On Groceries & Cooking

One thing that I am: a foodie.
One thing that I am not: a cook.

And I never have been. I've always made simple meals, nothing extravagant. I really don't know HOW to cook! But slowly, I am making attempts. In college, my favorite recipe came from the back of a Campbell's soup can (a takes-5-minutes-to-prepare-and-45-min-in-the-oven "chicken bake"). It was usually fairly bland, since I knew (and know) nothing about spices...

However, I aboslutely LOVE food! I am a constant snacker and I just love to eat. Especially when it comes to any/all ethnic foods* - I am the happiest person on the planet.Having already traveled to many countries at my ripe age of 22, I cannot get enough of foreign foods. (This is why I should live in New York City!) It would be the easiest thing in the world for me to just dine out every night at all the ethnic restaurants that my city has - but of course, that would ruin my budget and I would deem myself unworthy of being a pf blogger! But yes, as you can tell, food is one of my weaknesses.

Recently, I have been making potatoes au gratin (from a box) with some edamame and a pork chop, just fried in a skillet. I like meals that are easy to put together, don't take too long to cook and (usually) cover all the food groups, or at least contain some protein/veggie/starch. Today, I needed to go grocery shopping, as I was out of almost everything in the fridge. So, I went to the nearby Henry's (a health/natural food store located in Southern California - they have AMAZING fresh and cheap produce!) and Ralph's. I had picked out a few recipes that did not seem too difficult from CheapHealthyGood as well as from Allrecipes.com. Since I am attempting to cook more, and make enough for leftovers (esp. for lunch at work), I am starting out with a grocery budget of $150 per month. Today, between the 2 stores, I spent $43.52. Not bad in my book! I purchased a bunch of spices (very cheap in bulk!), an assortment of canned goods (chickpeas, green beans, corn, water chestnuts, etc), some chicken breasts & thighs, spaghetti and produce (green grapes, asparagus, romaine lettuce, kale and broccoli) plus some deli meats. I created a list from a few recipes I am planning to try and I stuck to it very well! (A list certainly helps when going to the grocery store, though it is annoying when I just seem to wander aimlessly and want to buy it all! Self-control is key. I am getting better.)

Anyway. Tonight I made my first dish - but realized I forgot to write down 2 ingredients. Thus, my attempt at a Green Bean Casserole was nothing to write home about. There was no bacon in it nor french fried onions on top to give it that extra crunchiness. It was more a thick slop of cheddar cheese soup mixed with lots of green beans and water chestnuts, lol. But, there are leftovers! Which means lunch at work tomorrow! Next recipe/attempt: either a chicken provencal or butter chickpea curry. I think the chicken dish is a bit safer of an option...

Do you have any simple yet hearty meals that you make? Any suggestions for a freshly-starting-out cook?

*Thai and Indian are by far and wide my favorites - pad see eew and mutter paneer, respectively. :)