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Hey Guys! If you’re anything like me, you’re probably trying to find ways to incorporate more healthy meals into your diet while still enjoying the flavors that you love. Enter this healthy Mexican-inspired quinoa bowl. It’s loaded with healthy fibre, fats, and protein, so you can feel good about stuffing your face with this one! I adapted this recipe from one my sister made that she found on Damn Delicious. I mostly did this to make it more of a pantry meal with less $ required for a good outcome. I added the beans and spinach to up the protein and iron. There’s no chopping required, isn’t that cool? Just a pot, a strainer, and a spoon. You’re welcome :). Mexican Inspired Quinoa Bowls Serves 4 for $10.73, or $2.68 per serving 1 Cup quinoa – $1.67 1 can of roasted tomatoes- $1.67 1 can of black beans- $0.98 1…

Hey guys! Well, most of us are firmly in the holiday season now, and temperatures are really cooling down. Or nosediving, if you live in Edmonton. Something about this time of year makes me run for comfort food, which can at times be tough if you’re sharing a meal with a friend who is vegetarian, but even more so if they’re vegan. This is a meal I made for my friend Kirsten and I, only about 5 months after she became a vegan. Yeah, it took me that long to percolate on how to share one of our favorite things (pasta) together while eliminating the meat, cheese, butter… you know, all of the things that I love! As I talk about this recipe, keep in mind- these are obviously not “meat” balls. The texture is similar to that of a falafel, but the flavor profile is Italian meatball.  Because these…

Hey guys! With my love of bacon, we all know I’m no vegan. With that being said, I’m a total “pantry” cook, eating a lot of canned/tinned tomato products, frozen veggies, and beans to keep costs down and food healthy. Sometimes that results in vegan meals. One day in early June, my friend Kirsten was coming over and I realized the meal I made was completely vegan, so she could eat with me! This Spanish inspired white bean stew used literally no fresh vegetables except garlic and onions- that was it! Everything else came from a tin or the freezer and it was amazing. If you wanted to add meat, I’d recommend poaching chicken thighs in the stew or slices of cured chorizo sausage. White Bean Stew with Saffron Rice Serves 6 for $10.87 or $1.81 per serving For the stew: One white onion – $1.61 2 tins cannellini bean – $1.76…

Well, I made it around a month. Not my best but… there were 3$ pints of strawberries that I just couldn’t deny myself. I also really wanted fresh dairy. So after thirty days of not buying groceries, I bought a few things. This no-buy isn’t firmly over, I’m still trying to work out of the meals and proteins I have frozen and my shelf stable items, but I’m running out of things like eggs and in my house… that just won’t do. March was a pretty easy month to not be buying groceries. I had a hospitality suite at work for three days and lots of invites out to my family’s place. I also did a cooking class that sent me home with three+ days’ worth of food. I think as I go forward my “no buy” will just be modified- if I need eggs or a fresh item,…

Hey guys! Since one of my very best friends is now vegan, I’ve been hanging out with her and doing food prep days periodically and ending up with some vegan freezer meals! Curries are not something I typically make vegan since I like to use jarred curry paste, but believe it or not you can get vegan curry paste in a jar! Who knew?! We used Patak’s Mild Curry Paste. I didn’t grow up in a family that ate a lot of Indian food, not even westernized Indian food (I’m looking at you, most butter chicken). Any, really, except for samosas! Indian food was something I really realized I liked on a food tour in college, as well as through friend’s mum’s cooking it! When I was finishing my BBA, I remember vividly one of my colleague’s mum bringing in chicken biryani and nearly dying of happiness it was so…

Hey! Today I wanted to share a super easy plant-based dish that is vegetarian but can be made fully vegan by omitting the eggs. This is pretty hearty so I’m not sure that even the most dedicated meat eater would want to add meat, though. But you do whatever makes you happy! Lentils with Kale and Mushrooms Serves eight for $9.22 or $1.15 per serving 2 cups of dried lentils -$1.32 1 package of sliced mushrooms – $3.34 Shredded zuchini- $0.78 1 bundle to 2 bundles of kale (or frozen kale) – $1.97 Chili Flakes, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, olive oil *optional add on- 1-2 eggs per serving (as pictured) – $1.81 Cooking your lentils is easy- just follow the instructions on the package! While they cook in a pot, put your mushrooms in a pan with thyme, chili flakes, pepper, garlic (minced) and a small amount of olive oil.…

Hey all! This post is about one of my favorite recipes for the freezer to date- bacon and cheese egg wraps!  Honestly, making up a bunch of these and freezing them for myself is one of the nicest things I’ve done for myself in a long, long time! It’s an awesome way to have a quick and easy breakfast that really satisfies you if you have a long morning of meetings or running errands. If you are a non-pork eater, you can easily substitute a turkey bacon alternative. I have even heard of vegan friends making tofu and veggie scramble and a non-lard tortilla (yes, a lot of traditional tortillas are made with lard but not so much for store bought). The trick to executing this well and not having soggy tortillas is to cook everything and then cool it down to room temperature before assembling your wraps. This is also…

One of the easiest ways to keep your food bill affordable is to shop what’s in season. While it’s pretty easy to crave a fresh, green salad in January, when you’re trying to keep your food costs under control, you have to think about when and how to indulge those cravings if you want to make serious cuts to your food bill. Here in Canada, we are so lucky to live in such an agricultural country. At this time of year you can find all sorts of things that haven’t had to be shipped from another area of the world and don’t have that added cost. I love visiting different farmers markets because what is available is by default what is in season. I can’t always afford to buy anything at the farmer’s market (it was $5.50 for a pound of peas this weekend!), but it is a great fact finding…