Need recipes for people who cannot cook

Hi everyone,

I am new and am really excited about learning how to gain weight.  I am somewhat of a picky eater but I do eat a lot but I do not gain weight.  I do not know how to cook very well.  I also understand the types of foods to eat but have no idea how to cook them. 

Anyone have some great, extremely easy recipes that will help me gain weight?

Thanks!

have you tried Mac and Cheese? try the package one on the stovetop and you  you just add water and/or milk to the mixture or just milk if you want it creamy and cheesey anyway basically thats it its a high cal food its yummy :) and be sure to help you gain weight.  

if you like texmex: one can black beans, one can corn, one small jar southwest salsa, 1 tbsp olive oil, juice from one lime. makes 3-4 servings likity split. chopped fresh cilantro gives it a nice kick. serve topped with grilled chicken. sliced avodaco would be a healthy way to up the calories and fat.

if you prefer blander: 2 chicken breasts, one can cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup - bake at 350 for 20 minutes. serve with buttered pasta.

if you're feeling ambitious: layer slices of potato (2 large potatoes, 1/4 inch slices) in an oven-safe dish. top with 8 oz shredded cheddar, 8 oz heavy cream, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper. bake at 350 for 25-30 mintutes, until the cheese is golden brown. voila, scalloped potatoes!

my brother has the first edition of "a man, a can, a plan," which includes tons of super-easy recipes with little prep. just be sure to watch the sodium content. there's a microwave version as well.

i'd also recommend watching paula dean on food network - she usually has fairly simple recipes, and always finds a way to sneak in plenty of calories!

well what kind of foods do you want to eat? Like if you wanted to know about chicken, start off with the thin cutlet size. They usually come in packs of 6. They are easiest to cooked and quickest, only takes about 8-10 min total. start off either grilling or pan frying. Buy premade marinade for when you first start cooking. Its easy flavor and it doesnt add many cals. or get the McCormick grill mates. They are really good and great for seasoning. Also there is bbq sauce. just pic ur fav and baste the chicken while it cooks. you can make the boil in a bag rice. just add some butter and italian seasoning(like a table spoon) before you serve. any veggie is easy, you can check out foodtv.com and type in carrots or whatever you want to eat. its all easy stuff. when you pan fry use olive oil or canola oil (this has a higher burning temp. than olive oil, meaning it wont smoke easily but not much flavor like the O.O.)

For you own marinades, they are super easy. they consist of 3 things: oil, an acid, and flavoring.  basic would be oil, vinegar, and garlic and some diced onion, salt and pepper. you can substitute the vinegar for lemon, orange, or pinapple juice. Even soy sauce can be used if you want to go asian just add some ground ginger and garlic and you can get teriyaki sauce. Make it fruity and add pineapple to that sauce for a little spark.

anyway if you want to know more or what ever. just message me.

http://caloriecount.about.com/support-recipes -ft113053

Some of those might not be the simplest but there are some basic recipes on that thread. You can make oatmeals super high calorie. Same with pastas, just add a lot of butter, oil, cheese, double the serving. I agree that Paula Deen is a master at high calorie foods, so I"m sure you could do some googling with that.

Like gem said, marinades and how you cook things are important, try sauteeing in oil and adding lots of dressings. If you get brave you can venture into different cuisines, like thai or indian uses a lot of coconut milk which is really high calorie, or you can even just replace the coconut milk in things like cereal or oatmeal for extra calories.

oo and one more thing, the Elvis Sandwich! 2 pieces of thick bread, spread heavily with pb, some fried bacon, then pan fry the whole thing!

I'd recommend you learn to cook....   There isn't a lot to it really.   OK if you wanted to be a Michelin starred chef you'd need to know how to knock up a soufflee from scratch without blubbing but for domestic cooks it's not very complicated at all.   

Once you have a few basic techniques (boiling, grilling, frying) and recipes under your belt you can cook pretty much anything.  So I'd recommend you check out if your local college offers night school courses in cookery.  If you have a friend or relative handy that is a good cook, ask if you can join in.  Failing that check out Amazon or your local library for cook-books with titles that include the words 'Easy' and 'Simple' and 'Quick'.... Chef Jamie Oliver has a top book out at the moment called 'The Ministry of Food' and a friend of mine (who couldn't cook to save her life) swears by it.  His mission is to get Britain cooking again and he's succeeded where she's concerned at least.

