Tip #6: Don't spend on unnecessary items

Sometimes when you are cooking, you’ll realize the dish isn’t complete without that special something. So you head out to the nearest grocery store to buy just what you need to complete it.

Have you already forgotten my previous tip about using the ingredients you have? I’m so hurt! Before you spend your time and money at the grocery store for that one item to complete your meal, check your fridge, cupboards and everything in between. This tip holds true for your traditional pasta and tomato sauce.

A pasta dish is quite simple to make: Choose your favorite type of pasta. Boil water and add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook pasta according to the direction’s on the box (different types of pasta require a specific amount of cooking time). Drain the pasta and place in your dish. Top with some sauce.

So now you have your pasta done, but you’ve noticed you don’t have any sauce! Don’t panic. You most likely have the ingredients to make some sauce right at home.
Ingredients:
Seasonings: Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes
olive oil
water
can of diced tomatos
clove of garlic


 Check out my video below, and I’ll help you make it.

Hopefully this saved you from an unnecessary trip to the grocery store as well as provided you with another night of food on the table and money still in your pocket!

Tip #5: Keep it simple

Nothing tests my patience more than waiting for a meal to cook, especially when the grumbling noise coming from my stomach can be heard from miles away. So if you are like me and you don’t have much patience when you’re hungry, this delicious cheese steak will be sure to satisfy those hunger pains before you lose your last ounce of patience.

The trick for this meal is to just keep it simple. Purchase already sliced pieces of steak. (I chose to buy a box of Steak-umm, where you have the option of buying a box that has 7, 12 or 16 steaks. I have to tell you, I bought the box with 16 steaks and it cost $10. Just buy the box that fits your budget!) Then, save yourself the hassle of having to clean, chop, and dice the onions and peppers. You can easily find a bag of “pepper stir-fry” in the freezer aisle. This bag will most likely contain already sliced green, red and yellow bell peppers along with already sliced white onions. A bag of pepper stir-fry cost me a little under $4.

A total list of ingredients include:

2 sliced pieces of steak

½ cup of pepper stir-fry

1 tsp of olive oil

2 slices of cheese (whatever kind you like best)

1 hoagie roll (have you got some leftover from the Mediterranean Chicken “Wrap”?)

Steak sauce

Directions:

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the stir-fry. Cook the stir-fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes. While doing this, cook the slices of steak in another skillet. Cook over medium heat until the pieces are no longer pink.

Place the slices of cheese on the roll. Add some of the stir-fry, then place the meat on top of the stir-fry, finally top with whatever stir-fry is left.

Add any dressings/sauces you desire

Now how easy was that!? You’ve kept it simple & your reward is another night with food on the table and money still in your pocket.

Tip #4: Don’t fall on what you stumble upon…run with it

I have this morning routine where I promptly shut off my alarm, stumble out of bed, hit the power button on the remote and alternate between watching the different morning shows that are being aired.

I enjoy the food segments most and wanted to provide some links to the food that is prepared on-air. It’s always beneficial to watch some of these segments, because they typically provide recipes that aren’t too difficult to prepare and involve ingredients that are easily attainable.

You may have gone to bed one night not knowing what to make for dinner the next night(at least I’m ALWAYS thinking about food) but by morning, the food segment on the morning show will definitely give you some great ideas about what to cook.

As I was searching for some good recipes accompanied by video on today.msnbc.msn.com, I came across the most relevant of advertisements. The ad dealt with Hellmann’s Mayonnaise and The Real Food Project. Chef Bobby Flay talks about turkey leftovers & Hellmann’s mayonnaise to create a turkey reuben.

Could this get anymore perfect? Soon enough we will be indulging in lots of turkey, but will probably end up with more leftover than in our stomachs.  Flay describes the perfect thing to do with those leftovers, in a video where he quickly shows you how to put the sandwich together.

Here is another recipe for a turkey sandwich. This is actually a recipe I found searching the Today Show website for an idea for leftover turkey. It's a grilled sage cheddar and turkey sandwich.

The Bobby Flay recipe and the one in the video above are perfect for leftover turkey. I will certainly test them out after Thanksgiving to get the energy needed to shop all day on Black Friday!

These are just two simple recipes, but I'd like to know what you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers! It's never too early to think about that...like I said, I'm ALWAYS thinking about food.

