Girlfriend's Fit Club | HEALTHY MEALS ON A DIME
Girlfriends Fitclub is a women's gym in West Michigan. Located in Holland, MI, we offer a variety of health and fitness facilities to service all women.
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15 Apr HEALTHY MEALS ON A DIME

Posted at 14:11h in Lifestyle by
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GFFC’s resident foodie here again with tips for creating healthy, inexpensive meals.  

 

A well-stocked pantry is your best source for meals on the fly that won’t break the bank. I always keep tomato products, raw and canned beans, broths, spices, and various sauces (always check the label for sugar content!) on hand to make that possible.  Keeping track of these items allows me to shop sales – my kids and husband are trained to put pantry items on the grocery list immediately when they take the last one from the cupboard, and I hung a small white board on the inside of the door to make that easy.

 

With these items at the ready I can build meals around low cost cuts of meat and weekly grocery specials.  Some of my favorites include chuck roast (great in the Instant Pot, but more on that later), boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, sausages, and even shrimp (great prices at Aldi and a stop there always encourages a visit to the gym a few doors down).  A pot of soup (see previous blog), quick stir fry or casserole comes together quickly when combined with my pantry staples and a few basics (I always have onions and celery around).

 

The recipe below was last night’s dinner.  It is my son’s favorite meal and smoked andouille sausage was on sale at Meijer!

 

BLACK BEANS CREOLE

2 lbs. smoked sausage cut into 1″ pieces

3-15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 c. chopped onions

1 1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1 1/2 c. chopped celery

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 t. leaf thyme

1 1/2 t. oregano

1 1/2 t. white pepper

1/4 t. black pepper

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 chicken bouillon cube

5 bay leaves

1-8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 c. water

 

Brown the sausage in a skillet.  Drain and transfer to a crock pot.  Throw everything else in, cover and cook on low for 8 hrs. or high for 4 hrs.  Serve over cooked (brown) rice and enjoy!

Easily serves 4 people.


Until Next Time,
Karen

Karen Neuman is most recently a retired caterer. Over the years she has also worked with Trader Joe’s in employee training and recipe development, and wrote restaurant reviews and feature articles for various publications while living in Pittsburgh.  She is a wife and mother, travels extensively, and has been a GFFC member for 5 years.