Do you cook your own food? (for people with no one else in the household cooking)

[zendefone]

Do you buy your own groceries, chop, marinate and cook your own food? And wash the dishes? for you guys with no one else in the household doing the cooking?

Because i don't think it's a good idea to keep eating out when you need to eat so much food and not to mention getting enough protein intake(Outside cooked meat=expensive) in terms of finance. I don't think i can keep eating outside meat when it's sold twice(maybe even 3 times) the price of the meat when brought raw.

So do you guys cook all the meals(breakfast, lunch, dinner etc.) and pack to work/school or certain meals(pls mention) or if you don't cook, do you buy the food outside? and what do you think?

And it's also good to share methods of planning cooking so as it's made convenient and fast and doesn't take up too much of your time.

[confuzzl3don3]

Well i'm still living with my parents (no i'm not 40) so my mum takes care of all my food :) But i do help wash the dishes.

Despite that, i agree that eating out does get expensive and so if you're lazy just cook in bulk and cook easy. My parents are going on holidays in a month or so and so it'll only be me and my sister. I basically intend to just chuck vegies and simple marinated meat (soya sauce, whatever) in a slow cooker and just come home and have like noodles or bread or some potatoes or something and that's my dinner. Lunch-wise i've been living off packed sandwiches for ages now. Meat, avocado, some lettuce, cucumber and carrots makes quite a tasteful sandwich. In the weekends i guess mass cooking and packaging into tupperware containers and storing in the freezer would also work.

Edit: And milk. Milk and shakes are always an easy, quick option if you're running short on calories

[3PU]

...Despite that, i agree that eating out does get expensive and so if you're lazy just cook in bulk and cook easy. ... just chuck vegies and simple marinated meat (soya sauce, whatever) in a slow cooker and just come home and have like noodles or bread or some potatoes or something and that's my dinner. Lunch-wise i've been living off packed sandwiches for ages now. Meat, avocado, some lettuce, cucumber and carrots makes quite a tasteful sandwich. In the weekends i guess mass cooking and packaging into tupperware containers and storing in the freezer would also work.

Edit: And milk. Milk and shakes are always an easy, quick option if you're running short on calories

This is what works for me. I don't live alone but my wife is a vegetarian so I take complete responsibility for buying and preparing my meat. I buy a roast and a pork tenderloin, some chicken breasts or something, cook them up on a Sunday in the slow cooker with a beer and some sort of baste. Then all week I can make sandwiches, and I add meat to whatever veggies my wife has prepared that night. And the rest is whole milk and shakes with blueberries, peanut butter, and whey. Then Thursday and/or Friday is fresh fish night (wife has started eating fish again thankfully) and I throw in a good quality steak night once a week. I almost never eat out now and the whole practice has become pretty much effortless.

[zendefone]

This is what works for me. I don't live alone but my wife is a vegetarian so I take complete responsibility for buying and preparing my meat. I buy a roast and a pork tenderloin, some chicken breasts or something, cook them up on a Sunday in the slow cooker with a beer and some sort of baste. Then all week I can make sandwiches, and I add meat to whatever veggies my wife has prepared that night. And the rest is whole milk and shakes with blueberries, peanut butter, and whey. Then Thursday and/or Friday is fresh fish night (wife has started eating fish again thankfully) and I throw in a good quality steak night once a week. I almost never eat out now and the whole practice has become pretty much effortless.

So meaning your slow cooker is on the whole week heating up all your meat supplies you need for the whole week? And you just take the amount of meat you want to eat every meal form that slow cooker?

[Carnivroar]

I live with my mom and I buy all the groceries and cook everything for myself.

[crc]

So meaning your slow cooker is on the whole week heating up all your meat supplies you need for the whole week? And you just take the amount of meat you want to eat every meal form that slow cooker?

He means that he cooks a big roast Sunday night, puts it in the fridge on Sunday night, and then reheats chunks as necessary. Leaving a meat-filled slow cooker on for a week would be really stupid.

