Comments on: The Value Guru Takes a Few Shortcuts

By: Kyla

Kyla — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:07:07 +0000

Our favorite “busy” meal is “sloppy chips”. Take leftover beans or canned beans (any kind), add enchilada sauce (or make your own (Emeril’s has a fabulous one on the web), a bag of frozen corn (or scrape corn stalks you have yet to eat that are going bad), add some cheese (optional) and any other veggies you might have that sound good. Serve as is, or our favorite way.. over tortilla chips. Nice lettuce & tomato salad on the side and you have a healthy-ish, yummy meal!

By: Janet Vance

Janet Vance — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:54:28 +0000

WOW,I thought I was creative, but you reframed my kitchen! It’s so amazing how looking at the same ingredients a different way makes it more exciting to serve & eat. Thanks so much

By: Kathy

Kathy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:52:19 +0000

This is along the same lines, but I will frequently TAKE AWAY from foods I buy! For instance, just a little while ago I took a bag of frozen chicken, pasta, and veggies that I bought on sale (normally very expensive!) that contains one of those sauce pouches (this one was a cream sauce). As I’m trying to watch my sodium, and eat low-fat, I discarded the pouch, and otherwise prepared the ingredients in a skillet as directed, adding a little roasted red pepper viaigrette (much healthier, I think!) to it. Delish! I also could have just squeezed some garlic paste and a little EVOO into the pan, instead of the viaigrette, and that would have been great too — many additions are possible!

I also just wanted to mention that just by adding fresh and frozen-fresh ingredients to packaged foods, as Susannah is writing about, will cut the sodium content of the dish you’re preparing dramatically!

By: Morgan

Morgan — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:05:27 +0000

My favorite thing to do with canned chili is to boil some spiral pasta and make a casserole by layering the pasta with the chili and cheese. If you toss in some tasty veggies, top with breadcrumbs, and bake for a little while you’ll have a hearty meal with leftovers for lunch!

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:12:46 +0000

Definitely as a busy working parent does it make sense to “recreate” dinner. Menus can easily look more “restaurant like” and have appeal even to fussy eaters.

An idea a friend of mine brought over when she visited that was a smash hit was combining a bag of prewashed salad greens adding some grape tomatoes, golden raisins, packaged grilled chicken, and raspberry vinagrette. Very tasty and very inspiring to stay on the salad track long after the visit was over.

Salad kits are nice and VERY convenient but it’s nicer to put a personal/creative/inventive spin on salad because it can easily become boring having the same ingredients all the time.

It’s easy to be creative too if you use similar ingredients like your favorite salads you would pay almost ten dollars for a single serving and bring your salad to work for lunch.

While for a few dollars more preparing yourself, you can have salad for several people (side salad) if you are preparing a meal to entertain, or two or three salads if the salad is the meal.

Just remember to include some good tasty bread.

By: MARY DYE

MARY DYE — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:11:24 +0000

THIS is a real service…thanks!
I know parents of young, eternally energetic kids, like my daughters, will find this info useful! MLD

By: Gracie

Gracie — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:33:02 +0000

I love the shortcuts! Thanks for the ideas!

By: Tamia

Tamia — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:19:08 +0000

I cannot wait to make our first ‘homemade’ pizza from scratch with my teenage girls! (it should be fun and we can make it healthy too)

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:56:28 +0000

My favorite “go to” meal is Pasta and Broccoli.
Chop broccoli in small pieces, chop as much garlic as you like, add olive oil to pan, saute garlic till it colors, add some red pepper flakes (optional)and broccoli, add some chicken broth, simmer till broccoli is done. Drain pasta, add to broccoli mixture, grate Parmesan over all and EAT.

By: Katie

Katie — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:05:34 +0000

One of our favorite ‘holy crap it’s dinnertime and no one wants to cook anything or go shopping’ meals is a great Spicy Peanut and Kale pasta recipe I found a while back in ‘The Garden of Vegan’.

It sounds weird (I was dubious myself), but is seriously out-of-this-world-great – so bear with me for the following horribly written out recipe :

- Cook half a bag of pasta (or whatever you’ve got – rice, quinoa, etc.)

- Pour half a big bottle of tomato juice (not sauce — JUICE) in a pot with an entire bunch of kale (or whatever leftover greens you have), add a few spoons of peanut butter and a few squirts of garlic chili sauce.

- Simmer until your greens are wilted

- Pour over your drained pasta and voila – gorgeousness on a dish with a little kick and a lotta’ greens in under 10 minutes.