Don't Throw it Out!!

Do you ever find yourself looking over your shoulder and making sure no one is looking as you throw out that old squash and bunch of celery you NEVER used? "Ooops! I hope no one saw that!" as you sneak those, still edible but too sad looking to think of using them, vegetables right into the trash.

I try really hard to include and cook with fresh vegetables in a large percentage of the meals I make for my family.  But recently, I haven't been too great at this.  I realized this about a week ago when I put pizza, chips, and animal crackers on my two youngest's lunch plates. "Hmmm... I USED to make sure there was always a fruit and vegetable included," I thought to myself. So, I checked my vegetable drawer in the fridge and sure enough, there was a packed full drawer, brimming with vegetables and greens that had their foot half way out the door! YIKES! Should I go ahead and throw it all away? Start over with my next trip to the grocery store? I considered this and then decided to go back to my old ways!

I LOVE to find different ways to sneak these items into my family's dinner.  It's a super simple thing to do that leaves one feeling frugal, healthy, and clever!

I started by making a meat-n-vegetable loaf that knocked the socks off the whole family (myself included)! 

Onion, peppers (red &green), and olives were my "save from the trash" items that night.

Tonight, I've made a wonderful white bean and vegetable chili.

Saving my broccoli, spinach, garlic, and the rest of my green peppers and onion from a bitter end in the garbage can.

The recipes (what I did) should appear under the What's Brandy Making menu in a few days. A little creativity is all you need! Happy sneaking vegis into meals instead of the trash!