Fast Food: Part II

    I shared about what I do with my veggies when I get home from the grocery store, but I do a few other things too in order to streamline some aspects of my life, and also to  eliminate wasting groceries. 

Some meats and cheese ready for prep.

Doing this saves a lot of time, for realz.

   So, I've been doing this for a while, but it's one of my favourite life hacks. I prep my cheese! I take half the brick and grate it. We use grated cheese on things like broccoli and cauliflower, but also in our grilled cheese, and of course, to put on nachos! 
   I slice the other half into "sandwich" sized strips, and once I've cut it down into a smaller piece, I cut that into "snacking" sized pieces. 

   For our meat, I quarter our 2 lbs of ground meat, wrap each quarter in plastic wrap, then put them all into a freezer bag and into the freezer. With packs of chicken (like the thighs in the first picture), I would divide that into 2 meals, placing each half into 2 separate bags and into the freezer (you could divide it more if you're on your own, or have a smaller family, etc.)  

   My bananas take a beating if I don't do this trick! I simply lay the bushel on it's side, and (using a serrated bread knife) cut the top off, so the bananas are separate from each other. This does two things: One-if the kids want a banana, they just grab one, instead of man-handling the whole bunch! (causing all the bananas to get beat up), and Two-bananas ripen more quickly when they are together because they emit ethylene gas (a plant hormone that is produced as they ripen). So, if they are exposed to more of it, they ripen faster. On that note, if you need your bananas to ripen faster, put them all into a paper bag, or wrap them in newspaper so the gas they emit works overtime by not being able to get away! Small note: If you cut too low, it can be a bit tricky to open the bananas though, so don't cut down too close. 

   My last hack to share today is with our yogurt. When we get it home, first thing is we take it out of that cardboard sleeve it's in. That thing is useless in a household-it's great for shipping and at the grocery store, but not at home. Then, I take them apart by two's, so they are even more accessible in the fridge. Then I stack them up high, so they use more 'up' room, and less actual shelf space. 

   I hope you're enjoyed my random tips for today!  If you have any tips you'd like to share with me, I would love to hear them!