Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Kitchen Preparations

For the last three weeks, I've been spending a good part of my Mondays in the kitchen, doing a bit of prep work for the week. I find if I do this, we're:
  • more likely to eat well
  • less likely to throw out limp veggies at the end of the week
  • more likely to actually make something for dinner instead of ordering in
Which is really ideal since I'm trying to lead a healthier lifestyle than the student one we've been living.

My favourite part is the veggie prep.

As my mom always does, I've been cutting my celery & carrots into matchsticks & keeping them in water in the fridge. This way, I always have a healthy snack close at hand.

Keeping them in water keeps them fresh for well over a week - if they last that long. Plus, preparing dinner when everything is already cleaned & half chopped is super easy.
Here you can see I have some kohlrabi floating under the celery:

Kohlrabi is a veggie I've recently started eating more. They look odd when you buy them, but after peeling they have a very fresh, spicy taste. Almost like a radish, but a little milder in flavour. I love it raw in my salads!

But really, my favourite part?
Throwing all these peels & odds & ends into a big pot of boiling water: We had prime rib roast on Sunday, so the leftover meat, bones & fat went in here as well, along with the roasted onion & potato leftovers. Now I have a couple liters of broth to use during the next few weeks!

What do you do to simplify your time in the kitchen?

3 comments:

Danielle said...

Preparing the veggies ahead of time is such a good idea. I throw out a lot of fresh food because it's not convenient for cooking or snacking.

Unknown said...

We are going to be gardening like crazy this year and I didn't even think of prepping everything ahead of time! Great idea... AND maybe I will eat healthier too!

Mrs Linee said...

Amanda my big purchase this year was a Freezer that we have put in our garage.. I have taken the opportunity when cooking to always make extra and freeze portions so that on those cant be bothered let's order takeaway night's I have no excuse. I have been making my own cordail and have been given an abundanceo f lemons so I have also frozen enough in portions to make 2 bottles at a time no waste. Cook up days are a good idea, I try and do this as often as I can... Great post thanks ☺