To what "kitchen skills" are you referring to specifically? Most basic skills can be picked up from a general cook book. Also, public television cooking shows are pretty good; avoid anything on Food Network or the Cooking Channel (They're recipes are alright, but the shows tend to be about the personalities and *not* the food... except for "Good Eats.").

 I have strong ideas about what's healthy to eat, but not enough experience making those foods for myself.

So track down a recipe and learn how to execute it. Don't just do it once, try it out for a few days, or even a whole week, until you've got the steps down. Then mix it up; substitute an ingredient or a spice, or add something of your own. If you screw up, eat the results and learn from your mistakes.