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What is scrappy cooking?

"Scrappy Cooking is the concept of transforming the world’s most commonly wasted foods into delicious recipes — and starting is as easy as chopping up a broccoli stem into a stir-fry," she tells me over email. "Seriously, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Look at the plants you have that you bring into your home every week, and see if there are ways to repurpose them."

With the help of Carleigh's Instagram page, I turned some broccoli stems into French fries and used up the last of my peanut butter for a noodle salad sauce. If you want to turn your groceries into a one-of-a-kind meal but aren't sure where to start, Carleigh recommends looking at every single aspect of the plant.

"Whenever I bring a plant into my home, I think about what part of the plant is discarded, and then I research whether or not it’s safe to consume (this part is important)!" she says. "Once I identify it’s edible, that’s where the fun begins. A great example of this is something like celery, which I buy often. I was discarding the celery leaves for years, only to find out they taste almost exactly like parsley and make a great base for a tabouleh style salad."

Is PlantYou vegan?

Yes, a lot of PlantYou's recipes are vegan, and they're all plant-based! Some of Carleigh's favorite recipes include mocha chocolate granola with spent coffee grounds, "chips" made out of beet greens, and pickle juice as a marinade (which is something I learned Chick-Fil-A does!). These recipes might sound intimidating or time-consuming, but that's exactly why Carleigh's PlantYou social media exists.

I can speak from experience that the videos are easy to both understand and put into practice. (Plus, the recipes are super versatile, because "when you’re cooking with just plants, if you screw something up, you can almost always fix it!"). But there are a few steps that always make these scrappy processes easier.

"The low hanging fruit to reducing food waste in your kitchen actually starts before you grocery shop," Carleigh says. "I always recommend people sit down for an hour one day a week, and make a really basic meal plan, outlining what they plan to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then, before they head to the store, shop their fridge and pantry to avoid duplicate buying. Now it’s time to compile a shopping list, and only buy what you have a plan for! Done right, this will take care of 80 percent of your food waste."

What can I buy to save money on food?

In addition to meal prepping (check out our favorite apps to reduce food waste, too!), the PlantYou chef + author recommends having a few recipes that use up a bunch of ingredients in one go. "It’s really important to lean on staple recipes that allow you to 'clean out the fridge,' which is really what my new Scrappy cookbook is about," Carleigh Bodrug says. "I wanted to arm people with great base recipes (like stews, curries and stir fries), where they can interchange the vegetables and produce items they have on hand every week to reduce waste and save money."

"By using up leftovers, repurposing ingredients, and being more mindful about the food you’re bringing into your home, you'll notice a decrease in your grocery bill," she continues. "The average American family of four wastes over $1700 worth of groceries per year — which is like a phone bill every month! Not only does being Scrappy benefit your wallet, but it also feels great knowing you're making healthier choices and contributing to a more sustainable planet."

Okay, so you know what you want to eat, and you've budgeted for groceries, what now? "I look for ingredients that are versatile and can be used in multiple recipes to minimize waste," Carleigh says. "Quality, longevity, and sustainability are key factors in my purchasing decisions."

What is the proper way to store food?

After you've whipped up recipes like the Fiesta Fries below, it's important to store them properly to ensure they're fresh for as long as possible. "Use quality food storage and meal prep containers, and keep fruits and vegetables separate to prevent them from spoiling," Carleigh tells me. "Different types of food will require different conditions for optimum long-term storage. This applies to fresh produce, as well as dry and canned foods."

We all have days we don't want to cook (PlantYou's Carleigh Bodrug included), which is the perfect opportunity to support a local business. "On days when I don't feel like cooking, I usually rely on quick and easy options like smoothie bombs from my freezer, which are in my new cookbook," she says. "I also often have homemade soup ready to go that I’ve made in advance or have frozen in the freezer. Sometimes, my husband and I opt for ordering in from local restaurants in our small town in Ontario, especially on Friday nights after a long work week. It's a convenient way to support our favorite vegan small businesses while enjoying a hassle-free meal."

PlantYou's Fiesta Fries — Delicious Loaded Fries You Can Make Today!

