Red Beans & Rice

My husband loves spicy foods.  And I love trying new recipes.  A while ago I experimented with finding the right mix of heat and seasonings and perfected my own version of red beans and rice.  It would take me all day.  I'd wash, peel and chop a ton of veggies.  I'd soak beans overnight.  I'd slow cook it all in a crockpot.  And. It. Was. Awesome!

So I decided to Thrive-a-lize my favorite beans and rice recipe!  And it turned out beautifully.  It also makes an awesome jar meal to have on hand.  All you do is toss the ingredients into a pan, add water and let it simmer!  You have a hearty meal in 20 minutes that only costs $0.80 a serving! 

Red Beans & Rice

Serves 8

$0.80/serving

Ingredients:

1 cup Thrive instant red beans

1 cup Thrive white rice

3 Tablespoons Thrive cheese blend

2 Tablespoons Thrive tomato powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 tsp cajun seasoning (more if you like it really spicy)

1/4 cup Thrive chopped onions (FD)

1/4 cup Thrive celery

1/2 cup Thrive red bell peppers

Directions:

Add ingredients to a large pan.  Top with 5-6 cups water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes, covered.  Stir occasionally.  Remove lid and continue to simmer another 5-10 minutes or until it reaches desired consistency.  Enjoy!

You can add sausage crumbles to this recipe which would be delicious!  Or add in some smoked sausage.  Top with sour cream or hot sauce or whatever you like!  You can add/remove veggies depending on your preference!

Interested in trying Thrive for yourself? Contact me here.

Apple Strudel

Most of the recipes in this blog come from my own kitchen and are the meals I cook for my family.  Today, I'm going to share this recipe by Thrive Life's Executive Chef...Chef Todd Leonard! 

This handy recipe uses one of the items on January's sales specials next month...Granny Smith Apples!  They are sooo good!  Look for discounted prices on these apples starting January 1st!

Find Granny Smith Apples HERE.

Speaking of Chef Todd...he has put together 2 awesome Thrive Life collections...the Smart Start Collections.  These come with foods hand picked by Chef Todd himself.  For 3 months, you will receive a great variety of Thrive foods at prices lower than purchasing the same items individually!  These collections come with a great guide book which walks you through how to use each food with no guessing.  It also comes with helpful tips and recipes so you can start cooking with Thrive right away.  You automatically get Q Club membership (an $80 fee) for free for life when you purchase one of these 3 month kits.  With the Q club, you get monthly Q pons and points for every dollar you spend to earn FREE food!  You can't go wrong with Smart Start!

Read about the Smart Start collections here:

A Taste of Thrive 

Chef's Selections 

Have questions?  Contact Me.

How To Save Money Every Month On Your Grocery Bill

How To Save Money Every Month On Your Grocery Bill

Did you know that the average family throws away around 1/4 of their food every month?  Often because it goes bad before they have a change to eat it.  Over the course of a year that is $2,000 that is going straight into the trash!

Thrive foods are the perfect solution.  Did you know that Thrive foods have a shelf life of 25-30 years unopened and 1 year opened?  I see the most savings in my own grocery budget when it comes to fruits like berries.  We love blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.  It is nearly impossible to buy a carton of berries at the store without having at least one that is already moldy when you buy it.  And within just a few days they all start to mold!  Did you know that Thrive berries don't ever mold?!  Can you believe that?!  And they taste like candy!  I love having several months worth of berries on hand in my pantry to use any time I need them without having to run to the store to buy moldy berries.

Thrive also saves me money because I am building up my home store.  I put away extra food every time I get my Q shipment.  This allows me to always have foods on hand that I need.  I'm not running to the grocery store for one item and coming out with a cart full of things I don't actually need.  Did you know that grocery stores are designed to make you buy on impulse?

The convenience of Thrive foods also save me money.  Thrive truly is a healthy fast food.  Since all the prep work is done for me, I can have healthy, delicious meals ready in minutes.  No thawing and browning meat.  No peeling and chopping veggies.  No boiling potatoes.  On a busy day, I know that I can have a meal on the table in 10-20 minutes.  No more going through the drive-thru at the last minute for greasy, expensive meals.  Did you know that Thrive meals cost less per serving than the fast food window?  Thrive Express Meals are a great example of this!  

My family actually eats a lot more servings of fruits and vegetables every day now than we did before we started Thriving.  Thrive makes it easy to invest in your health!

