In article
>,
Madison2 > wrote:

> I am new to this group and I am a starving college student! I
> never seem to have the time or patience to make good healthy meals.
> When I do, I still become impatient and burn EVERYTHING! I end up
> eating junk food non-stop, NOT GOOD! Does anyone have any suggestions
> or cookbooks I could get to help me out?!?!?
> THANKS!!

You need an attitude adjustment more than you need a cookbook. If you
seriously want healthful meals, you will figure out a way to make time
to prepare them. I'll bet if you set aside two hours on a Saturday or
Sunday (or any other day, really), you could do some prep work that
would reduce the time you need to spend in the kitchen when you want to
actually eat.

Macaroni or rice hotdishes can be prepared and individual servings
re-heated during the week. They can usually be frozen, too.

Back to the attitude adjustment ‹ you need to accept that some things
take a certain amount of time for proper preparation. If you accept
that premise and plan for efficient and/or effective use of your time
you will probably not "burn EVERYTHING!"

Chicken breasts are versatile. If you poach them and then cool them,
they can be used in pretty much any recipe that asks for cooked chicken
meat.

Do you enjoy hamburgers? Cook four or five burgers from a pound of
ground beef (85/15 is supposed to be ground chuck, I think), eat one and
put the rest in the fridge or freezer. If refrigerated, you can nuke
one for 30-45 seconds and have a burger in less time than it takes to
put together a green salad.

Want a tossed green salad? Assemble the components in individual
plastic bags or storage containers; chop a head of lettuce and put it in
a large bowl or plastic bag. When you want salad, a handful of lettuce,
a little of this and some of that from your prep work (carrot shreds,
chopped red cabbage, cucumber slices, a red onion ready to slice), some
oil and vinegar, maybe a little soy sauce and a pinch of sugar, combined
in a bowl and your salad is ready to eat. Don't want to cut lettuce?
Buy a bag of it ready to go.

Do you like Rice-a-Roni? Brown 1/2# of ground beef with the rice and
vermicelli and proceed as directed.

Make the chicken breasts and cut one into pieces or strips and add it to
the skillet about 5 minutes before the rice dish is finished, to heat
the chicken.

Mom's Nicer-Roni
recipe by Barb Schaller, posted to r.f.cooking 2-12-2008

€ 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
€ 1 teaspoon dried parsley
€ 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
€ 1 teaspoon dried onions
€ 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
€1/4 cup vermicelli, broken into small pieces
€ 3/4 cup long grain white rice
Combine the first group of ingredients and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter and add the rice and
vermicelli. Stir over medium-high heat until vermicelli browns. Sprinkle
over the dry mixture and add 2 cups hot water (it will steam and
sputter, so be careful). Cover and cook over low heat for about 12-15
minutes until rice is tender.

Serves 2-4

What's causing your extreme impatience? Hunger? Buy some organically
grown celery and carrots and prepare some sticks of each to have in your
fridge to nibble on while you're cooking; they'll take the edge off your
hunger. Why organically grown? I was amazed at the celery ‹ it tastes
like yummy tasty celery!

Good luck in your quest.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com;pics of my no-knead bread posted
Laissez les bons temps rouler!