Ingredients:

• 6 medium-size Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced to desired size, around 1/2 to 3/4 inch recommended
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups Vegan Ground Beef or your favorite vegan ground beef substitute
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, pinto beans, or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 yellow or red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water or extra-virgin olive oil

Suggested Toppings:

• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced Handful of fresh cilantro (optional)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup Sunflower Cream Sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F, and line a baking sheet with a reusable baking mat or parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, combine the sliced potatoes with the garlic powder and salt and toss until coated.
3. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and roast for 35 minutes, or until crispy, flipping halfway through.
4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine the ground “beef” with the black beans, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and the water. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion starts to turn translucent.
5. Assemble on a serving platter with the fries on the bottom, topped with the ground beef mixture and your desired toppings.

Excerpted from PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking: 140+ Plant-Based Zero-Waste Recipes That Are Good for You, Your Wallet, and the Planet by Carleigh Bodrug. Copyright © 2024. Available from Hachette Go, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

What is a money date?

A money date can take on many forms, but it should always align with where you are in life. If you're single — or choose to keep money separate in your relationship — then a money date can be carving out time for yourself to create a comfortable space and review your priorities, values, and overall financial goals and hopefully actually set a plan in motion to achieve those. If you're in a relationship with combined finances, a money date can also be a way for you and your significant other to come together to talk about money and what matters most to each of you in a way that makes you comfortable and makes finances more approachable. TBH, even a group of friends can also get together with the purpose of focusing on money and topics that can help each of you gain better insights and strategies into reducing financial stress and building financial wellness and wealth.

How do you plan a money date?

A good starting point is to simply just...begin. One step leads into the next and before you know it, you've built life-long healthy money habits. But what does "beginning" actually look like? If you have a S.O., it's important to quickly chat with each other and establish the importance of money dates. Let them know that you want to work together to build healthy conversations around your goals and values with an emphasis on money and how that plays into your financial success. If you want to create a group of friends to have more structured conversations together, then think of 5-7 people that you think would be interested in the topic, add value to the conversation, and benefit from the discussion. And yes, even if you decide you want to focus on your money individually, you still need to structure it just like you structure time for your workouts!

No matter who you have your money date with, my best advice is to keep it consistent and have some guidelines. Being consistent means that you plan accordingly and you do the work if you want to enjoy the benefits. Set a time for individual or couple conversations — once a week for an hour is reasonable. For a group, once a month is more realistic. It will be more productive if you have the conversation in a place where you don't get distracted and where you have privacy as money can be a sensitive topic. Over a cup of coffee on the deck or a glass of wine on the couch, whatever works best for you.

What should you talk about on a money date?

There are a number of topics you should cover during a money date, which is why I suggest scheduling yours for one hour a week, same day, same time, and same place. You're establishing a habit and this is the best way for you to be consistent and reach your goal of financial health and wellness. The topics will be broad and then there should be opportunities for you to dig further down. My favorite break the ice question to get things started? Ask someone what's important to them about money.

Starting with this question will bring down some barriers and take the focus off how much money you have (quantitative) to what is important to you (qualitative). There will be plenty of time to go over numbers, but the first money date should be focused on dreams, goals, and values.

It's also critical to avoid money shaming during your conversation. Think about your relationship with money. How did you grow up learning about money? Did your parents fight about it? Was it a taboo subject that nobody spoke about? Or was there a scarcity of money? Think about it — these memories we have about money and our first introduction to money can have a negative affect on us that we don't even realize until we start to ask these questions. By starting conversations with qualitative questions first, you will quickly find out what your differences are and what the pain points are and help you identify the areas that you will need to discuss and work through more carefully.

