Vegetarian Cooking Tips

Healthy eating tips and much more

In this section of NJR you'll find some really helpful tips - vegetarian cooking tips, tips about eating healthy, tips about smart shopping and "Green" or "Eco" Living. We think you'll find some of our videos pretty helpful too!

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VeggieVideos

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Cut Your Grocery Bill!

Here are some easy tips to help you save money at the grocery store.

1. Make a Plan

Do a quick inventory of your refrigerator and cupboard or pantry and make a list of all the items you need. An extra couple of minutes will save you money at the store. And be sure to give yourself enough time to shop - one thing you don't want is to be dashing down the food aisle grabbing the first things you see. Want some more tips on meal planning? Visit Your Healthy Eating Helper

2. Eat Before You Shop!

Everything looks appetizing when you’re hungry, even the "stuff" you know you shouldn't buy - that cheesecake in the bake shop, the "family size" potato chip bag...you know!
It’s really best to shop after you’ve eaten. You’ll be more inclined to buy what you need, rather than what looks good to eat at the time.

3. Buy Non-Grocery Items Someplace Else

Try a discount store, like a dollar store, when buying non-grocery products. You can easily purchase items like plastic wrap and tissues for much less than the grocery store retail price.

4. Buy the Store Brands

Store brands typically cost less than the name brand of the same merchandise. It's sort of like the "generic" idea at the pharmacy.

5. Watch out for Marketing Strategies

Try to avoid promotional tactics designed to attract you to a particular product or brand. Being aware of some of the tricks of the trade will ultimately save you money. Also be aware of end-of-the-aisle dump bins and island displays. This is usually where higher priced products are placed.

If you follow these few tips and shop smartly you're sure to save money at the grocery store!

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Look At All Those Lasagna Noodles!

Last night's dinner was a big hit. You made veggie lasagna and even sent the rest home with your dinner guests. They loved it. Of course, when you made the lasagna you cooked the entire package of noodles because that's what the recipe said to do! Those darn recipe people! They didn't tell you that if you only layer them two or three lengthwise, and you only have a shallow baking dish you're going to have some left over! What to do...

Here's a little tip - you can use up those lasagna noodles and not make it seem like you're simply having left-over lasagna.

Hopefully the noodles were only cooked al dente before you put them in the lasagna. Take the left-over al dente lasagna noodles out of the refrigerator and place them in a steamer basket in a saucepan with shallow water.

Put them on the stove over medium-high heat and allow them to steam until tender. Steaming them will prevent them from becoming too soggy and waterlogged, but you have to monitor them so you don't over do it.

In the meantime, dice some green bell pepper and sweet onion. Clean and de-stem some small button mushrooms and chop a clove of garlic.

Saute the onion, pepper, mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil for about 5 to 8 minutes or until just tender.

Heat a small amount (to taste) of chunky marinara in a saucepan. When the steaming, heating and sauteing is all finished, stir the ingredients together in a bowl and serve with warmed Italian bread.

It's enough not like the lasagna you just had last night to quiet the protests of the madding crowd and it uses up the left-overs nicely.

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