Are you bored with your food because you don’t have time to cook fancy meals? Dress up a plain old sandwich or soup with side dishes. These don’t have to be time-consuming or work-intensive, and they can add lots of excitement to an otherwise ho-hum-cooked meal.

Keep some of these in your pantry and fridge, and put small dishes of one or two items on the table when you serve lunch, dinner, or supper. Do this often, and see how much more interesting your meals become!

• Olives, green and/or black (from a jar or a can)
• Celery sticks (pre-cut or homemade)
• Baby carrots (from a package)
• Shredded salad greens (from a package)
• Sweet corn (lightly-steamed, or canned)
• Dill pickles
• Sweet pickles (sugar-free)
• Sweet pepper rings (from a jar)
• Hot peppers (from a jar)
• Hot sauce (one or more varieties)
• Pepper paste, hot or sweet (Mediterranean)
• Chutney (low-sugar, if possible)
• Freeze-dried* veggies (un-rehydrated — crunchier that way!)
• Freeze-dried fruit, sugar-free (berries, banana slices, etc)
• Mung bean sprouts (rinsed)
• Pickled veggies (from a jar)
• Green beans, drained (canned — whole, sliced, or cut)
• Canned beans, drained (chilled, heated, or room temperature)
• Mixed vegs (lightly-steamed, or canned)
• Five or six veggie chips
• Chopped nuts (small portion)
• Pine nuts (small portion)
• Shredded low-fat cheese (small portion)
• Sauerkraut (from a jar or a can)

You may also want to keep shakers of any or all of the following on the table or nearby, to be used as desired:

• Sea salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne or hot paprika
• Granulated sugar substitute
• Cinnamon
• Red pepper flakes
• Garlic granules or powder
• Onion granules or powder

And keep these condiments in the fridge:

• Ketchup (sugar-free, if possible)
• Mustard (regular, dijon, spicy)
• Mayo (organic, if possible)
• Taco sauce (mild, and/or hot)
• Hot sauce (Tobasco-type)
• Chutney
• Pepper paste (sweet or hot)
• Agave nectar or honey
• Soy sauce (low-sodium)
• Miso paste (low-sodium)

*Don’t confuse freeze-dried veggies with regular dried veggies or frozen veggies! They’re not the same thing. Freeze-dried veggies are light and puffy. Many have a crunchy texture. They can be stored at room temperature, and often come in cans. Normal dried veggies have a hard consistency, and are not always good to eat straight from the can. And frozen veggies are, well, FROZEN! :)