By Aubrey Maher, staff writer

When you get home from a long day of school, you want to eat a big plate of food. Most of the time when you get home, there is not an adult. Usually, when there is not an adult home you tend to go for the chips. That is not such a good idea. They are not healthy and some contain chemicals like sodium bisulfate, a substance that is also put in toilet cleaners! Now those chips don’t sound so yummy!

In this series of articles, I will give you some quick and healthy after-school alternatives designed for kids who are allowed to cook. If you do not have much experience in the kitchen you should always have adult supervision.   

Rice and Beans

The ingredients that you will need are:

• white rice (pre-made – 2 cups)
• black beans (canned – 10 ounces)
• salsa  (you can use any kind of salsa – 1/2 cup)
• onion powder (1 teaspoon)
• garlic powder ( 1 tablespoon)  
• vegetable stock (¼ cup) 
• vegetable oil (2 tablespoons)                 

Put the oil in your pan and put it on medium heat. Then add vegetable stock, onion, and garlic powder while stirring. When it starts to bubble, add salsa and set with a lid for two minutes. Next, add the beans and mix for two minutes. Make rice according to the directions. Add in and mix.  After you mix, let cool. Now you can eat! Enjoy!