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Vegetarian

A (0 - $450)/ B ($450 - $800)/ Dinner/ Sides/ Tips & Tricks/ Vegetarian

7 Easy Ways to Turn an Old Pasta into a New Dish

Chickpea Protein Pasta with Zucchini

three recipes included

Ever run into a “repeat meal rut”? The kind where you just don’t have it in you to give that extra push for something new to create? Well friend, here’s a jet pack outa there.

I’ve even included 3 gluten free vegetarian pasta recipes that, from a cost per Calorie basis, earn an “A grade” … Hello affordable and easy Mediterranean. Read on for a link to our keto breadsticks recipe.

7 easy ways out of the pasta rut…

  1. Make it Fresh: cook the noodles al dente (less time) and then add finely chopped raw veggies. Serve it cold with regular balsamic and you’ve got a fancy salad for the main.
  2. Add Pesto Sauce (a little goes a long way!). Cutting calories but want the flavor? Puree some fresh basil! This is also a yummy swap-out for the cheese on the toasted bread.
  3. Pizza Pasta: add your favorite red sauce and toss with your favorite cheese & “toppings”. (Tomatoes are Not Lectin Free)
  4. Combo: Mix Lentil and Garbanzo noodles together, or experiment with different noodle shapes!
  5. Switch Up your olives and use a different kind of cheese
    • Kalamata Olives + Trader Joe’s Creamy Syrah Toscano // Black Olives + Smoked Gouda // Green Olives + Sharp Cheddar // new olives + new cheese …
  6. Casserole-It: cook your noodles a little longer, mix ingredients together, top with cheese and gluten-free bread crumbs and bake it! 350°F for 25 minutes covered + 5 minutes uncovered. (A life-saver for overcooked noodles!)
  7. Pasta Bar! Separate ingredients into different bowls, maybe include a few extra toppings and “build your own pasta”! If your kids are old enough to grate cheese, pass the cheese grater around the table and take a load off.
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A (0 - $450)/ B ($450 - $800)/ Dinner/ Sides/ Tips & Tricks/ Vegetarian

3 Easy Budget Savvy Salads to Savor

When it comes to budgeting groceries, let’s be honest: veggies are often the first to get the boot.

Why? It’s simple math: they’re expensive and don’t offer a lot of Calories for what you pay. Unfortunately, this means some of the best foods for optimal health and a long life are getting shafted, and other foods are taking their place.

For instance, it’s really easy to grab a bag of potato chips and know you’re getting a lot of calories for only a few bucks, as a side to a sandwich or soup. Similarly, how simple is it to make endless amounts of spaghetti with bread as a side because everyone knows that a side salad won’t contribute nearly the same amount of calories as cheese bread will.

What a lot of people are beginning to practice is either nixing their salad dressing entirely, or putting it on the side. I’d like to suggest that, in keeping a balanced diet and being mindful of total Calories consumed, we can not only keep the dressing but increase the amount of it.

How?

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A (0 - $450)/ Sides/ Vegetarian

Crispy Spirally Sweet Potatoes

Crispy Spiralled Sweet Potatoes

This one is a forever favorite. I might need to buy a second spiralizer to officially call the potato curling a family pastime. It’s that good.

Sweet Potatoes are friendly on SO many different “diets” – paleo, gluten free, lectin free, lactose free, vegan, vegetarian, (etc) – it seems only fitting to design a delicious, family friendly, fancy side out of these nuggets. We’ve done just that.

$ – SAVVY: Sweet Potatoes are a weekly staple food for us — from a nutritional and cost perspective — it earns an A+. Organic sweet potatoes earn a B from a cost-per-Calorie basis, but fear not – I talk more about this below.

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