If there's a dish you particularly like... let's say lasagne for argument's sake.... you could track down a simple recipe online (like this one), print it off, buy the ingredients and have a crack at making it.   That's how most people get started.  Be bold... enjoy. 

I second gi-jane's recommendation.  I'd suggest buying Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything."  It has a huge number of recipes, and there are instructions and illustrations for even the most basic cooking skills.

Many online sites that have recipe databases give a difficulty rating to the recipes.  So a place like FoodNetwork can be a great resource.

If you look at cooking as applying methods rather than duplicating recipes, you'll soon be cooking whatever you want. 

I  am 5'2 and a half and currently 118.3lbs. I just started taking a natural multivitamin called ectoplan and my goal is to get up to 130lbs. To be honest i just weighed myself today since I started the vitamins but i believe my lowest was around 110-112lbs. I'm really excited about reaching my goal and hope to see some results within 30 days withe these vitamins as promised. I don't have a problem eating just a super high metabolism. I hear milk shakes offer a high calorie to your diet so you may want to try one of those.Good luck to all!!!

For vanilla milk shakes

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

This is the easiest way to cook-----CROCK POT!!!

Throw all ingredients in the pot put the lid on and forget about it for however long. When its done it'll taste like you slaved all day. What an amazing invention!!!!!!!! I swear by my crockpot!! Remember: DO NOT EVER TAKE THE LID OFF DURING COOKING UNLESS THE RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS SPECIFICALLY SAY TO! Lifting the lid releases a LOT of heat and could greatly increase the cooking time needed each and every time you open the lid. This is why I recommend buying a crock pot with a clear lid for those of us, like me, that just have to see how things are going! HeeHee :)

I'm actually getting ready to put my dinner in the crock pot now!

Crockpot harvest pork chops

(I can't remember where I got this recipe, I've had it too long but its a staple in my home)

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest ( take a orange and rub a fork accross the sking til little flakes of the peel come off, this is the zest)

Juice of 1 medium orange

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (or regular, it tastes the same, trust me)

2 tablesppons butter or margarine, melted ( i just put the margarine in a microwavable bowl and melt in microwave for 15 seconds)

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed(the measuring cup crammed as full as possible)

3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon allspice(or a combo of your favorite spices to make 1/2 teaspoon like garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, Mrs. Dash, whatever you like)

1 medium butternut squash, skin cut off, cut into 6 rings, seeds discarded

1 apple, cored and sliced into 6 pieces

6 (1-inch thick) boneless pork loin chops, fat trimmed and discarded

Freshly ground black pepper

Preperation:

Zest the orange into a medium bowl. Add the juice of the orange along with the salt, butter, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce and allspice. Whisk together until well combined. Toss the butternut squash and apple slices with the sauce coating them completely.

Sprinkle the pork chops with freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Place 3 of the pork chops in the bottom of a large crockpot (5 quart, preferrably oval). Cover pork with butternut squash and apples. Place remaining 3 pork chops on top, pour remaining orange sauce over top.

Cover with lid and cook on low heat setting 6-8 hours, or until tender.

(This recipe can be cooked on high heat setting 4 hours but it has better flavor and the meat is more tender cooked on low heat setting)

Yield: 6 servings

This is so YUMMY!!! A family favorite and one my husband requests A LOT!!!

Hope this helps.

Hugs, Ashlyn

Original Post by shantelljerome:

 I just started taking a natural multivitamin called ectoplan and my goal is to get up to 130lbs.

Your post makes it look as though you're expecting to gain weight simply by taking a vitamin tablet?  I hope you're also eating a lot more besides and that the vitamins are just a safety net.

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by shantelljerome:

 I just started taking a natural multivitamin called ectoplan and my goal is to get up to 130lbs.

Your post makes it look as though you're expecting to gain weight simply by taking a vitamin tablet?  I hope you're also eating a lot more besides and that the vitamins are just a safety net.

 

Ofcourse im eating , just as i usually do with maybe a little more at times just have the vitamins to help out a little. I'm a working mom of three, and a wife, so sometimes i hardly get to eat as much as i should or rest even.