 I want to leave you with the tip of taking advantage of the advertisments, TV segments and online food videos that you may just stumble upon, because even though you weren't expecting to find them, they will provide another night with food on the table and money still in your pocket! 

Tip #3: Make use of the ingredients you have

There really isn’t enough time in the day to do everything, and that is just something we are all going to have to accept. This doesn’t mean we have to starve, though.

Just because you couldn’t make it to the grocery store before closing doesn’t mean you don’t have enough ingredients at home to make a delicious dish.It’s time to impress yourself with how resourceful you really are.

Being Italian, I always have pasta in the house and I was ready to spice up the traditional spaghetti with red sauce. I also had leftover corn in the fridge from the dinner I cooked the night before. I had shredded mozzarella cheese, Italian dressing (the same one from the “Mediterranean Chicken Wrap”—check out my previous post!) and tomatoes in the fridge. I had a can of pitted olives in the pantry, as well.  This was just the perfect combination for a simple, yet scrumptious pasta salad.

Ingredients:

1 cup of tri-color pasta

½ can of corn

 ¼ red onion

¼ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tomato

½ can of pitted black olives

Italian dressing (as much as you’d like)

Directions:

1)      Cook pasta in boiling water as long as packaged instructions indicate

2)      Drain the water from the pasta and place in a bowl

3)      Dice tomatoes, red onion and olives

4)      Mix pasta, tomatoes, red onion, olives, corn and cheese. Add as much dressing as desired

5)      Place bowl in the fridge and refrigerate for an hour and a half or until pasta is cooled.

6)      ENJOY!

This recipe really couldn’t get any simpler & the best part is any ingredient would work. What combination do you think would taste best...I'd love to try it out!

 If you have broccoli instead of corn, go ahead and use broccoli. If you have chickpeas instead of olives…go ahead and use those chickpeas. If you have bowtie pasta that isn’t tri-color, I can assure you, it’ll taste just as good.

The whole point of this dish is to use what you have. Doing so will certainly provide you with another night with food on the table, and money still in your pocket!

Tip #2: Don't overlook those recipes

When you are really hungry it’s so easy to ignore the recipe provided on the back of a box or on the  vegetable can label. I’m very guilty of this.  I simply assume I won’t have any of the ingredients necessary for the suggested recipe, so why waste my time. 

A few days ago, when I was absentmindedly eating hummus and crackers, my eyes began to take control.  I was zoning out, but at the same time taking note of the recipe provided on the inside lid of the Sabra Classic Hummus container. The recipe was for a Mediterranean Chicken Wrap and I realized I had enough ingredients to make it.  (You have to just imagine my excitement, I now knew what I was making for dinner---heck yea!) Though, notice how I said “enough ingredients” and not exact ingredients. I had enough items to make it work, without sacrificing taste.

• The ingredients for the wrap as provided by Sabra Classic Hummus, are listed below on the left. If you are curious about more Sabra recipes, be sure to check out their website for a complete list.
•  The ingredients I used  are listed on the right:

½ boneless chicken breast                                     ½ boneless chicken breast                             

½ cup Italian dressing                                             ½ cup Italian dressing

1 your favorite wrap                                               1 hoagie roll

3 tablespoons Sabra  Hummus                               3 tablespoons Sabra Hummus

2 romaine lettuce leaves                                        1 slice of American cheese

2 large tomato slices                                              2 large tomato slices

Directions, also provided by Sabra with a few interjections from me:

1)      Marinate chicken in Italian dressing. Grill chicken thoroughly

2)      Cut chicken into thin slices

3)      Spread hummus on wrap (or hoagie—in my case)

4)      Place lettuce (or cheese or BOTH!), tomato slices and sliced chicken on top of hummus

5)      Roll the wrap (& if using a hoagie just fold together) and enjoy!

I was so glad that I aimlessly noticed this recipe. It really was as delicious as it looked, not to mention easy on the pocket. The container of hummus cost a little over $4. I already had chicken in the freezer that I bought packaged with 3 other chicken cutlets for a little over $5. I had Italian dressing in the fridge which cost just below $2. I bought a ¼ pound of American cheese for under $2, one tomato for under $1, and the bread for just about $4 (that package had 6 rolls in it!). If I really wanted to I could make this meal at least 3 more times and the only thing I’d have to buy is a tomato each time…now that’s convenient!

 So my tip for you tonight, is to notice those label recipes listed on the foods you are eating, it’ll provide you another night with food on the table, and money still in your pocket!