Please post detailed instructions, simple recipes ideally no more than 2 pots/processes going on, tips, etc.

See also this post on getting started. And elsewhere in that thread there are links to threads on all kinds of recipes, meal ideas, best cooking methods, beneficial nutrients and how to get them, etc.

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Starting off with the suggestion that you buy a portion or two of salmon when it's on sale and have the supermarket seafood department steam cook it for you. Do this first and they can cook it while you shop. It takes 12-20 minutes, but I've found that the store that tells me it takes 20 minutes over cooks it.

Then you can go home and have with some bagged salad, sauteed spinach, or steamed broccoli for example.

To steam veggies, you need a steam basket inserted into your cooking pot. There's all kinds. The cheapest is probably the stainless steel collapsible kind with flower petals that fold open to fit any pot. My favorite is my new silicone version which is much easier to clean.

Anyway, put about an inch of water in the pot, then the basket, then your chopped fresh or frozen broccoli. Boil until it begins to turn bright green. Stop when it's tender enough for your taste, but if the color begins to dull and turn brown, definitely stop. That means nutrients have been destroyed. Try to cook fruit and veggies as little as possible to preserve nutrients.

When preparing legumes or whole grains, soak them over night. Change the water before and after cooking them, as this will aid in digestibility and decrease the gas associated particularly with legumes.
Adding a piece of seaweed while boiling releases even more of the starch, but you can use a sprinkle of baking soda instead too.

They'll cook it for you at the supermarket? I have never heard of that.

Yes, most supermarket seafood departments will steam anything they sell. I've done it at three different chains. And my sister who live elsewhere does it all the time at completely different supermarket chains.
They even have an assortment of seasonings to sprinkle on it.

Cool, I love salmon!

You can also add some whey when you soak it. If you keep yogurt or cottage cheese on hand, just pour a little of the whey that's separated out. Or apparently anything acidic will help the breakdown hence the whey, but also buttermilk, lemon, etc.

I also always add 2-4 cloves of garlic. You want to chop fine or crush and let sit for at least 5 minutes, 10-15 is better before cooking. If you want to put it in whole so you can remove it, then crush it good with the side of your knife or something, then let sit. Lots of garlic will mean you'll need less salt.

Also, whfoods.org says not to add salt until after cooking. But I find that doesn't work. You need to add some salt during cooking.

To make tomato sauce or tomato soup. For the lycopene that not only protects you from sun damage, it's anti-androgenic.

Don't buy jarred sauce. Buy canned tomatoes. If you like chunky sauce get diced tomatoes. If you have an aversion to chunky sauce, buy crushed or pureed tomatoes.

Saute some chopped onions and garlic in a suitable cooking oil. Add the tomatoes, dried Italian spices which you can get together as Italian Seasoning, then simmer for a while. This really only takes 10-15 minutes. Drizzle on some olive oil when done. Also add some chopped fresh basil if you have it. It's easy to grow, btw.

To get the nutritional benefit from the onions and garlic, chop fine or crush ahead of time and let sit for at least 5 minutes, longer is better, before cooking.

Throw in a little spinach from your bagged salad or from bags of frozen greens near the end. The raw spinach will wilt down to nearly nothing. The frozen already is wilted. You'll hardly taste it in the garlicky tomato sauce, so it's a good way to get these super nutritious foods.

To get a stronger, slow cooked, long simmered taste, get a can of tomato paste and add a spoonful. Put the rest in the freezer. I freeze the leftovers in the can, then take it out, open the bottom, push it out and slice into 1/2 inch or so slices and put it back in the freezer in a baggy.

Use the sauce on pasta, grilled eggplant, whatever pizza like concoctions you come up with, etc.

To turn into soup, add more water. And if you eat yogurt, add a spoonful when serving to make it like a cream soup. And of course, drizzle on some olive oil.

Caution: Tomatoes and other nightshades are common allergens so watch for that.

Delicious, easy dinner.

1 c. Brown rice
2 c. water
1/3 c edemame
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Other Veggies
Sauces, seasoning, etc.

Put the rice into a saucepan, and add two cups of water. Turn on the heat, and put a lid on the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat slightly to allow the water to simmer (lightly boil) for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. Keep an eye on it, but lift the lid as little as possible.

In another pan, lightly saute your edemame (a type of soybean) as well as any other veggies you'd like to add, in canola oil. You're the cook. Add chopped green beans, peas, bell peppers, spinach; anything. You could also add some leftover lean meat, some shrimp, whatever. Don't overcook the veggies; just until their colors brighten. Don't let them get brown.

Mix the rice and sauteed veggies/etc. to the rice. Add about a tablespoon (more/less), and whatever seasonings you might like. I like hot sauce, maybe a little garlic and a splash of soy sauce (not too much!), some sesame oil, and maybe some fire oil.

Have fun!

Buy veggies frozen and just pour some out of a bag whenever you need them all chopped and ready to go. Frozen veggies are cheap and often on sale.

