Anyone, who has spent any time with me, either here in The Daily Fix, on our daily TV/radio show, via our YouTube channel or at one of our live events, has definitely heard me talk about food. Whether it’s my 5-pound-a-piece lasagna, my world-famous cheesecake (which raised $114K to build an orphanage in Belize… thanks to our amazing clients) or even how I feed my family gourmet meals on less than $100 a week, I’m always ready to talk food!

Normally on Thursdays, we talk about money in The Daily Fix. How to save money, make money, invest money. And today’s message will help you save money. It’s about helping you to get the most out of your money – in a more indirect way…

You see, I’ve been all over the world and noticed some common places people waste money, no matter where they live or their background or nationality. The most common place? In the kitchen!

Years ago, my husband’s grandfather, Grandpa Johnson, was in my kitchen. I had an old onion, soft and way past its prime, so I tossed it in the trash. Grandpa Johnson walked over, took it right out of the garbage, brought it over to me and said, “Don’t throw this away! It’s a useable onion!” He cut off the bad part and handed it back to me.

What a powerful lesson I learned that day! I paid our hard-earned money for that onion, yet I was so quick to throw it away. I was willingly throwing cash in the trash!

You may be thinking, “Come on Dani, it’s just an onion!” But it’s not! It’s all of the onions, the apples, the bananas, the celery, the bread, the leftovers from last Tuesday’s dinner. Any time you throw food away, that’s cash in the trash! And believe me, it adds up fast!

We always keep a bowl of apples on the counter for breakfast and snacks at our house. One day, I noticed 4 apples in the bowl that were looking pretty pathetic. They were soft and wrinkled – much like that onion Grandpa Johnson saved. Most people would have thrown these apples away. They wouldn’t dream of eating them!

However – as you probably guessed – I was NOT going to let them to to waste! Not when I could turn them into something beautiful and delicious!

I’m actually going to share with you exactly what I did! This recipe is a family favorite, especially when we have a few wrinkled apples left the rest of my family doesn’t want to eat.

Classic Apple Crisp

Filling:

• 5 cups thinly-sliced, peeled apples
• 2-4 tbsp. white sugar

Topping:

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 6 tbsp. butter

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place fruit in an 8-inch round baking dish. Stir in white sugar.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the apples.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm.

I created this gorgeous, amazing, bursting-with-flavor apple crisp using these old, wrinkly apples. You will be amazed by what you can create, simply by using what’s in front of you. Some of my family’s favorite meals have been created out of “leftovers” in the ‘fridge. (Get 8 of the recipes here, plus loads of other tips!)

What are your favorite meals or dishes created out of thin air? You know, the times when you open the refrigerator and say, “There’s nothing to eat,” so you have to make something out of whatever you have on hand? I would love to hear YOUR favorite recipes! Leave them in the comments below!

And please remember to join me for The Dani Johnson Show today, where we share even more of my personally-selected tips and strategies to make your journey to success quicker and easier! You can find the show on your TV and radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right here on our website.

In great faith,

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