There are a few little things we do in our kitchen. Things that make prepping meals, eating better, and ensuring fresh ingredients don’t go to waste a lot easier. They’re so incredibly simple, I had to share. Here’s what they are:
Washing Our Veggies All at Once: Recently Brandon adopted this WONDERFUL habit of prepping and cleaning all of our veggies for the week. This includes washing all the lettuce/greens at once, and washing and chopping celery and carrots so we can grab them straight from the fridge for snacking or cooking. I’m much more inclined to dip carrots in our hummus instead of crackers when there’s already one peeled and chopped. And it may seem small, but being able to just throw clean lettuce in a bowl makes it so much easier to make a salad. (Btw Brandon- there’s a bag of unpeeled carrots waiting for you in the fridge).
Chopping All the Fresh Herbs: Often when I buy fresh herbs for a recipe, the recipe calls for only a fraction of what I buy. Nonetheless, instead of cleaning and chopping only the amount needed for the dish, I’ll prep the whole bushel. Whatever I don’t need for the recipe I’ll store in tupperware and throw into other dishes throughout the week. I’m always surprised how easily I can use up the herbs and incorporate them into dishes, simply because they’re already prepped. For instance the dill and chives from this recipe, I threw it into tuna salad for lunch yesterday.
Incorporating Ground Flaxseed: This one has less to do with prep, or more to do with sneaking in nutrients. Do you guys eat flaxseed? It is crazy good for you and chock full of Omega-3s, fiber, and cancer fighting lignans. I am no nutrition expert, but when I can incorporate something this good for you so easily into my diet, I’m all over it.I grind up the seeds (you can buy pre-ground) and throw it into oatmeal, yogurt and granola, breads, and baked goods. It has a nutty flavor but you can barely taste it once mixed in. You could even put it in cookies!
What kinds of little things do you guys do around your kitchen? Do you have any tricks for sneaking in nutrients or get yourself to at more vegetables? I’d love to hear!
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I don’t eat flaxseed but I’m going to try it after reading this!
it all makes perfect common sense … flax seed is healthy and delicious but I don’t trust the pre ground … I worry it might not be nearly as fresh as whole seed which should last a very long time in the frig.
I’ve heard those concerns too, but I suppose pre-ground flaxseed is better than no flaxseed (in the case that you have nothing to grind it with)!
I like to add alot of fresh garlic in my recipes. Garlic also contains cancer fighting agents and tastes wonderful in almost everything in my opinion.
I started washing veggies all at once too when we joined a CSA… We were getting more than our usual veggie consumption and having them all washed and ready to cook or eat saved me time on weeknights!
For the past few months I have also been saving vegetable scraps and peels in a gallon size bag in the freezer… Then once it’s full (or sometimes I wait till I have two bags full) I simmer it for a couple of hours with some peppercorns and herbs to make homemade vegetable broth. Then I strain it out and portion it into smaller containers to keep in the fridge and freezer.