One day last week, our office had a free lunch delivered by a drug rep. The menu was Tijuana Flats, a chain Mexican restaurant started by some local college kids that has done incredibly well with its fast food and HOT sauces with funky names. I was very impressed with the amount of food delivered because we are a large office and generally the amount set aside to allegedly serve 50-60 people only feeds 40 or less. So in case you were looking for a casual catering recommendation, this is my vote. Naturally, the salsa isn't special, but it's fresh. The same goes for the guacamole.

My cupboard, fridge, and freezer looked really full; so, for a few weeks I did limited to no grocery shopping. Toward the end of the cleaning-out-the-cabinets process, I was left with the ingredients to try a recipe from the Vegetarian 5-ingredient Gourmet. I thought I could get away with using the frozen corn in my freezer and the canned Hunt's tomatoes in the cabinet that I was stuck with after our educational experience with the pasta taste test. The concept was really good, but Paul's comment solved any question as to whether or not the soup was good.

When so many fresh ingredients are at your fingertips (especially during the winter time) it makes so much since to create a fantastic sandwich that mixes them all together. I enjoyed this so much because it was a fast creation and the flavors were fantastic.

This was a mid-to-late afternoon snack to cover lunch and my dinner on this Sunday because I knew I needed a wise meal before singing at Disney with the choir and new I wouldn't be fed well the rest of the night.

This salsa went over so well at the group dinner, that I decided to take the same recipe and make it again in the form of enchiladas. Paul was confused because I used flour tortillas--which made it look more like burritos--instead of corn tortillas. However, it was quite the success because a few people came up specifically to shake my hands when it was done. As was common on those nights, there was a line for the food when I arrived, which gave me no time to take pictures. The above picture was a plate of leftovers we made for someone who was late. On the night of the enchiladas and Spanish rice, there wasn't a bite of anything left except the chips and salsa.

I specifically made this pizza to highlight the simpleness of using a soybean-based meat substitute in a meal. The prices for this meal are estimates because the price of the vegetarian food varies so greatly among stores. Certainly, a local speacialty health food store has the potential of being cheaper than a major supermarket.

In a floundering market consumers are looking for good food that is as cheap and nutritious as possible. I hope this post will be the first in a continuous series that focuses on time-saving dishes that don't break the bank while they impact your menu.