Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Veggie Tales


A few weeks ago, I was watching a Doctor Oz episode while folding laundry. He followed a busy Mom all day and took note of what she was feeding her family. He then had them come to his studio to present some alternatives and new items to add into their schedules. He mentioned that families should stay away from fresh produce and stick with frozen because of the amount of money everyday families end up throwing away because of rotten food. I am a big fan of frozen veggies, but I thought I would share a few easy ways to keep fresh produce from going bad in your fridge.
1. Clean, cut, and prepare your veggies
This is one of the first things I do after getting home from the grocery store. Carrots, celery, and cucumbers are staple items here at our house. It takes a little more time then just throwing them right in the fridge, but I have realized that you eat more veggies when they are cut and ready to go. We get veggies in our lunch everyday, and on busy weeknights where I work late, we can easily eat a sandwich and have some veggies right at our fingertips.
2. Keep Fruit Visible 
How many times do you buy a bunch of apples, pears, or other fruit, eat one and then forget about it? This is basically the same rule as the veggies, but I keep the apples in the fridge in a bowl ready to grab. And yes, we are normal- we drink soda here. {ha ha}
3. The BEST Way to Store Fresh Herbs
For the longest time, I was at a loss of how to store my fresh herbs. I recently found a way that has been really easy and super simple. First, make sure the leaves of your herbs are really, really dry. Next, trim about an inch or inch and a half off the stem. In a cup/jar, put about 3 inches of water and place the herbs right in. If you are storing them out on the counter, they are ready and good to go just like that. Since cilantro prefers the cold, I keep all herbs in the fridge. Place a plastic bag loosely around the leaves and stick on a label! 

Hopefully these tips and tricks help you in your new years resolutions to eat better, or just to eat more veggies! 

9 comments:

  1. Your fridge is so pretty! I love the cut up veggies.. it's so true. I hate the thought of having to cut up my veggies... i'm lazy :) Thanks for the tips!

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  2. all the more reason for my someday-i'll-have-an-herb-garden...i want fresh herbs at my disposal. thanks for the idea on the herbs!

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  3. Wow! What a helpful post! another tip? Put the food you "should" eat most often in the middle of your fridge.... It is where you most often look and grab from! xoxo

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  4. LOVE these tips! I usually cut up my veggies as soon as I get home... but I've been slacking! I haven't been buying them because I'm too lazy to chop them up. I'm horrible!

    p.s. We're moving to southern Utah.

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  5. Holy clean fridge batman! You are so organized and awesome!

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  6. Oooo. These are good tips! I haven't ever prepared my veggies beforehand. I'ma have to try that out!

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  7. You're so organized! thanks for the inspiration!
    -Lauren H

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