Any pasta in the pantry? Put it on to boil and while it’s cooking, saute a few cloves of minced garlic in a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil. This can be eaten as is in a pinch, but is better if you can add a protein and some veggies. Peas taste great with garlic pasta. You can also drain a can of tuna and mix that in as well. It’s not fancy, but it’s very satisfying…

Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

• 1 can black, kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 T water or stock
• 2 T red wine
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed and diced fine
• 3/4 t ground cumin
• ½ t oregano
• ½-1 t chili powder
• ½ t salt
• ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 T blackstrap molasses (or brown sugar)
• 2 T tomato paste
• 3 T fresh cilantro, chopped, optional

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Yield: about 2 ½ cups

Notes:
You can serve these beans as a side with rotisserie chicken, hot dogs (organic and nitrate-free, as always), veggie franks, or in a soft corn tortilla with chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and avocado. You can also use them to whip up super fast “huevos rancheros”: pile them on top of scrambled eggs and top with a dollop of salsa or a sprinkling of grated cheese.

Are there eggs in the fridge? Have breakfast for dinner! Kids love the novelty and it’s very simple and quick to prepare.

• Use a cookie cutter to cut out a shape in a slice of bread, put it in a frying pan, and crack an egg into the middle of it.
• If that seems like too much work, make a breakfast sandwich by piling a fried egg and grated cheese onto a slice of whole grain toast.
• Or try eggs over easy mixed with chopped toast in a coffee mug for “egg in a cup”.
• You can scramble the eggs and serve with ketchup, or just boil them. Dress up the simple meal with whole grain toast with sliced fruit, a swipe of nut butter, honey and cinnamon, or just a dollop of butter.