I used to be a terrible cook. DH is an unwilling cook and doesn't think about what he feeds the family. I wanted us to eat healthier so I assumed almost all of the cooking duties. He's assumed almost all of the kitchen clean-up duties.

I became a better cook. It's not hard. I still mess up at times but we all laugh about it. The other day I made a pot roast that was as tough and chewy as my mom's was when I was a child. We just grinded through it.

Pick out a couple of things to start with and practice. What basic does your family like? For us, it's jasmine rice. It's the one consistent thing that my youngest will eat. I can make perfect rice in 18 minutes on the stove top. It's not gourmet and maybe iffy health wise but it works. I pair that with fresh raw vegetables (cucumbers/red bell peppers) and an easy protein. That's the most basic meal we eat and it's done in 20 minutes.

Once or twice a week, I try something challenging unless I'm feeling worn-out. Yesterday I made lamb shanks in red wine sauce with mashed garlic cauliflower and fresh steamed peas. It was really good and not difficult. I just followed the directions.

Anonymous wrote:Look for “sheet pan” recipes — they usually incorporate a protein and veggie that you bake together.

Agreed. If your family is generally of a healthy weight, look for recipes that incorporate the basics. I'm an eater from NYC who likes a LOT of variety, but for family meals, I don't think a protein, a carb, and some veg is wrong.

Sample menu for me:

Mon: Cook a whole chicken smothered in harissa with potatoes, leeks, and make a quick garlic, yogurt, lemon sauce. Top with herbs.
Tues: Chicken goes on caesar salads for lunch.
Tues evening: Fish night, Thaw the night before. Chilean sea bass is a favorite. Flavor rice in the rice maker and do fish en palliolotte with asparagus, shallots, cherry tomatoes, etc. Lemon covered (squeezed and topped)
Wed: Pasta. Everyone in my family would like pasta 5x a week. I'll do it once. Favorite is jumbo shells with tons of spinach and chicken sausage.
Thurs: Steak salad, maybe pork ribs and sides, up for debate there.
Fri: mostly Pizza

Look up health and nutrition classes at local hospitals or your community college. For cooking techniques, check stores like Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma and also your local community college for cooking classes.

Your local library has a big selection of cookbooks, so you can borrow cookbooks that teach basic techniques and other cookbooks for healthy recipes.

People of all ages and abilities take the classes, so don’t let that deter you!

Look for “sheet pan” recipes — they usually incorporate a protein and veggie that you bake together.

Anonymous wrote:I am 50 years old and I still have so much anxiety around cooking healthy meals for my family. I want to cook healthy for my husband and kids but anytime I do, it burns!! Ha ha

And my husband only eggs and toast. Does anyone have recommendations for someone that wants to feed their family healthy choices but can!t cook?!! It’s just always another chore for me sometimes

All-clad cookware. Smart ovens (cook time entered shutoff). Meal kits. Meat thermometers. Sensor-cook on microwave. Toaster oven with dial shutoff. Auto-shutoff cooktop knobs:https://www.omekitchen.com/products/ome-1-pack. BTW, burnt toast (activated charcoal) and orange juice is a real remedy for gas.

I’ve tried using stovetop and oven for meats and fish but it never comes out right. Recently got an air fryer and cook perfect salmon and chicken. I can warm up some veggies or make a salad (sometimes make a large one to last a few days), then cook some protein - simple and delicious

Crock pot is your friend. Roast (beef or pork), a little water, potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper or steak seasoning - celery and onion if you want. Pork steaks or chicken and mushroom soup. Serve over instant rice or noodles, canned green beans or corn on stove or frozen in microwave.

Leftovers are your friends. Warm up leftover chicken, beef or pork roast in a skillet with a little water, throw in a bag of frozen mixed or stir fry veggies with some soy sauce and serve over rice. Or chop up the meat, heat up in skillet with BBQ sauce, serve on bun with frozen fries.

A lot of healthy eating doesn't involve much cooking. Juicing, smoothies, salads, raw and steamed fruits and veggies. Or, minimal cooking, cooked oatmeal, muesli, avocado toast, homemade granola, baked salmon, tuna salad, baked chicken breasts, meats cooked on a George Forman Grill, baked sweet potatoes. Meal delivery plans such as HelloFresh and HomeChef give you the ingredients with good cooking instructions.

We use every plate meal kits and they are super easy.

Some cooking methods are more forgiving then others. Think low/medium-temp roasting (preferably with an instant-read thermometer), braising, poaching. Searing (in a skillet over high heat) and broiling (which uses the oven for high direct heat) are prone to burning if you're not careful and know what to look for.

So, I'd start with some recipes like:
Roast chicken, look for a recipe at 375 degrees or lower (high heat can taste great but is less forgiving)
Poached salmon
Baked cod/halibut
Braising - basically any Crock Pot recipe

Then add a vegetable. Will your family eat salad? If so, add a big salad to each meal and skip the cooked vegetable for now. Things like roasted broccoli or pan-seared asparagus are kind of simple in the sense that there aren't a lot of steps, but the timing is very picky. It only takes a couple minutes to overcook, and you have charcoal or mush.

And, finally, a grain. I'm not opposed to baked or mashed potatoes, or a bag of dinner rolls, to help fill the kids up - depends on what you consider "healthy". Brown rice is not difficult but does take a while - a good rice cooker or Instant Pot helps.

What changed for me was realizing that "healthy and delicious" doesn't necessarily mean "a million steps and ingredients". Poached salmon on a bed of raw baby spinach is absolutely delicious and incredibly healthy - two ingredients (6 if you include water, olive oil, salt and pepper) and 15 minutes.

Meal plan. Look for a few simple recipes, make a grocery list, buy the groceries and put on your calender what you will make when. Leave extra time. If the recipe says it takes 20 minutes, assume it will take 45. Do things in steps. Good cooks can multitask. Us crappy cooks cannot. So chop and measure before you start. Perhaps just try a main dish at first, and plan for rolls and cut up fruit or carrots as sides. After you get used to certain recipes, they get easier.

You may also want to make notes on the recipe. So if you cooked for the time it said, and it was over cooked, make a note. I also like websites that have a comment section. I will read the comments for tips. See if there are a lot that say turn down the heat.

Slow cooker recipes can be really easy and fairly foolproof. Not gourmet food, but decent.

For chicken, I have found the secret is buying quality chicken. Not Perdue. Go to a butcher or farmers market.

Get a cookbook or look at a cooking blog that lays out instructions step by step. There’s YouTube videos too.

Roast chicken in the oven, serve with salad.
Use timer so the chicken won't burn. The salad is safe.

Get a grill and make your husband the Man in Charge. This will expand his range

Anonymous wrote:I am 50 years old and I still have so much anxiety around cooking healthy meals for my family. I want to cook healthy for my husband and kids but anytime I do, it burns!! Ha ha

And my husband only eggs and toast. Does anyone have recommendations for someone that wants to feed their family healthy choices but can!t cook?!! It’s just always another chore for me sometimes

op here—- I meant to say my husband only cooks eggs and toast. We are both working - I just want to cook healthy meals and I feel like I go to the store and get whatever!

I am 50 years old and I still have so much anxiety around cooking healthy meals for my family. I want to cook healthy for my husband and kids but anytime I do, it burns!! Ha ha

And my husband only eggs and toast. Does anyone have recommendations for someone that wants to feed their family healthy choices but can!t cook?!! It’s just always another chore for me sometimes