After that, the first step in any of the following topics is to gather the information. Bring all the details with you to the date. There will be time to dig in deeper, have discussions around it, and make a decision or two — although don't worry about solving it all in one date. The point here is to make process based on the information you have at hand. The areas that you should address include the following:

• Cash Flow: What's coming in (salary, income) and what's going out (expenses). There's no way around it — your expenses must be less than your income to be financially successful. Budgeting is usually the first place to start, but can also be the most difficult. It's okay to skip this one for now and come back to it if needed. Think of this as taking charge of your money one step at a time!
• Debt: Credit cards, car loans, mortgages, student loans... no matter what type you have, debt can be challenging and ultimately set you back years financially if you don't address it the right way. There's definitely a difference between good debt and bad debt, and knowing which one is which is important to help you understand the best way to tackle this.
• Retirement: It can be hard to think about retirement when you're in your earning or accumulation years. The key is to set up an automatic process where the money goes into your retirement accounts before it ever hits your bank account. You won't miss it if you don't see it.
• Insurance/Protection: There are many reasons to transfer risk away from you onto an insurance company. Start with the basics — life, auto, home, and consider your company's benefits here as well.
• Investing: The time value of money and compound interest are your best friends. Automating monthly deposits into your investment account is a great way to build wealth over time.
• Estate Planning: Nobody likes to think of this one, but it's important to address. Retirement accounts and insurance falls outside of the will so be sure to update your beneficiaries annually(who you want to get your money if something were to happen to you). You will need at least the three basic documents as well - will, (who gets your money, assets and personal items) power of attorney (who can make financial decisions for you if you are unable to do so) and health care proxy (who can make medical decisions on your behalf)
• Education: If you have kids and want to plan for the growing costs of college, 529s custodial accounts and other investments are available to help do so.
• Philanthropy: Are you charitably inclined? Do you have causes that are important to you? Did you know that there are other ways to donate other than writing a check? You can also donate stock (Most who donate stock will donate appreciated stock, or stock that has gone up in value).

What happens after your money date?

Having an easy way to approach your money and having a system to manage your money will help you reduce stress around money and build confidence to move forward successfully. With the above plan, you can address both the quantitative side of your life as well as your qualitative side of your life to build wealth well. It's critical to explore the emotional side of money and what it means to you so you can better understand the best way for you to approach the dollars and sense of it.

If you're single and are thinking about when to start a money date — the best time to start is now. You're not too young and you're not too old. If you start today, you're one step closer to reaching financial peace of mind. Step one is set up time for your first date.

If you're in a relationship, the best time to start a money date is when you're beginning to discuss building a future together. When you have an SO, it takes the complications of money one step further as you each have a history with money that you bring to the table and to the relationship. Unchecked, it can cause challenges when it may be too late. Building habits early on and normalizing conversations about money will help you to implement the steps and actions that are needed to realize your goals together.

Having money dates on a regular basis will keep you consistent, disciplined, and focused financially. The benefits to a money date (and a lifelong process of money dates) is financial confidence — knowing where you stand, having the choice to do what you want with your time and money, and building a healthier, wealthier you. Money touches every aspect of your life, but money dates help you feel less stress, more in control, communicate better, and make better decisions in all of those aspects. By addressing this now, you're navigating complicated but important differences that you will want to work through together and start setting up healthy money habits now for your future.

Baleaf Women's Pleated Tennis Skirt

This skirt's all about business in the front, party in the back. While the front side is sleek and smooth, the back flaunts lots of fine pleats, which is signature tennis skirt style. This piece is fitted with a wide elastic waistband that snatches your figure and supports your look. It has built-in shorts that have two side pockets, plus there's a third zippered one on the back for securing small items. A massive slay, TBH.

The Baleaf Women's Pleated Tennis Skirt comes in 8 other colors and sizes XS-XXL for $30 on Amazon.

Alala Rally Skort

This skirt with built-in pocketed shorts has a paneled skirt that's half solid material, and half mesh for added breathability. It's an easy one-and-done since all you have to do is slip it on! Not to mention, this serene mint green color is stunning.

The Alala Rally Skort comes in 2 other colors and sizes XS-L for $115 at Nordstrom.

CRZ Yoga Women's High Waisted Pleated Tennis Skirt

This stretchy tennis skirt is made of ultra-soft, quick-dry fabric – super practical if you're *actually* playing tennis, but also if you're not! This would make the perfect tennis skirt for summertime since it's made to be breathable. The built-in shorts have pockets for a phone and a tennis ball, too. The pleats surround the entire skirt for added style.

