near 300 pounds!!!

Good Luck, and if I can answer anything specific, just let me know!!

Kat

I'm going to have to get a Betty Crocker cookbook ASAP. I'm all about the non-fancy recipes!!! I like to eat stuff when I can pronounce its name. Thanks for the reply!! I'm open to any ideas and suggestions.

As for cooking your chicken...I can tell you what I did with mine. I just cooked mine in some chicken broth ( you can buy it canned, by the soup), so it would stay very moist. Then I could add it to other things, to make a meal as I began eating solids again. I take either a whole chicken, or already cut up parts whatever you have available. If you use a whole chicken, thaw it in the fridge overnight, and you will have to reach inside it and remove the bag of heart, liver, and gizzard. These in my house go right back into another bag labeled Chicken Yuck in the freezer and my DS uses them to go fishing!!! Anyway rinse it out, and put it in a large pot, with some chicken broth, and water if needed to bring the level up about 1/3 to 1/2 way on the chicken. Toss in a little salt, and a stalk or 2 of celery, you can add some onion if you want, or if you have other spices available, you can add them, but it really isn't necessary. Cook it with a lid on it, over a middle heat setting, let it come to a boil, then turn it down a little bit. Checking occasionally to make sure your liquid is not cooking away, which will happen more quickly if your pot lid is not tight. Cook it until when you poke it in the thickest part of the meat, the juice runs out clear. A meat thermometer is the safest way to be sure it is cooked completely but I am unsure of the temp you would need to cook it to. The cook book will tell you tho. Remove it from the fire, let everything cool, and then you can remove the chicken and take the meat off of the bones, and use it in whatever way you want. It may be easier to start with either chicken breasts, or thighs, and do the same with them. It is easy to do, if you once get started, you will surprise yourself about how much you probably already know!

Kat

Well, you've got to start somewhere, and I agree, a basic cookbook is probably a good place.

Learning to cook will be a major tool in losing wieght and maintaining that loss. Its not good to eat out of packets and boxes, a great goal is to eat more fresh food. It tastes better too.

I agree that fresh food is the best, always. But in this day and age you don't have to go crazy with preparation; just about any ingredient you might want is available in supermarkets already cleaned and cut up and prepared for you. Check out Rachael Ray's show 30-minute Meals on The Food Network to see really imaginative ways to use pre-prepped food.

I have a wonderful software program called Master Cook. You can take any receipe you find on the internet and download it into it. It will recalculate ingrediants based on how many servings you want. If you want to use healthier ingredients, it will substitue them for you. It will also breakdown all the nutritional information for you based on the ingredients and their quantity. There are many sites that have receipes specifically for this program. I have found many of the ones that were designed specifically for Master Cook to be very easy to follow. Believe me, I am no cook! But, I have pretty good luck with this program.

Thanks you guys for your replies. Grocery shopping and getting a cookbook is on my list of to do for this week. I guess the times I've tried cooking, I've been overwhelmed at how much more money it seems to cost to eat right than to make sandwiches or Pasta. Looks like I need to get the Sunday paper and go to town on the coupons, certainly can't live on sandwiches and spaghetti. At least I'm 21 trying to figure out how to cook and not 31 with some kiddos!

Kat -- I'm going to try that chicken recipe. Thanks for really breaking it down for me. (I def need the breakage)

Susan -- The Master Cook software sounds like a very helpful tool. Is this something that you can download online or do you have to buy it somewhere?

I'm not a great cook either and I live alone, but I have learned there are lots of good alternatives to boxed foods or fast foods. For example, a chicken breast takes about 30 minutes in the oven - you can buy them already seasoned and frozen. EASY EASY EASY - I open up a can of green beans or asparagus, etc to have with it. It doesn't have to be a major production, just something to eat, hopefully heavy on the protein. Another, more expensive but very handy alternative is your local Schwans man. They have great choices for proteins that are easy to prepare and are a great quality. However, you must avoid their desserts and goodies section. www.schwans.com, and they deliver!

My husband makes fun of me for boiling Water and setting the smoke alarm off.

Now remember this is a guy's suggestion. Give the cooking duties to your husband if he thinks he can do any better in stopping that smoke alarm.

My wife is half Italian and Half Mexican....She can cook like no other person on earth. She can't reduce the amounts she makes because its against her religion to do so...lol. but she does know my portion sizes and and if I don't package up future meals she will for me and we freeze them. It works fine for me under most circumstances. My problems is just grabbing one package when I head to work.

There are some great and also easy recipes for bariatric people on

www.bariatriceating.com......some are on the message board and many more are posted by the administrator. They also give instructions, not just recipes. They also sell a book by the administrator that is a great help for learning to eat and cook food that are both appropriate for lapband and for your family.

I buy the already cooked frozen shrimp at Sam's and eat them plain with sauce or use them in recipes....makes life very quick and simple. I'm also buying the little frozen packages of mixed veggies that you just throw in the microwave...don't even have to poke a hole in it...and in 5 min. you have perfect steamed vegetables....eat plain or with cheese dip poured over them and/or a little can of mushrooms mixed in.

In addition to a basic cookbook I highly recommend getting a crockpot! They're simple and they make the meat tender and easier for us bandsters to tolerate.

I would also recommend the following cookbooks for the crockpot:

• 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens (Paperback))
  
• Slow Cooker Favorites Made Healthy (Better Homes & Gardens (Paperback))
  
• Fix-It & Forget-It Lightly: Healthy Low-Fat Recipes

Good luck!

I boil my chicken in some kind of soup, whatever I want that day.