My fridge looks like a grownup's!

[christic]

Ok, I'm not actually officially doing the South Beach diet, but I did read the book and it made me think a lot about how we were eating. I've just felt like we've been in kind of a beans and rice/pasta sort of rut--and we're not even vegetarians. My run to the grocery store always ended up with me loading the pantry with cans of Goya.

But this week I bought a TON of vegetables and some meat and it all goes in the fridge...I actually have meat in the meat drawer and vegetables in the crisper. It just makes me laugh for some reason. So THAT'S what those drawers are for!

My only concern is that I know why I got into my Goya bean rut--it's cheap and quick! I'm trying a lot of new recipes from my favorite cookbook (haven't made anything in SB except for the ricotta stuff--good whipped up and VERY cold!) and having a great time of it, but once the charm wears off I'm worried about being back in the rut.

Any tips for making this type of cooking more streamlined, especialy the vegetables? I work part-time and it sometimes feels like making a salad takes a year!

Chris

[egoldber]

LOL! I had the same feeling! We were really in a pasta rut because it was easy, fast and inexpensive. Eating this way has really made me change my habits.

I now go to Costco once a week and load up on veggies (romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, celery hearts, bags of pre-chopped broccoli, snap peas, etc.) and that way I always have salad stuff on hand. I bought a salad spinner (I have the Oxo one and love it), chop two heads of romaine at a time and keep it in the spinner in the fridge. That way I always have "salad at the ready"! SO now my "quick and easy" meal is a romaine lettuce salad with assorted veggies and a can of tuna. Easy and yummy!

I also bought 2-3 bags of frozen veggies to keep in the freezer. That way if I run out of fresh stuff, I have a back-up and won't be tempted.

HTH,

[christic]

I agree! the Oxo salad spinner is the best. I don't know if I could stand a weekly trip to Costco though. About once a month or so is about as much as I can take for some reason--ours doesn't open until 11 which is a bit later than my daughter's prime shopping time. Anyway, our grocery store has the same sorts of prepackaged veggies so that really does work out fine.

And I've always had the frozen veggies on hand for my daughter and add them to her plate when we're having sandwiches for lunch---need to get into the habit of adding them to mine too.

Also, I've been doing a lot of light roasting of vegetables and then tossing them in a vinagrette. This is my new favorite way to eat broccoli and I have a recipe for mushrooms cooked this way that I'll try soon.

Thanks!
Chris