Frozen is better than the 'fresh' produce at the typical supermarket because those foods are picked under ripe, stored and trucked all over the country possibly after being shipped from around the world. They claim frozen foods are picked at their peak of ripeness and frozen promptly.

Frozen is also handy because you can keep things on hand ready to cook whenever you have the time. You may also be able to get organic things much cheaper than fresh.

Of course, by fresh whatever you prefer fresh and can get eaten before it spoils. I personally, am only able to juggle so many perishable foods. I'm getting better at it though. And some things last longer than others of course. Like apples, sweet potatoes, usually hard things.

They have blends of frozen veggies chopped up and ready for soup, grilling/broiling, or the basis of recipes like the 'cajun trinity' of bell pepper, onion and celery or the 'French trinity' of onion, carrot and celery. I highly recommend keeping bags of frozen chopped greens on hand to add to soups, pasta sauce, cooked legumes, stir fry, curry, etc.

Get bags, not boxes, so it's easier to use just what you need. Plus it helps you tell if it's ever been defrosted and refrozen. Everything inside the bag should be loose.

I was wondering what kind of brown rice?

I have brown rice at home but I don't really don't know which is the best one to buy.

Well, the post you quoted has nothing to do with rice, but for a lower GI, look for Basmati. White basmati has a lower GI than many other brown rices. Brown basmati, if you can find it, would be better yet.

What's even better, is quinoa, which is a seed that is complete protein.

About microwave cooking. Over cooking and cooking in a lot of water have the biggest impact on nutrient destruction whether on the stove top, oven, grill or in a microwave.

Article on microwave cooking:
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=georg...ign=daily_email

Important points about microwaves, from the article and the laws of physics:

Radiation is how energy travels. All energy. X-rays, gamma rays, sunlight, heat, radio, etc. Microwaves are at the opposite end of the spectrum from the dangerous forms, farther than light.

Avoid using plastic. Use glass and safe ceramics instead.

Microwaves tend to cook unevenly causing concerns with the destruction of bacteria. There is also an unconfirmed possibility that it does something to protein. So microwaves are not the best choice for cooking raw meats, fish chicken, etc.

Use them for reheating, steaming veggies, and cooking veggie casserole type things. (But they won't brown)

As in all cooking methods, avoid overcooking. Use short increments of time and check for doneness.

The only problem with that is that the cans have BPA, and the acidity of the tomatoes means that more BPA leeches out of the can than with most other foods. Not a big deal if it's an occasional thing, but I wouldn't use them on a regular basis. Eden Organics uses BPA-free cans, but their canned tomatoes are really expensive. When I used to eat tomato sauce, I'd just get jarred. I was able to get good quality stuff for a decent price.

Yeah, that's true. But I've never tasted an edible jarred sauce. If you have a recommendation, I'd like it, but I'd still rather make my own. It's too bad that jarred tomatoes aren't often available. I try to get as many as I can from my Grandmother though. And supposedly those cardboard cartons are good, but don't think I've seen tomatoes packaged that way either. It's kind of goofy that you can get all kinds of crappy processed foods in glass and the boxes, but rarely plain tomatoes. And tomatoes are the only canned food I want.

Also, now that they are in season and you can probably get local and even organic cheap, an easy way to use fresh tomatoes for sauce is to cut in half, then grate them cut side first into a bowl. You end up leaving the peel behind which is usually desired in tomato sauce. That Spanish chef with the PBS show demonstrated this on Martha Stewart.

You can also freeze fresh tomatoes with little effort for use in future sauces. Just cut them in usable chunks and you can spread them out on a dish or cookie sheet to freeze, then put them in freezer bags. And when they defrost, you can easily pick off the skins.

Cooking Light Magazine's cooking classes. Basic techniques like sauteing, steaming, stir frying etc.

http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/te...00400000032930/

Unfortunately, cooking light is more about low fat than low sugar. But the lessons are useful.

Get a George Foreman type electric grill that cooks from top and bottom at the same time. This makes it easy to prevent overcooking.

And small or delicate things like fish and small veggies can't fall through reducing frustration. And you can use it year round.

Make easy meals by grilling chicken breasts, fish, veggies like tomatoes, squash, onions. Marinate in olive oil, lemon juice and spices (vineagrette or even bottle Italian dressing). You can also grill fruits for dessert.

See the Cooking light classes in the previous post for marinating and grilling lessons and recipes.

I clicked around a bit for some simple ones:
Chicken skewers

Shrimp

Link to other threads on recipes, meal suggestions, nutrients, cooking methods, etc.

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Food-and-...ce-t205099.html

Ways to get started cooking healthy meals - Under development. This is copied from a response I made to someone's thread. Yeah, I know it can use some reorganization...

On the cheap, with minimal equipment, supplies, time etc.

The best cooking methods are those that do not involve browning or charring, especially regarding meats, and don't involve overcooking or washing away vitamins in veggies.