The CRZ Yoga Women's High Waisted Pleated Tennis Skirt comes in 18 other colors and sizes XXS-XL for $38 on Amazon.

Never Better Volley Skort

This electric blue skirt allows you to do it all. The built-in spandex shorts provide comfy coverage while the elastic waistband keeps it on your bod through every movement. The contrasting white stripes that run down each side add even more sporty flair, on and off the court.

The Never Better Volley Skort also comes in white and sizes XS-XL for $68 at Free People.

Soothfeel Pleated Tennis Skirt

The built-in shorts on this super-smooth tennis skirt are made from a mesh material, so the sweaty effects warm weather are no match! The high waistband is fitted with an adjustable drawstring so you can wear it as tight or as loose as you please.

The Soothfeel Pleated Tennis Skirt comes in 23 other colors and sizes XXS-XLL for $34 on Amazon.

Old Navy Extra High-Waisted PowerSoft Skort

This cherry red color is everything for summertime! This tennis skirt is made from Old Navy's PowerSoft fabric, which is stretchy and smooth with light compression. The extra-high waist sits above the belly button to pull your figure in and flatter you further!

The Old Navy Extra High-Waisted PowerSoft Skort also comes in green and sizes XS-4X for $35.

Gold Hinge Off-Black Wide Pleat Tennis Skirt

If you're looking for a different kind of tenniscore look, the wide pleats on this skirt provide a fresh take on the trend. Built-in shorts with side pockets mean your look can be practical, too!

The Off-Black Wide Pleat Tennis Skirt comes in sizes XS-XXL for $54.

Wild Fable Mini ButterBliss Skort

We're *so* obsessed with the slit on this spandex-y tennis skort. It makes the style feel less sporty, and more casual for everyday wear. It lets the built-in shorts underneath peek through for a cheeky vibe! Simply pair it with a cropped graphic tee and your go-to sneakers for a no-fail summer 'fit.

The Wild Fable Mini ButterBliss Skort also comes in white and black and sizes XXS-4X for $18 at Target.

Strawberry Western Pleated Skort

This doodle-drenched tennis skirt is super cute when you wanna make a statement. There are two tiny bows along the waistband that amp up the femme vibes even more, plus the attached shorts underneath boast a contrasting pink star pattern that'll turns heads your way wherever you go.

The Strawberry Western Pleated Skort is currently shoppable in sizes M and L for $84.

GapFit Pleated Exercise Skort

This sweet skort is totally worthy of your capsule wardrobe for summer. It's fitted throughout, but flares down into a flawless pleated pattern. It follows an a-line silhouette that's the most fitted at the waist, accentuating and flattering your figure.

The GapFit Pleated Exercise Skort also comes in black and white in regular sizes XXS-XXL, tall sizes S-XXL, and petite sizes XS-L for $60.

Athleta Ace High Rise Tennis Skort

This basic tennis skirt comes in a plethora of colors and works well for any style situation you may find yourself in. This blue color is wonderful for making a statement, but you could also style the black version as easily for date night! This piece has a whole 3 pockets for storing small items, too.

The Athleta Ace High Rise Tennis Skort comes in 8 colors total and sizes XXS-3X and is currently on sale for $48 (was $69).

Girlfriend Collective FLOAT Ultralight Skort

Lightweight and high-rise, this skort from Girlfriend Collective feels like a dream. The a-line skirt is meant to flow in the breeze, while the waistline hugs you snugly. This soothing green color is lush enough for summertime, but you can also shop it in blue, red, and black – whatever suits your personal style

The FLOAT Ultralight Skort comes in sizes XXS-6XL for $62.

Lululemon Varsity High-Rise Pleated Tennis Skirt

Tennis Barbie would be proud of this one. The super-fine pleats and hot pink color are super feminine and fun for the summer! The fabric it's made of has a nice four-way stretch and sweat-wicking capabilities.

The Lululemon Varsity High-Rise Pleated Tennis Skirt also comes in 6 other colors and sizes 0-14 for $88.