Anyone Can Cook

     The rise of processed foods and the decline in our leisure time has turned America into the land of convenience foods -- stuff that is meant to be quick and easy and cheap. There's nothing like biting into your dinner and thinking: "Hmm, this tastes so...convenient."  

     We live in a country where the least healthy foods are subsidized by the government and toothsome produce is basically a luxury item. No wonder obesity has been on the rise for so long. 

     A good way to eat better, save money, and impress first dates is to learn how to cook. A good way to learn how to cook on the cheap is to check out a website called Budget Bytes. It is the work of Beth Moncel. 

    About a decade ago, Moncel had a degree in lab science, plenty of student loans, and a dearth of dough. She set about tracking all the money she spent and began, with a scientist's rigor, to optimize the dollars she converted into calories. She found ways to "keep [her] stomach satisfied while still spending less." Now she's got a popular website and a book and a smartphone app and a degree in nutritional science. Not bad. 

    The many, many recipes on Budget Bytes include not just ingredient lists and step-by-step instructions but breakdowns for total cost and price per serving. They also provide grocery lists. Moncel is happy to teach you kitchen basics and parsimonious meal prep. She even came up with ways to dine happily on a SNAP budget. Here's where to start if you'd like to stop ordering so much takeout but you've never so much as boiled an egg.