Good tips for an inexperienced cook?

when something calls for oil (like in a pan) you can ususally use half the amount or use spray.

when stir frying...use broths in stead of oil

look into substitues...things like cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese, pineapple instead of butter in stuffing mix, turkey instead of hamburger, lean hamburger instead of regular hamburger, applesauce instead of eggs in baked good, egg whites instead of whole eggs, whole grains instead of white grains...well, you get the point!

 i also add more veggies than recipies usually call for.

Don't get frustrated with it.  Cooking is not so bad once you get the hang of it... and chopping up a million vegetables gets easier the more you do it.  Just like running

If you are looking for some recipes to try, check out allrecipes.com.  This site has everything ranging from the very easy to the very complicated.  Try the '30-minute meals' and the 'healthy living' sections.  There are nutritional details outlined for every recipe as well, and be sure to pay attention because some of the recipes on here can be quite bad for you. 

For cookbooks, there are some great books out there for the beginner.  I started with a trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, and I still use this often to get info on the best way to cook certain meats and veggies.  This is the traditional red and white checkered book that you can probably pick up at the grocery store.

More of a shopping tip than a cooking tip ( rule of thumb)... when you are in the grocery store, stick to the outer isles.. I know MOST, grocery stores are set up nearly the same. fresh veggies, dairy, eggs, meats, ect are on the outer perimeter of the store. Most of the prefab stuff is straight down the middle. Some exceptions are, cereals, bottleded water and canned veggies are on inner isles.

As I said, this is just a rule of thumb.

These tips have been helpful to me as well...does anyone have any suggestions on how to increase salad/veggies into my diet? 

I want to lose more weight and suspect that if I subsitute some high calorie choices for lower calorie vegetables I'll see more benefit.  I like vegetables but can't seem to incorporate leafy greens and salads into everyday eating...any advice is appreciated......Thanks.

Meal Plans.

 Oooh, that sounds like the goot! Thanx!!!

If you tend to be a bit lazy (my area of expertise) there are heaps of ways to make it easy:

Smoothies: Some Fruit/berries, milk, yoghurt maybe some honey in a blender and you have a meal

Vegies: Steam fresh or frozen in the microwave, for fresh just put a bit of water in the bottom of the container before zapping and you are good to go

Salads: Chop vegetables and add either a small portion of cheese, 1-2 hard boiled eggs or a grilled chicken breast/steak/pork (or any comination of the toppings) Im not a dressing fan but on easy thing is lemon juice or balsamic vinegar for a dressing

Baked Potato: Top with Ham and pineapple or baked beans

Steak: buy gfood quality meat and cook in a pan with a very light spray of oil (all my meat is cooked with a very light spray of oil in the pan, no extra fat)

Pork: Same as above, add apple sauce when finished

Pasta: Boil the PAsta, seperately heat a tin of tomatoes with vegetables and toss through pasta - if you want to add meat to that cook that seperatley and add as well

Fish: coast with a mixture of lemon juice, rind and olive oil, wrap in tin foil and bake in the oven for approx 10 minutes for a light white fish

And dont underestimate how easy it is to cook a roast!

Basically workout what you like to eat first... then you can figure out how to make a simple fuss free version