Steaming-
Poaching-
Boiling-
Sauteing-
stir-fry-
grill/broiling - But minimize browning in meats

There are plenty of things you can make that hardly take any time. I'm a huge fan of one dish, one process cooking. Mostly so I don't have much to clean up, but also nowadays, to conserve energy and preserve nutrients.

Can you boil water? You can boil or poach chicken or make soups. Steam veggies and fish. Get a steamer basket to insert into your pots. These are usually stainless steel, but they now make silicone versions that are easier to clean. And of course, there are the Asian bamboo baskets.

Do you have a broiler? You can put veggies and fish or shrimp on the same pan and pop in the broiler and it can be done in less than 5 minutes. You can broil anything you'd grill. You could also get a George Foreman or similar electric grill. Note: The terms Broil and grill mean the opposite in the U.K. vs the U.S. In the U.S. broil means under the heat, grill means over the heat.

Frozen veggies
Do you have a freezer? Buy veggies frozen and just pour some out of a bag. They have blends of frozen veggies chopped up and ready for soup, grilling/broiling, or the basis of recipes like the 'cajun trinity' of bell pepper, onion and celery or the 'French trinity' of onion, carrot and celery. I highly recommend keeping bags of frozen chopped greens on hand to add to soups, pasta sauce, cooked legumes, etc. Get bags, not boxes so it's easier to use just what you need. Plus it helps you tell if it's ever been defrosted.

Anyway the frozen veggies are cheap and often on sale. The bags of mixed veggies were on sale for $1 each yesterday.

Of course, by fresh whatever you prefer fresh and can get eaten before it spoils. I personally, am only able to juggle so many perishable foods. I'm getting better at it though. Some things last longer than others of course. Like apples, sweet potatoes, usually hard things.

Lemons and limes are great to have for seasoning. The best seasoning there is, I say. I squeeze some on veggies, fish, chicken, especially when in tacos, and in soups, especially hispanic style soups. There's some evidence that they can help fight the free radicals that may have been created in cooking from bad fats or from charring. Lemon also reduces the need for salt as citrus stimulates the same taste buds or something as salt.

Fish and shrimp are not so cheap, but watch for sales on wild salmon. Also, most seafood departments will steam cook anything for you for free. So you can buy some salmon, have them cook it and all you have to do is go home and eat it. Buy a bag of baby spinach or salad greens to go with it.

Canned salmon and mackerel are cheap and low in mercury, unlike canned tuna. Use like canned tuna or make fish cakes with them. They do have bones and a bit of skin which you can either pick out or ignore what it looks like and stir it in. The bones are soft and it's all edible and good for you. Fish bones have all the nutrients your bones need. Great source for calcium.

Herbs and Spices -
You can buy blends of spices and dried herbs cheap, like Italian Seasoning which has all the basic dry Italian herbs in one bottle. Bay Seasoning for seafood, which you can get free in little packets in the seafood department. Menudo Seasoning is a good one if you have Hispanic products in your markets. It's oregano, red pepper flakes and salt. My stores all have them in small plastic envelopes for .99 - 1.99. Of course with any you end up using a lot, buy them individually, buy them fresh, grow them, etc.

Cooking/Eating utensils.
Use the least reactive materials which leach the least amount of chemicals into your food or water. These are glass, ceramics (not glazed with anything toxic) and stainless steel. I recommend you drink from glass as much as possible, use stainless steel pots, pans and baking dishes, and pyrex bowls and baking dishes.

Pyrex glass cooking pots are also good and they are easy to clean. I see them in thrift stores all the time. Don't get the skillets though. That bumpy bottom makes things stick.

There's a new type of nonstick pan out that's not supposed to emit VOCs and be safer at high heat. Martha Stewart has one available at Macy's. Get it when Macy's has coupons.

Also, look through all these new silicone cooking things. They have a steamer insert out now that you just stuff into the pot. It's much easier to clean than those collapsible steamer baskets that can get stuff stuck between the petals and can rust.

Knives- You only need two. A Chef's knife or equivalent like a Japanese santoku knife and a smaller paring knife.

Cooking Oil - Now this is controversial. But just for preventing foods from sticking when sauteing, grilling, broiling etc, I say the most important thing is to use an oil with a high enough smoking point and NOT a highly processed fat like margarine or crisco. Oils with high smoking points are animal fats like butter or ghee, coconut oil, grape seed, canola, peanut oil, non EV Olive Oil. Oils should be in dark bottles or in tins. Store in the dark.

But then there's the controversy over the healthfulness of some plant oils. You really don't want to consume a lot of polyunsaturated fats which means most vegetable oils and includes canola oil, corn oil, generic vegetable oil. Read more about cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and cooking oils.

And there are some oils that should be heated very little to not at all such as EVOO, walnut oil, flax seed oil, sesame oil. These are used in salad dressing or added after cooking. EVOO can be used in low heat cooking but it reduces the nutritional benefit.