In addition to all the great ways to save listed above, Thrive offers excellent benefits to customers and consultants!  Did you know that you can get monthly coupons and heavily discounted items with the Q Club?  And you also earn points for every dollar you spend for FREE food!  You can also earn FREE and half off food by hosting a cooking demo (both in person and virtually)!  

I signed up to be a Thrive Life consultant because the benefits are outstanding.  If you are a regular Q customer, it just makes sense to do this.  You earn a commission on all your own orders!  And extra income on top of that!  What could you do with an extra $300 a month?  Or MORE?

Thrive has made a huge difference in the way I shop, cook and feed my family.  It has also allowed me to continue prioritizing my family while still contributing financially.  I am so thankful someone told me about Thrive!  

Interested in more information?  Contact me HERE.

Want to try Thrive Express Meals?  SHOP HERE.

Want to learn more about the Q?  Groceries to your door every month!  CLICK HERE.

Want to learn more about earning FREE and half off food?  Read about it here.

Want to learn more about the benefits of consulting?  Read about it here.

Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup

Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves 6 

Cost per serving: $1.50

Ingredients:

2 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

2 1/2 cups Thrive potato chunks

1 cup Thrive broccoli, broken into smaller pieces

1/4 cup Thrive chopped onions (freeze dried) 

1/4 cup Thrive cheese blend 

1/2 cup Thrive Bechamel 

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown bacon in a large pan.  Set bacon aside to cool.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in pan.  Carefully pour in chicken stock and water and bring to a rolling boil.  Turn down heat and add potato chunks.  Simmer for 10 minutes, covered.  Add in broccoli, celery and onion.  Simmer another 10 minutes, covered and stir occasionally.  Add in cheese blend and Bechamel.  Mix thoroughly and simmer for a few minutes until soup thickens.  Blend with immersion blender for smoother soup. Top with crumbled bacon, sour cream, cheese, and chives.  Enjoy!

Interested in trying Thrive?  Contact me by visiting my website.

Find ingredients for this recipe HERE.

Thrive Life Product Size Comparison and Serving Sizes

 Thrive Life Product Size Comparison and Serving Sizes

This comparison might be helpful if you are just getting started with Thrive Life. Here are the typical ranges of serving sizes per container:

Pantry cans- around 7-15 servings

#10 cans- around 25-45 servings or more

Thrive sauces: 30-80 servings per pantry can

Full-size snackies- 3 servings

Snackies singles- 1 serving

Express meals- 4 servings per pouch

To view the product label for the food items when shopping online:

Click on the individual food item. Then click on the green "product label" found underneath the picture of the food item. This will show you the entire label which includes serving sizes, ingredients, instructions for reconstituting the food, usage suggestions and shelf life. You can also see the GF symbol which indicates the food is Gluten Free. I found this very helpful when I first started shopping for Thrive Life foods.

 Interested in trying Thrive Life foods?  Click HERE.

Have questions or need help?  Contact me here.

Great Foods for a Gluten Free Diet

The struggle is real.  With so many health issues tied to gluten sensitivity and intolerance, what can we do?

How scary that so much of the food for sale in stores have hidden ingredients that make it a challenge to avoid gluten and other harmful ingredients.

Stop reading the back of boxes and start Thriving!  Thrive Life offers over 100 food items that are certified gluten free!  These products are packaged under gluten free conditions with exclusive machinery and are also tested after packaging!  With Thrive Life, you can rest assured that the foods you eat are nourishing your body!

These foods are also delivered straight to your doorstep!

To see a list of gluten free foods, click  HERE.

How to Sneak Veggies into Your Meals

How to Sneak Veggies into Your Meals 

Thrive vegetables can be powdered in the food processor and added to soups, stews, sauces and smoothies.  Your kids and picky eaters won't know they're eating vegetables!

See the demo video here:

Kid-Friendly Spaghetti Sauce
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 cup Thrive sausage crumbles

2/3 cup Thrive tomato powder

1/4 cup Thrive celery (powdered in food processor)

1/4 cup Thrive mixed bell peppers (powdered in food processor)

1/2 cup Thrive tomato dices (powdered in food processor)

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp baking soda (to counter acidity, if necessary)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp marjoram

Directions:

Add all ingredients to clean, dry mason jar and top with 300 cc oxygen absorber to make a jar meal.  Or, add ingredients to 5-6 cups boiling water.  Simmer 10-15 minutes, covered.  Add more or less water to reach desired consistency.  Serve over spaghetti and enjoy!

Interested in trying Thrive?  Contact me by visiting my website.

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