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Quick Meals for a Relaxed Summer
This week we are kicking off a new series all about our go-to meals for summer. In the summer I like to have more time outside looking after my plants and flowers and I tend to travel more often as well. I’ve shared before that cooking is something I really enjoy, but I also like to have quick meals that do not require much cooking so that I have time to relax and enjoy a slower pace.
Home Questions? – Call AnswerLine
When I was a student at Iowa State University, I worked in a job where I shared an office with an amazing resource. That resource was AnswerLine – a hotline that answers your questions about home, food, and family. As a young adult starting a home of her own, the AnswerLine folks gave me tips on food safety, food preservation, and cleaning. A few years later, I found myself working at Iowa State University again. Throughout my career, AnswerLine has been there to help me when I have tough questions about food and nutrition. As a mom, I rely on AnswerLine for tips on getting stains out of laundry. If you cannot tell already, I love AnswerLine and I want to share this resource with you today!
Cooking with Lentils
Last week Brianna wrote about our Garlic and Herb Lentils recipe. If you get a bag of dried lentils to try that recipe, you might be wondering what else you can cook with lentils to use them up. Here are some other ways to add them to your meals:
Canned Beef
When I first heard of canned beef I really did not know what to think. There was a fat layer on the top when I opened the can and a lot of liquid, but the texture and smell of the meat were normal for beef. I ended up enjoying it and adding it to some of my recipes as an easy and money-saving alternative to cooking with fresh beef. You don’t have to jump on the canned-beef train, but I do want to show you why canned beef isn’t all that bad, and how you can use it in your kitchen.
Versatile Veggie
Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables because of how versatile it is. You can use this inexpensive summer squash in several ways when cooking and baking. I didn’t appreciate zucchini as much as a child, but now that I do most of the cooking at my house, I love how easy it is to transform this veggie to meet everyone’s needs! Below are a few of my favorite ways to use this tasty green veggie.
More Onions?
Do you ever wonder why so many of our recipes here at Spend Smart. Eat Smart. have onions in them? Just last week I shared our August recipe of the month, Cool Cucumber Salad, which is another recipe with onions in it. Below I share my top three reasons for including onions in recipes and my top three onion-containing recipes.
