Fast Food: Part I

  So, this has nothing to do with "Fast Food" as you would think (McDonald's, etc.), but it has something to do with having food that is handy, and accessible. 
   Let me talk about produce purchased at the grocery store or farmers market is great; it is a great first step to eating right. But for real-z, sometimes after it gets home, it sits there taunting me, mocking me for buying it and being too lazy to prep and eat it. Stupid produce. Lazy Amy-Lyn....

Our average weekly produce (minus a bag of spinach, and a pre-cut bag of romaine).

   So, a while back I started making myself prep what I bought. This did a few things for me. It kept the fridge a little tidier (let's be honest, cauliflower is just annoying in the fridge with all it's roundness!), and it gave me no excuses for not eating veg throughout the day, or grabbing it as a running out the door snack.
   It does take some work, but it's all upfront work. It generally takes me 30-45 minutes to get everything washed, cut-up, and into the fridge (depending on how much produce I buy). Seems like a lot of time, but think of the time you save doing it in one lump. If you do it throughout the week, you are re-using and washing a knife and a cutting board. Taking the time to get the produce out, wash it, get it ready. I think that would take more time, personally.  

Yup, I'm a weirdo!

   As a random tip, we eat a lot of peppers, so I feel like I've got a good handle on cutting them up. So, I will give you my "no waste" pepper cutting secrets below! 

I know, it's amazing :) For step 4, I just use my fingers to reach into the pepper and take out the ribs/whites, and I tap the seeds out.

    FYI, sometimes the top ring of the pepper doesn't come off properly, don't fret, simply cut off the bits of pepper from the top so it's not wasted. 
    For things like cauliflower and broccoli, I cut them up, and use the bags the peppers came in (I generally buy the four packs of peppers that come in the bags with little holes in them) to store them. Those bags keep the cauli and broc from getting slimy (as they can get in a sealed, no breathing style bag).  

   As for celery and cucumber, I wash and cup them up, and store them in tupperware and a zippered style plastic bag. The ends of the celery can get dry in the tupperware, so either fill the tupperware they are in with water, or eat it with dry ends (as I do, because dry ends don't bother me!). The cucumber stays lovely in it's plastic bag.

   For something like kale, I cut out the big, thick ribs (not everyone does this, or cares about those, but if I cook the kale, they are really woody, and if I throw the kale into a smoothie, my crappy blender doesn't do a good job of actually blending them in), and cup it up. I then store it in the produce bag I brought it home in from the grocery store.
   Asparagus is happiest and lasts longest in the fridge if it has a little water, and the tops can breath. 

   So, do as you please, but this is how roll when it comes to my veggies! :)  I like having things ready! If I'm hungry, it's just as easy to grab a handful of veg to snack on as anything else, no excuses! And when my kids want t snack, it's ready for them. Next Tuesday I'll bring you some more of my "fast food" tips!