To the cooks out there...help me!

[finn's mom]

Ok, guys! I'm super excited! I went on the website, filled out my profile and went shopping today! The price estimate was pretty darn accurate, which was cool. I am making our dinner right now, and things are going great. My kitchen smells wonderfully, and it's because of food I'm making, I love that feeling. I have always loved cooking, and I have high hopes that this site will help me a lot!

[popcornbird]

Things that I ALWAYS have to have in the house:

Fresh:
Tomatoes
Onions
Garlic
Potato
Green Chilis
Cilantro
Parsley
Fruit...depending on what's in season
Milk
Eggs
Cheese
Bread

Tomatoes and onions are the most important, because a LOT of recipes contain them, and its so much easier if you just have them at hand. Onions last a long time so I just buy a big bag, but I buy tomatoes every week. Green chilis and herbs add flavor to food, so I like having them at hand.

In the freezer:

A few bags of chicken
A few bags of ground chicken...I always keep 1 lb in each bag.
A few bags of red meat (generally in our house its goat, but sometimes lamb or beef)
A few bags of ground beef
Some frozen veggies
A few frozen meals that I keep for when I 'don't feel like cooking'. I generally make them myself (chicken nuggets, kabobs, spinach pie, veggie dishes)...but sometimes I get ready-made stuff.

(I generally get enough meat to last me for at least a month)

Random things I keep in the house:

Olive oil
Vinegar
Basmati rice
Whole wheat Pasta
Flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Sugar
Yeast
The good old spices that you can't really cook without...(Salt, chili powder, garlic powder, ginger powder, cumin powder, corriander powder, cinnamon, cardamom, etc.) Whatever is needed in your most common recipes...keep it at hand.

I generally plan my meals ahead of time. Breakfast is usually something easy and ready (cereal, waffles, toast, egg, etc.). Lunch...I usually make something for my husband to take to work, and myself, eat whatever I find in the fridge. I'm not big on making myself lunch. Dinner is what I usually plan for, and if you're going to be cooking something with meat, I find it really easy to just take it out of the freezer before going to bed. Its thawed by morning...you can prepare, and just forget about it until its time to cook.

Keep in mind that with two adults, you don't need a LOT of stuff, so make sure you get the quantity that you will finish in a week. Fresh stuff tends to spoil quickly if not used. The dry pantry stuff is what should always be around.

Have fun cooking. My husband and I don't eat out often...its more like a treat for us when we do. Its just so much easier to keep track of our health and weight when we know what we're eating, and when you eat out, you generally eat a lot more calories than you would at home.

[finn's mom]

Well, dinner was a success! The potato soup and fish were awesome, and the butternut squash was really good, too, although the texture wasn't David's favorite (it was pureed). I loved it all, though!

[Nomilynn]

I'm so happy you liked the website. I just got the email letting me know that my weekly menu is ready for me!!