Busy Week? Prep Your Veggies on the Weekend

Too much going on during the week? Spend a little time prepping fresh veggies on the weekend, store them in the refrigerator, and toss them into small containers throughout the week.

 
Here are some of the veggies we love and how to chop them:

• Carrots: Peel and chop into sticks.
• Celery: Chop into sticks.
• Broccoli: Chop florets into smaller pieces. Don’t throw out that stem! Peel the outside and chop into chunks.
• Red pepper: Deseed and cut into long strips.
• Cucumber: Remove the peel and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds, which helps reduce sogginess. Chop into chunks.
• Red Cabbage: Core and slice into shreds.

Not sure how long veggies last? Softer veggies like cucumbers and red peppers will start to go bad first, so plan to use those earlier in the week. Store the cucumbers wrapped in a paper towel to absorb moisture. The harder veggies like carrots and celery may last until the end of the work week. Label your storage containers with the veggie name and date so they don’t get lost in the back of your fridge.

Experiment with a new seasonal vegetable each week. If you have kids, let them choose the veggies so they get excited about healthy food. Choose one day each week to make your dinner meatless and feature veggies instead. You could even combine all the veggies above (cut the carrots and celery into smaller pieces) to make a chopped salad. Dress it with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss in chopped fresh herbs or nuts. Yum!