a few of my favorite “convenience items”

Sometimes a jar of pure ingredients is so valuable!  I have enjoyed the experience of cooking everything from scratch, and being able to control all of my ingredients, but sometimes having one less thing to make is better than dark chocolate.

I have made homemade marinara sauce many times, but I’m never completely satisfied with its consistency.  However, I LOVE this:

I found it at Costco.  It comes in a two-pack for $7.99.  It is thick and delicious.  And best of all, it contains no sugar, no preservatives, and no gluten!  Looking back at the ingredients of the pasta sauces I used to use, it’s shocking that most of them contain TONS of sugar and preservatives – even gluten!  Check out the ingredients on this jar.

 

 

I have also made homemade salsa many times. This is something I will continue to do because I love to change up the ingredients and get different varieties of spice and flavor.  But sometimes, if you’re short on time or energy, it is great to have a fresh jar to open.  Here is a great version of salsa verde:

I heard about this salsa on the Everyday Paleo Podcast, and it is just as delicious as I’d hoped.  It has a tangy flavor, and it is great on chicken and peppers.  Sadly, we do not have a Trader Joe’s within 1.5 hours of our house, but we got to stop at their Williamsburg, VA, location recently.  It was really fun, and we’re glad we stocked up on Salsa Verde.

Check out the fresh ingredients:

 

As I find more healthy, easy, delicious Paleo food options, I’ll continue to share them here.

Enjoy!