I cook almost all of my own meals. I usually cook a bunch of beef and chicken on the weekend - usually doubling up on cooking efficiency by cooking the chicken in the oven and the beef on the stovetop - and then finish it off over the course of the week. I deliberately undercook the beef so it doesn't get overdone when I reheat it with some frozen vegetables for workday lunches. I like cutting and cooking meat, my biggest culinary pain in the ass is cleaning leafy greens.

[Black_Spit]

I'm married with kids and I cook every meal (serious). As for my own food though, I train at 5:00 am, so when I cook breakfast at 6:30, I just leave the stove on and cook a pound of steak and I have the bulk of my lunch and dinner finished, 8 oz for lunch, 8 oz for dinner. Slap some bread, cheese and potatoes together and I have a couple of meals. Everything in between those is protein bars or shakes.

[zendefone]

He means that he cooks a big roast Sunday night, puts it in the fridge on Sunday night, and then reheats chunks as necessary. Leaving a meat-filled slow cooker on for a week would be really stupid.

I cook almost all of my own meals. I usually cook a bunch of beef and chicken on the weekend - usually doubling up on cooking efficiency by cooking the chicken in the oven and the beef on the stovetop - and then finish it off over the course of the week. I deliberately undercook the beef so it doesn't get overdone when I reheat it with some frozen vegetables for workday lunches. I like cutting and cooking meat, my biggest culinary pain in the ass is cleaning leafy greens.
lol sorry for my stupidity. Do you use your oven to reheat the meat too? And when you store your meat in the fridge do you store it in the ''frozen'' section or the ''chilled'' section?

Sorry for my questions as i am new to this.


I'm married with kids and I cook every meal (serious). As for my own food though, I train at 5:00 am, so when I cook breakfast at 6:30, I just leave the stove on and cook a pound of steak and I have the bulk of my lunch and dinner finished, 8 oz for lunch, 8 oz for dinner. Slap some bread, cheese and potatoes together and I have a couple of meals. Everything in between those is protein bars or shakes.
That's a great idea too. Do you cook that pound of steak the same way every time or will you add in some variety? Mind sharing the method you use for cooking the steak?

[fmerges]

I usually cook before work. I use the freezer quite a lot, for example tenderloin and chicken breast in portions, home made burgers. Sometimes I rely also on left overs, or prepare in big quantities, like pisto or soup. Fresh pasta from the bag is easy and fast (and the best taste, except for fresh home made ones), needs only 2 minutes in boiling water, add eggs with bacon, or champignons with meat and voila. Another very simple and fast that I like is to take tuna, tomatoes, onions and do a quick salad with salt, mixed pepper, fresh parsley and balsamic vinegar.

It takes me a bit more of 30 minutes to prepare 3 meals, I put them in glass Tupperware in case I need to reheat; beside of that I take also the whey shaker with me. Some days I don't manage to cook anything, those times I rely on whey and eating something out.

I would recommend you to buy a simple book with images to get ideas, there are very good ones. One of the good things of eating plenty is that somehow (personal opinion) it forces you to learn a bit about cooking, as otherwise you run very shortly out of ideas and get bored of the food you eat.

[250orBust]

I cook all my own meals fresh if time allows. Every morning I eat eggs. Beyond that I eat chicken, pork, or beef for every meal. With each meal I have a mix of red and green veggies and as much milk as I can drink. Its really that simple.

When I need a quick meal I just pound out mcdonalds or subway. too easy.

[william jackson]

i could not have had eating success without a grill and a crockpot.
people look at you strange when you bust out pork shoulder and carrots for breakfast but they are just jealous.

reheat, eat, repeat.

[confuzzl3don3]

He means that he cooks a big roast Sunday night, puts it in the fridge on Sunday night, and then reheats chunks as necessary. Leaving a meat-filled slow cooker on for a week would be really stupid.


^ yeah that's what i meant. If i don't get around to cooking up a large batch in the weekends, i'm just planning to whip out the slow cooker and turn it on in the morning before i leave to uni, and come back to a nice warm dinner. And since i'm lazy all reheating is done with a microwave for me.

