Think convenience foods are a necessary evil? You're half right; they are necessary. But not all culinary shortcuts lead to the land of excess salt and sugar; thankfully, companies like Muir Glen and Eden now make organic canned goods and other products free of excess sodium, sweeteners, and those dreaded trans fats.

Keeping a well-stocked pantry is one of the greatest favors you can do yourself. With staples like canned tomatoes and broth on hand you can make a casserole on a moment's notice. Your diet and your budget both benefit when you can make a meal at home that's healthier, and cheaper, than anything you'll eat out or order in.

Will it taste better, too? That's up to you; what comes out of your oven will only be as good as what goes into your shopping cart. If you look at prices but don't read labels, you may be saving money, but losing out on nutrients and flavor.

Organic foods are often more expensive, but not always. Whole Foods has a well-deserved reputation for being pricey, but their own label, 365 Organic, has a wide range of reasonably priced, high quality products, including a good organic chicken broth that's nearly fat free and costs only $1.99. Conventional supermarkets sometimes stock Pacific organic chicken broth, but charge nearly twice as much for it. So before you condemn Whole Foods as the capital of fair trade, free range rip-offs, keep in mind that there's a reason so many foodies flock there.

Bottled salad dressings are a perfect example of a product that offers convenience at the expense of everything that matters. You've got a tasty mix of greens, with some fruits and nuts thrown in for good measure, and you're going to sabotage all those healthy ingredients with dollops of partially hydrogenated glop? Call on Paul Newman instead; Newman's Own salad dressings are the next best thing to making your own, and they make a whole line of fine organic products, too.

One man who's always welcome in my kitchen is Bob, as in Bob's Red Mill. Bob makes all kinds of whole grains, flours, pancake mixes and so on; he's literally got the goods to enrich your life. If you're still baking with Pillsbury, get to know Bob. He's not as cute as Poppin' Fresh, but he'll be better for you in the long run.