If you don’t cook dinner most nights…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is enlightening, for those who do minimal cooking, how do you avoid weight gain?

Frankly, I cook most nights, I like it, and know how to whip up a meal in less than 30 minutes (the amount of time it takes to decide and wait for takeout).

Takeout usually involves wood-fired pizza once or twice a month. My DH usually goes rogue for lunch and orders from other places, but almost always regrets it as the food is usually low quality food and high in sodium, and we’re not used to it. Once you get used to eating home cooked meals, fast food is not as appetizing.

Portion control. I make scrambled eggs, toast half a bagel and have fruit. It's minimal cooking, but not a lot of food. A lot of times I eat a salad or a handful of raw veggies before a meal and then only have a third or half serving of carbs with a regular portion of protein. It seems like you're assuming those who don't cook much get a lot of fast food. I live two blocks from a Taco Bell and have never eaten there. If I crave fries, I'll roast carrots with extra virgin olive oil and salt, and they taste exactly like sweet potato fries. I don't like to cook meals that have a lot of components or steps. Roasting or stir-frying chicken takes me far. Microwaved brown rice & quinoa mixed with lentils goes far. Stuff like that.

[Anonymous]

A large volume of our meals are like this:

Baked chicken thighs
Potatoes cut up and tossed in air fryer
Simple vegetables like lightly steamed broccoli
Small amount of kid friendly spices (salt, pepper, herbs, olive oil)
Ketchup and ranch

It’s not gourmet but the nutritional profile is solid and, it’s cheap and it’s dead simple.

[Anonymous]

I really enjoy cooking but sometimes I just can't and occasionally I don't want to.

Easier meals I make are:
- pasta and jarred sauce, salad (dump pre-washed lettuce in a bowl and cut up a mini cucumber and a few mini peppers and throw in some olives)
- leftovers or frozen: reheat something like chili or lasagna or TJs frozen food. Usually this involves cooking rice in the rice cooker or setting out condiments and just a few veggies (I never serve dinner without veggies, ever).

Some people are saying they consider stuff like this not cooking, but again, I do.

I consider true "not cooking" to be ordering takeout or maybe popping a frozen pizza in the oven and cutting up a cucumber and a red pepper. Or ramen. But even with ramen I add frozen corn, diced cilantro or cucumber, and sauces.

I can't fathom never cooking.

[Anonymous]

We never cook, we just have leftovers every night.

[Anonymous]

Yes, leftovers. Usually cook to be enough for at least 2 meals, often more and freeze. Some foods keep well in fridge for 3-4 days like stew meat, rice, meatballs, meatloaf and can be recombined with different sides. Lasagna, at least 2 meals, and so on. There is still some cooking / reheating involved, but it’s not same like cooking from scratch every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is enlightening, for those who do minimal cooking, how do you avoid weight gain?

Frankly, I cook most nights, I like it, and know how to whip up a meal in less than 30 minutes (the amount of time it takes to decide and wait for takeout).

Takeout usually involves wood-fired pizza once or twice a month. My DH usually goes rogue for lunch and orders from other places, but almost always regrets it as the food is usually low quality food and high in sodium, and we’re not used to it. Once you get used to eating home cooked meals, fast food is not as appetizing.

It’s not hard to not gain weight. It’s not like everyone is getting Big Macs. What a weird comment

The PP you're quoting clearly has an unhealthy relationship with food.

Is "wood-fired pizza" the new "crusty bread"?

[Anonymous]

If you’re preparing food in your kitchen, it’s cooking. Yes that’s even if your boiling water for pasta and dumping jarred sauce on it. You’re literally cooking the pasta, how is that not cooking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I work full time and I hate to cook. We do meals that would curl most of your toes LOL. I just want the kids fed and I don't want to kill myself over a meal the kids are going to complain about anyway. This is just the stage of life we are in now I guess.

I had a mom like you and by high school I was reading cookbooks and experimenting by making gourmet meals. I felt cheated by a childhood of Stouffers frozen dinners.

Was your dad around? Sounds like he should’ve helped out

No...