Easy Add-Ins

One of the easiest ways to use up extra produce is to add it to other dishes to give them some extra flavor. This post is a similar to this one, in that these are just some simple ways to make your meals a little more exciting!

Here's some soup to which I added leftover kale. The soup is from a dry mix, and even though it doesn't look so appetizing, it is actually really good! A mix of beans, lentils, and alphabet pasta reconstituted with veggie broth. The soup has to simmer for close to an hour before it is ready to eat, so I just added the kale in at the beginning. I didn't notice much of a change in flavor, but it gave the soup more texture, which is always a good thing with soup.

And here's some boxed mac n' cheese with some added broccoli that had been blanched. Blanching vegetables is a quick alternative to steaming vegetables, but you end up with a similar end result of soft, less bitter vegetables. While the pot of water is coming to a boil, wash and chop the vegetable into bite-sized pieces (or however big or small you'd like), and then add to the water once it boils. Let it cook for 5 minutes - for broccoli, you can tell it's done when it turns bright green. You can just eat it like this...or add it to other dishes!

These are also some go-to single lady meals. I made both of these on nights when it was just me and Winnie because the husband was working late! It's hard to cook intricate meals when you are just cooking for one!