Although most people use meat in spaghetti, you will not miss meat in this delicious meatless spaghetti recipe. As Rachael Ray would say, Yum-O!

 Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1-2 green, red and/or yellow peppers, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 (15 oz.) cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
• 1 (28 0z.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 large (16 oz.) box spaghetti (or other pasta) noodles, cooked
• parmesan cheese, as desired

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Saute onion, peppers, parsley and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until everything gets tender.
3. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and spices and stir well.
4. Bring to a boil (still at medium heat) and reduce to simmer. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.
6. Serve sauce over noodles and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, as desired.

What a delicious and cheap vegetarian pasta dinner! Remember, if you use Dreamfields pasta, this is for sure a low-carb meal!

With the economy the way it is these days, people are always looking for ways to save money, including our family. You know, we constantly struggle with ways to pinch a penny at the grocery store. Does it really save money to skimp on produce? Or, are you better off buying a lot of produce and hoping it doesn’t go bad?

It just donned on me the other day that  if my family decides to eat less meat that we will actually save a lot of money. We’ll eat healthier too. I’d say we usually spend $125-150 per week on groceries, for a family of 4. Recently, we went on a full shopping trip and we bought a lot of produce and not a lot of meat. We walked out of the store spending a mere $97.00, saving us upwards of $40-50!

The plan:

There are  7 days in a week.

4 days we can still eat beef, pork, chicken, etc.

1 day  we will eat tofu (it costs under $2.00 for a 1 lb. package at our local store)

1 day we will eat canned tuna, crab or chicken

1 day we will eat pure vegetarian (using beans as our protein)

If you are used to spending $4-5/lb. on chicken, beef and pork, you will be saving up to $20+ per week! Not bad, eh?

*Don’t like canned meat or tofu?  Eat beans instead or step outside the box a little and try some new recipes with tofu and canned products. There are actually a lot of great recipes for canned meats and tofu. It takes a while to get used to new foods sometimes, but you could potentially shave $100 or more off your grocery bill per month!

As summer is drawing closer, be sure to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables (cheaper is better if you’re on a budget) and if you have the time, plant a garden. You can save a ton of money by doing so. If you have extra produce at the end of the growing season, you could always sell some at a local farmers market for some added pocket change.

The bottom line is that you CAN save a nice amount of money on groceries if you have a plan. Buy fresh vegetables and fruits and cut back on the meat!