Like many couples with no kids in the house, we don't eat as we should. Here's a way to get a few more veggies in. Take one bag of salad lettuce and divide it into 6 bowls with lids (I use 20 oz Ziploc bowls) add tomatoes, a couple of olives, sliced mushrooms, cucumbers or whatever salad veggies you want.
Put them in the refrigerator. Then when you are stalking the refrigerator for something to eat, you will have a few ready made salads that you are more likely to eat first before grabbing that muffin. You only have to add the dressing and maybe a little feta and you're ready to go. They will last 2-3 days.
One last thing: use grape or cherry tomatoes, it's more likely to last longer because cut up tomatoes will release more acid and gases that cause the lettuce to wilt.
By Melissa M. from Michigan
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Yep, excellent idea and I use this same idea but with a twist that makes the salads stretch to last a full week just by placing each item in their own container and then 'build a quick salad', which only takes a minute or two, when it's time to eat ;-) Even sliced cucumbers and olives speed the decay of each other and the lettuce. Another trick is to place a napkin or paper towel on top of the lettuce to soak up the extra moisture that makes the lettuce go bad so quickly.
What a super idea! Making salads is one of my least favorite things to do. Maybe put the fixings in a baggie or wrapped in plastic inside the container?
You're right about the paper towel trick. I always put them in my strawberries, raspberries, fresh herbs and lettuce. They'll keep a week that way. In the last week or so I've eaten at least 4 salads that I wouldn't have (out of laziness) eaten normally. The point of the container though is to have it as close to ready to eat as possible, and can even be taken on your way out the door so you only have to think about the dressing.
You could also make little kits of fresh fruit and veggies for the kids, sliced apples, celery, carrots green peppers and on and on. Plastics zip bags or containers are fine, the idea is to have it ready and accessible, no searching around for something to munch.
I am impressed, now I know what I am going to do this morning! Thanks!
I love this! Also, I like to make portable salads in jars with lids. Pour dressing (measured) into bottom of jar. Layer jar with veggies, lettuce, etc. When ready to eat, shake the jar well to distribute the dressing evenly and pour on to a plate or bowl.
Adding a few cooked noodles (any pasta) to a salad seems to help extend shelf life for some reason. Could be moisture absorption?
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