Do you spend a lot of money on take-out? How about delivery? Fast food, including pizza, can add up fast! Try jotting down every time you buy a coffee, a gas station burrito, or fast food, or anything not from your home kitchen – for one week. You might be surprised at how much money you are spending! I used to have an-almost daily Starbucks habit – can you guess what that added up to? Over a $100 month, or $1200/year! Now, I am not here to talk to you about financial matters – not my area of expertise, just ask my husband! However, I do like to eat healthily and cook simple meals. What do you send to school (when school is in-person) for lunch for your kiddos? Lunchables? Uncrustables? These are also fast foods – full of preservatives and supposedly purchased to save your precious time. What if I told you the effects of these fast foods will harm your or your children’s health? Now you’ll spend more time at the doctor or dentist offices – and even more possible side effects. 

Now, I don’t mean to be a Debbie-downer here so I am going to give you tips to keep your meals fast, fresh, and healthy. Take stock of what you have in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. You might find a combination of ingredients to make yummy dish. I often surprise myself when I have to “make meals out of nothing.” If I have frozen veggies and pasta – easy pasta bake! We always have tortillas on hand so I’ll heat a can of beans – and mash them for refried beans. The beans on tortillas is a great one to make ahead of time, add a dab of hot sauce too; wrap and freeze for a later meal. Got potatoes? Chop them up, toss with oil and salt. Then, cover with foil, ¼ cup of water, and bake at 400 for 40 minutes. I’ll get the chopping done in the morning so everything is ready to go into the oven when we get home. How about rice and celery? Chop the celery and add both to the crockpot with a couple cups of water and a bit of bouillon with any other chopped veggies you have on hand. Dinner will be ready by the time you get home – veggie and rice soup. Yum! Stay tuned for more tips like these – and follow me on Instagram @leahtheveganyogalover. Let me know what you “make out of nothing!”