veggiePREP

this may be one of the most important steps to keeping it healthy around here from day to day.

the veggiePREP.

it's a step that i started doing a couple of years ago for this reason:  i would go to the grocery store, buy a  whole bunch of produce, come home & put it in the refrigerator & there it would sit.  and sit.  and sit.

    anyway, it got to be a real problem because a lot of the food would end up going to waste...and i do not like wasting food.  i think this would happen because after getting the produce into the fridge, it just looked like a big veggie bag tornado of non-washed, more work, i can't even remember what veggies i bought mess.  thus, then demotivating me to use it, let alone eat it.  

so after quite a few cycles of this frustrating scenario (not to mention wasting food & money), i decided that it was time for a change.  the hardest part, was admitting that i was the problem.  i was literally causing my own frustration on this one.  acceptance, argh!

but it all worked out, ha!  my produce/fridge frustration has led to a routine that i repeat every week, because it really works for me.  no more wasted food, no more wasted money &  no more frustration! (late night infomercial for veggiePREP)

the steps to veggiePREP are simple and are far from ground breaking, however, it's the commitment part that can be challenging.  i don't know about you but going to the grocery store is not the highlight of my week; so now add on the veggiePREP step to the "adventure" & you have a couple of hours invested.  super exciting, right?

but i assure you, if you can commit, it is worth it;  making healthy choices throughout the week...washed, chopped & ready to eat!

...& it all starts with a veggieBATH.

see, i told you that it was not ground breaking.  step one is literally...wash the produce.  for me it is the doing it immediately following the grocery store that has been life changing.  otherwise, it's like i said earlier; i put it in the fridge, i get lazy & i don't end up using it.  

soooo...first i sanitize the sink & then rinse it out.  next, i fill the sink up with warm water & then add about a 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the mix.

white vinegar is an awesome safe & natural cleaner, disinfectant, overall miracle liquid that i love.  i do buy mostly organic & local, but i still always wash all of the produce!  

i personally like to let the produce soak for a bit, usually while i put away the remainder of the groceries.

then, i scrub(with my hands) & rinse off each piece of produce one by one.  well, i mean, i may do a handful of brussel sprouts all at one time, but you get the idea.  

& then off to the drying pads they go.

as for the drying pads you see pictured, they are microfiber and they are awesome.  i place all of the produce on them to dry & they absorb all of the extra liquid from the washin'(said with an accent, for no reason whatsoever).  this is actually a new step that i am very excited about!  before the microfiber wonders entered my life, i would use clean dish towels & it was just a sopping wet drippy mess.  well, not anymore, not with these bad boys! :) (another late night infomercial for microfiber drying pads)....this one might actually exist! ha!

i let the veggies sit there for a bit until they are mostly dry and then i simply transfer the produce to containers.  completely innovative, i know! ;)  i currently use these large size BPA-free containers, however, i am currently working on slowly replacing them with glass containers.  but for now it is what it is, so i'll let it be.

i do have a "sorta-system" as to the veggies i put together, but i think that it would only make sense to me...based on the way i use the produce & how we eat.  for example:  i put the kale with the parsley, because i typically include these two things in my morning juice regimen.  i would suggest doing what works best for you based on how you plan to use the produce or how you eat.  

i continue along with this step until the clean produce is situated in various containers.  

then, i put it all in the refrigerator!  but FIRST, i empty the fridge of anything that may have got left behind from the week prior, or has expired, or whatever.  this is key!  out with the old, in with the new. i feel like when my fridge is cluttered, my brain becomes cluttered & i feel overwhelmed & scared!  haha!  okay, well maybe not scared, but it completely stresses me out & it does not serve me well when it then comes time to dive in there & figure out what's for dinner.  

this is why i take the time to clean it out, before i put the containers in the fridge.  i like things organized & when it comes to life's frustrations, i'll be just fine if my refrigerator is not part of the equation. :)

which is exactly why these simple steps help me.

it helps me to feel organized, prepared, relaxed & ready for the week ahead...and sooooooooo glad that i took the time to do the veggiePREP.  i love opening the refrigerator and actually being able to see what could possible be for dinner, where it is & then to have it be clean, fresh & ready to eat...total bonus!  when it comes to eating healthy for me a lot of it has to do with preparation.  whether it's washing the produce, organizing the fridge or making some meals ahead of time...it just works!  if healthy is what's available in our house, healthy is what we will eat.  ...& for that exact reason, i can not keep potato chips in the house, because i love them & i will eat them.  all of them!!!  haha!  so i bring them in on occasion, as i do believe in moderation too! ;)  anyway, i always say...wellness is not a destination, it's a journey & it's what you do NOW, that creates health & healing in your body & benefits you for the long haul!  so for me this veggiePREP step is just that...a step on my personal journey to health & wellness.  

in regards to this one, i feel good knowing that i acknowledged an area of my life that was not working (even if it was something as silly as my refrigerator/produce situation)...and i did something about it!

i took charge, made the change & benefit from the effort...in more ways than one!

peace, love & veggiePREP!  

enjoy! e.