What is a healthy shopping list?? I don't know how to cook, I get home around 8pm and I have a 16month year old son that is below average in his weight and I have no idea what to buy or what to cook. Where do I start?? I want to start by buying a healthy shopping list but then I wouldn't know what to do with the food.

Wow, if you have a 16 month old son it is time to LEARN how to cook. Feeding fast foods, which I hope you are not, can lead to many problems later in life like obesity and/or diabetes.

First, get a cookbook. Something like Cooking for Dummies. Just go to your local bookstore, there are MANY there.

Secondly, you can pick up things like yogurt, cheese, fruits and vegetables.

Buy lean lunchmeats that you can cut into little squares and give with cheese and/or yogurt.

But you really do need to learn how to cook. Can you make macaroni-n- cheese? Hamburger helper? Simple dishes like that have the "how to" right on the side of the box.

Yeah all we eat is macaroni-n-cheese and raviolis... I use to give him macdonlds a lot but the greese from the fries get him really sick, I tried giving him little meats but he won't take it. He likes things like chicken soup and rice and soups but every time I try and cook I always burn the food so I am kind of scared to cook with the stove. Any ideas what meals I should cook?

I agree with J9. Good nutrition can not be stressed enough for a child that,You must keep yourself healthy to care for him properly. Most deli's have recipe cards for different cuts of meats,etc.Just please learn to cook. Take a day off work and prepare casseroles,etc,freeze them for the following week. Almost any grocery store has recipe cards. I will help you if I can.

Staples include milk, bread, eggs, OJ, cereal.

Ice cream (light?), yogurts, butter (I do not use margarine but you may), cheeses for sandwiches.

At vegetable isle, pick up lettuce, tomatoes, a few onions, some garlic, your favorite vegetables.

At frozen food isle, pick up frozen fruits and vegetables that require steaming. Keep a pizza in freezer at all times (saves money so you do not order it).

Meat isle, chicken, ground beef and a few nice steaks for a weekend dinner to BBQ or roast.

Canned items - more vegetables, canned fruit, tomato sauce and paste. Beans of some sort.

Get rice in some form. Pasta is cheap, keep on hand along with beans. Peanut butter and jelly.

Stock up on spices such as Lawry's and the others. One or two a shopping trip as they are somewhat expensive but last a long time. BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, mayo.

You are young and over the years, you will see what you use and what you do not. You will also acquire a taste for certain spices. Cooking is a fun thing to do once you enjoy eating the food you cook. Be prepared to overcook and undercook things for a while. It takes practice.

I grew up in home where my mother never cook and that sets a person back but I learned and so can you. A basic cookbook like Fannie Farmers or Betty Crocker will be a good reference.

Bon appetit!

Carrots, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, rice, garlic, beans, apples, oranges, bananas, asparagas, lean beef, chicken, pork. There are so many different ways to prepare a healthy dinner. Breads, cereals, eggs, milk, orange juice..

The darker the fruit, the darker the vegatable the more nutrients and vitamans.

Mcdonalds and fast food for a baby is no good at all.

Water is very healthy and our body is made up of 90 percent of water. So make sure your child is getting water. Not too much, not too fast but make sure there is a balance of everything.

About the mcdonalds size me up. Some body on a mcdonalds diet actually causes the liver to go bad, the stomach, blood pressure and so many other ailments that will start to develop.

Do you want this for your baby.

If you want recipes and ways to prepare.

When frying anything. Cooking anything or even in salads use natural home made spices and sauces. OLIVE OIL is a beautiful thing, lemon and salt and pepper makes a good home made salad dressing.

Joe

[QUOTE=J_9]Wow, if you have a 16 month old son it is time to LEARN how to cook. Feeding fast foods, which I hope you are not, can lead to many problems later in life like obesity and/or diabetes.

First, get a cookbook. Something like Cooking for Dummies. Just go to your local bookstore, there are MANY there.

Secondly, you can pick up things like yogurt, cheese, fruits and vegetables.

Buy lean lunchmeats that you can cut into little squares and give with cheese and/or yogurt.

But you really do need to learn how to cook. Can you make macaroni-n- cheese? Hamburger helper? Simple dishes like that have the "how to" right on the side of the box.[

Invest in a food processor or mixer, start making your own fruits, veggies, in a food processor you can give the baby any meat, puréed, without the peservatives.. No fast foods, too much fats involved in them, lean cut ckicken can be boiled, or baked and cut up small or puréed. For instance "oatmeal cereal": 1/4 c ground oats, 3/4c water, bring liquid to boil in pan, simmer 10 minutesw whisking, a lot, mix in formula, milk or fruits, serve warm.
Baby stew: 1/2 c cubed cooked beef, 1 peeled potato, 1/4 c frozen peas, 1 peelled carrot, 1 stalk celery, 1/4 c uncooked macaroni, 4 c water: Wash veggies, chop fine. Simmer the veggies for 20 minutes or till soft. Add the macaroni and cook for 10 minutes, drain, mash or purée the mix till it's the consistency adequate fpor your baby's \age.
Chicken casserole: 1 tbsp oil, 2 chopped carrots, 1 chicken breasts cut into chunks, 2 potatoes peeled and chopped, boiling water, onion/parsnips, if desired. Heat oil in pan add carrots, onions/parsips, sauté till soft, add chicken and sauté, till seared, add potatoes,parsips just ccver with boiling water cover till tender blend if too chucky