Homemade Vegetable Broth

It's good for your health, it's good for your wallet, it's good for the environment and it's WAY EASIER than you think! 
Stop throwing away your vegetable scraps!! Carrot peals, the middle stalks and leaves of celery, the ends of onions, mushroom stalks, herb stems, etc etc. . .

As soon as you have vegetable scraps simply place them in a large resealable, plastic bag and place in the freezer.  As you have more scraps, add them to the bag.  Once the bag is full and you are ready for broth, place the frozen vegetables in a pot on the stove.  Cover the veggies with water and bring to a boil.  Decrease temperature to simmer and cover halfway.  Simmer for about 30 minutes or so.  Strain the broth and voila! You made your own broth. 

Of course it will taste slightly different each time.  You can add spices, salt and pepper to your taste.

Greek Yogurt

One meaningful modification I have made in my families diet is with non-fat Greek Yogurt.   Our preference is Fage and at 23g of protein per 1 cup serving this is a substitute really worth considering. One of the biggest modifications is replacing sour cream.  Sour cream has about 3g of protein per cup and saturated fat, unless you choose the nonfat version however, then you are consuming modified corn starch and thickeners.  I never noticed the change however if you do it will only take a few times to adapt to the taste.

Some ways we use this staple:

- mix with previously frozen, warmed berries and serve on oatmeal, pancakes or french toast in the morning.

- mix with honey and whip as a substitute for cream cheese frosting.  I promise this is DELICIOUS!

- dollop on top of black bean soup or any hearty soup or salad

- added to a smoothie for extra protein and calcium and creaminess

- cream sauce for fish tacos

- mixed with berries for popsicles

- mixed with granola for a hearty snack

BEANS!!

Beans Beans they're good for your heart! In our non-meat-eating diet, beans play an important role.   Beans are high in protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals and good fats! Whoa!  AND they are CHEAP!
Canned beans contain high levels of sodium and recently there have been many articles floating around regarding the BPA lining of canned products.   In an effort to have a more wholesome diet, I have started cooking my own beans.  They are cheaper, healthier and they have much better flavor than canned!

In the bulk section of your grocery store there is a variety of dried beans.   Pick a few that you would use often.  I use Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans), Black Beans, and Navy Beans most often.   Give it a try!

EASY STEPS

Place beans in a large stock pot, cover them with water, at least 3 inches over the beans, and place the pot in the refrigerator overnight.  I usually leave them for about 24 hours but you can do as little as 8 hours.  Before cooking, drain the beans and add the same amount of fresh water.  SECRET: This process of changing the water is said to decrease the bean effect on flatulence!  Place pot on stove top over medium heat and vigorously simmer until the beans are the desired doneness, about 30-40 minutes depending on bean type.
Drain water and cool.  Then place in mason jars or plastic freezer bags in 2 cup portions and freeze.  EASY!