Don't Like It? Don't Toss It, Reinvent It!! I Did.

Anyone who has grocery shopped has done it. What is it? Bought something that sounded so good in the grocery aisle, brought it home and realized it was not at all what you imagined. I plead guilty and might I add, more than once. In the days my kids were little, and I was so busy I also admit I would toss said item in the trash. These days I am not so busy and have the time to rethink that option. With grocery prices rising every day, no one can afford to waste a thing. Also, right now, we are not getting out as much, trying to also save on gas money and just pay our bills. Now is the perfect time to take the time to be a little more conscious and inventive of where we are wasting in our kitchens and using up everything we possibly can. My tip here is your food processor is your best friend in reinventing, whir it up, toss it into something and you are good to go!

On my last shopping trip, I, on a whim purchased an expensive bag of fresh pasta raviolis (yes, pasta is one thing I have a hard time saying no to). Even better, they had a spinach and ricotta filling. Of course, I immediately thought well at least they are somewhat healthy. Sound familiar so far? Well, to make a long story short the filling to me was disgusting. Because of the price I refused to toss them and wondered what I could do to save the day. My go to ideas for salvaging something is soups, stir fries, burgers if it is tough meat, a spicy chili, or freezer for future use. Today, I went with a bone broth soup. It was quick, simple, healthy and used items I had on hand, and the filling removed raviolis. (See note)

The sign of a great cook/chef is one who can make something out of anything, or so I have been told. It's a great feeling when that happens.

The next time you purchase something you end up not caring for reinvent it into something you do and enjoy the benefits knowing that you are a great cook too!!

My simple soup: amounts of choice

Homemade bone broth from freezer (don't forget to save those bones in your freezer and make your own broths when you get enough)

Broccoli from freezer

Spices of choice

Canned Pinto beans drained and rinsed well

Precooked raviolis, filling removed and cut up

Note: Feel free to use any ravioli and the filling if you prefer for another delicious soup idea

Happy cooking!!