[Black_Spit]

That's a great idea too. Do you cook that pound of steak the same way every time or will you add in some variety? Mind sharing the method you use for cooking the steak?

Pretty much the same way every day, I use different spices sometimes but most days I just throw it on the stove with some coconut oil (look up the many benefits if you're not aware) and dump some McCormick Rotisserie Rub seasoning (yes weird but good) on it.

[Patrick]

I cook all my meals. That's not to say that I don't eat out occasionally, but I've given up on the idea of tweaking my order so that I get the protein I need and monkeying with either the fat or the carbs; sometimes I want all the protein in a steak but that fat baked potato shouldn't be on the menu or perhaps I don't need all that fat that comes with such a big steak -- but fuck if I'm ordering a grilled chicken breast that I could make for myself for a fraction of the cost. If I eat out it's cause pizza and beer were called for and my nutrition isn't the only aspect of my life... I certainly don't do it for the nutrition restaurants provide.

At the risk of venturing into broken record territory, in April I committed to gaining 40 lbs. I talked with Johnny Pain and decided I'd follow his advice to the letter and see where it took me. I got around 40 mostly solid lbs in about four months, but in the process learned that home cooking is damn nearly a requisite if you care about body composition. I told John that I wanted to gain weight without getting fat and he told me to eat a metric fuckton of whole foods and watch how I composed my meals. At home this task is as easy as pie but the moment you walk into a steakhouse you hit a wall: the steak that you'd mug a nun for will give you all the protein you need, but the basket of rolls and mammoth baked potato aren't always on your menu. Or perhaps it's that you need a leaner cut but the potato is fine for the meal -- and fuck if I'm going to pay someone to prepare a chicken breast for me at about 7 times the price I can make the same thing at home.

When I was teetering at 210, I was eating around 400 grams of protein a day. It's almost impossible to incorporate a restaurant dish neatly in a diet that actually cares about a) not gorging yourself on shitty carbs and b) not sucking down enough fat to lube a drilling rig. If you look at the stuff Johnny Pain is posting as his meals, it's very similar to the stuff you'd eat. It's very cheap, easy to prepare, and fucking delicious!

It's been said early and often, but a crock pot and a grill are major friends of yours. It might even be worth it to get a (very) cheap kitchen scale so you can buy your protein in bulk and cut the portions you'll consume in advance. Spend two hours on Saturday cutting up a pork tenderloin or meting out hunks of chicken breast and toss them on the grill, into a pan, or roast them in an oven with almost criminally tasty herbs and veggies. The folks at work/school really do look sideways at their shitty sandwiches when you pull out a serving of pot roast come lunchtime. Home cooking is massively cheaper and far better for your goals in the long run. Plus, a guy ought to know how to make his food... it should be a rule or something.

Also, if you're new to cooking, just do yourself a favor and add onions to everything. They're pretty great.

[Squatson]

It's kind of the motto around here...........

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein

[SiriusBomb]

I also recommend cooking large amounts of food at once and making many meals out of it. I usually have a pot of chili (made with 2+ lbs of ground beef and tons of beans, peppers, and onions) or some other stew, some sort of breakfast strata/casserole, and a few cooked pieces of chicken breast or pork chop in the fridge. It's nice to have variety, even when eating leftovers!

In a pinch, however, I've found a pretty good Chinese place down the street that has entrees I can BARELY finish for $6 or $7, and I hit up Chipotle about once a week. That combined with the occasional McDouble is the majority of my eating out. Instead of paying the premium for food, I pay the premium for $2 Natty Light drafts at shitty dive bars on campus.

[TomV]

I live with my mom and I buy all the groceries and cook everything for myself.

Same deal here.
No one in my family eats like I do and unless money is particularly tight for me in a period, I'll always make the effort to spend my own money when purchasing most of my groceries. I juggle full time work, study, training 4 days a week and a girlfriend and am still able to cook all my meals on a Sunday evening (with possibly 10-15 minutes prep on some mornings).