auntjudyg

Cranberries and onions do have health benefits, but you can live perfectly well without them. Tuna is not necessary at all.

Now, no one becomes Betty Crocker overnight, but I think once you start cooking a little, you will want to learn more. And one's first attempts at making a meal may not be absolutely fantastic, but "practice does make perfect". I'll ramble off some suggestions, but most important is to pick things you like otherwise you won't want to go to the trouble of cooking.

First, getting a few servings of fresh fruit a day is just a matter of having it on hand. With summer coming up, berries are a top choice; the pigment in blueberries and purple plums has special nutrients; peaches (New Jersey's, of course); melons. Many would discourage eating too many grapes because of relatively high sugar content; cherries are a mix because they have high sugar content but also have some special nutrients.

A cup of yogurt a couple of times a week either as a snack or part of a meal would be good.

There are healthier choices even eating fast food these days. I have heard many people say the low-fat sandwiches promoted by Subway are really good. Though someone said the salad at McDonalds is awful. Maybe someone else knows of other fast food options.

Salads were mentioned already. If you are preparing meals just for yourself, it can be hard to have a variety of salad "fixings" around because they go bad so quickly. I know people who keep the basics on hand (lettuce, cukes, whatever) and then go to one of these salad bars to supplement. They also have the bags of prepared greens (which I have never tried because I only like romaine and boston lettuces).

To start off simply with cooking, if you assembled some meals even using frozen vegetables, I think it would be much better than what you are eating now. Many of my quick meals have the same basic formula:

skillet (with a lid) + seasoning + meat(protein) + vegetables

"Seasoning" could be salsa, spaghetti sauce, soy sauce, or garlic sauted in olive oil/butter

"Meat" - chicken breast, lean ground beef (or turkey), shrimp (pre-cooked or raw), ricotta cheese, and if you really want to get adventuresome you could try some tempeh (a fermented soy product that really doesn't have much taste of its own). To start out, it would be better to cook the meat separately from the vegetables because they cook at different rates. Especially chicken and shrimp - they get tough if overcooked - but the beef is more forgiving. You could saute the chicken then set it aside, cook the veggies, then add it back in to reheat. Shrimp probably could be added right at the end because it cooks SO quickly. Ricotta and tempeh also could be added at the end just to heat up.

"Vegetables" - for starters, just a variety of frozen vegetables. In the bags would be better because then you can easily take only as much as you want. There are pre-packaged varieties, too.

So, for example, with a medium flame/heat (always to start), put a couple of tablespoons (or more, if you like) of spaghetti sauce in the skillet and add a little water (the amount of water takes some getting used to because you don't know how much water will come out of the veggies - remember you can always add more later), then add some zucchini and peppers (or I have seen prepackaged mixed of Italian veggies). You could do this with ground beef or chicken, or it could be a side dish for one of those frozen stuffed shells or manicotti packages. I like this kind of mix starting with salsa, with ricotta or tempeh added at the end.

Or you could put a little soy sauce and water in the skillet (plus some garlic or sliced fresh ginger, if you like), add green beans or asparagus (or I've seen prepackaged Chinese veggies), and kind of steam them, then add chicken or shrimp.

Does your grocery have many ethnic foods? Some sell jars of Chinese sauces, like Hoisin and others. You could try using them. (Many of them have a fair amount of sugar, but it's a start!)

Also, do you have access to something like Patak's curry paste? You could use a couple of tablespoons of that with added water or oil, do up some cauliflower and peas, then add chicken.

Another type of dish would be an omelet sort of thing - sauting/steaming vegetables (asparagus, spinach, peppers, etc.) and then adding an egg or two.

Zucchini, asparagus (the fresh stuff is just coming into the markets), green beans are all pretty easy to handle fresh. You just wash them, cut off the end(s) and slice them. Zucchini can be sliced very thin and added with other frozen veggies.

I haven't mentioned much starchy stuff because what I do eat generally takes a little time to prepare, except Wasa whole rye crackers.

Another quick option is canned legumes. They could be added to salads or a skillet dish. You could do up a chili with a couple (or more) of tablespoons of spaghetti sauce, add some chili powder, saute ground beef or turkey, add legumes and maybe corn. Have it with a salad (or add some green beans to the mix for a green veggie).

There is also pasta that only needs to be boiled in water - regular pasta is a refined carbohydrate it is generally recommended we eat as little as possible. Personally, the whole wheat pasta I have tried was pretty gruesome (it's been a while, maybe there have been some improvements). There is an artichoke flour/wheat blend pasta that is quite good (DeBole, I think, and some groceries carry it); Soba noodles are either all buckwheat or blended with wheat and are not as heavy as you might think from their dark appearance (but are usually only at the health food store).

One standard many people make it to saute some garlic in olive oil and/or butter, add chopped broccoli, add a little water if necessary. When the broccoli is cooked add some cooked pasta and stir it all up.

Rice (brown, naturally) can be cooked in a couple of servings at once, kept in the refridge, then added to dishes (either the skillet things or even the eggs) at the last minute to reheat it.

Well, I've rambled on enough. Hopefully there is something useful here for you. Any more questions, though?