The other day I went to the grocery store to restock some produce. I picked up some carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, bananas, Fuji apples that were on sale for $1/pound, and some other fill-in produce.
Grapes were on sale for 88 cents/pound.
And rather than buying bagged lettuce which is usually $1.99 at TJ’s or as much as $3.49 per bag at the grocery store, I bought a head of romaine for $1.99 and cleaned it myself.
Ready…
Set…
Clean!
Slice off the bottom one inch and top inch.
Rinse the leaves in the sink.
I always wear rubber gloves when I am chopping and cleaning produce. My hand skin would fall off and crack if I didn’t protect my skin from the constant washing, drying, rinsing, repeating, that I do all day in the kitchen.
Wrap in a few paper towels and shake, shake, shake.
Make a half dozen horizontal cuts.
Put in a bag. Add a paper towel or two to absorb excess moisture to preserve lettuce life even longer and prevent sogginess. Or, run lettuce through a salad spinner (however I don’t do this for the sake of time. The shake, shake, shake by hand and adding a paper towel to the bag method works fine for me).
Done!
I now have twice the amount of lettuce that I would have gotten in a pre-bagged mix and it took me about 90 seconds and I saved $3 bucks. I am all about saving money and cutting corners when I can.
I once did a pineapple cleaning tutorial and felt a bit a lot silly posting How to Clean and Core a Pineapple, but I had dozens of people write to me telling me that they bought and cleaned their first pineapples because of that post and freed themselves of the habit of buying overpriced, pre-sliced pineapple or other fruits.
Also included in that post were tips on how to see if a whole pineapple was ripe or notSo, my lettuce cleaning may be silly, but whatever. I’d rather be silly than in debt. Maybe it will help someone else save a few bucks.
From my last post, thanks for all the great sweet potato cooking tips and ideas. I know food bloggers and food blog readers love their sweet potatoes.
And apparently mustard and nooch, too. Lots of you chimed in that you love both. Me too!
Questions:
1. Do you clean and chop your own lettuces/greens/salad mixes or do you buy pre-packaged?
I do both. The TJ’s Organic salad mixes for $1.99/bag are hard to beat on price and convenience, but sometimes if they are sold out of my favorite blend or whole heads of romaine or red leaf lettuces or kale are looking especially nice, I will pass on the pre-bagged and just chop my own mix. Takes maybe 2 minutes for me to wash and chop and bag up my greens and many times, it’s worth it to me.
2. Anything that you think is just smarter to buy pre-made/pre-cooked/pre-chopped?
Most things I prefer to buy whole, or unpackaged, or prepare myself, but for my lifestyle and the sake of time/energy involved, some items I usually buy pre-made are:
Canned beans
Artichoke hearts
Frozen veggie burgers
Nut milk
I could make them myself and have but for the price/time/convenience involved, I buy them.
3. Anything that’s easy enough to make and you’re happy to make from scratch at home?
A few of mine are…
Crackers (Vegan, GF, Nut-Free, and can be made Sweet/Cinnamon/Sugar or Savory/Salty)
Chips like Kale Chips
Hummus (4-Ingredient, Vegan, garlic & onion free)
What do you make at home that’s super easy? Or that’s definitely worth taking a little extra time to make at home rather than buying pre-made?
One thing my aunt taught me years ago that never fails is if you want to keep your romaine lettuce in it’s big leaf stage (in case you are unsure how you might use it) you wash it and layer it into a large baggie like this:
Layer of paper towel, then row of lettuce on top of that, then lay a paper towel on that ro and another row of lettuce on that and so on.
Keeps it SO crisp and SO fresh!!
I usually try and make my own, but I will absolutely buy canned beans or frozen veggie burgers if I am pressed for time
Girl I think of you as a queen of making your own! I like to think I’m a mix of the two…more on the side of buying pre-made. I need to make my own stuff more often!
thanks girl :)
I never buy all pre-chopped veggies as they seem rather dry to me. I do sometimes get bagged baby spinach if it’s very cheap, but not often. I don’t prechop my own lettuce much just do it as I eat it. Do you have a salad spinner? It’s an amazing tool and prevents soggy lettuce.
I definitely look for the best deal, which usually turns into me doing the work– which I really mind! However, I love Trader Joe’s french-fry cut sweet potatoes, I’m a sucker for them every time.. They’re just perfectly cut and shaped and ready to bake!
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I buy the bagged lettuce from TJ’s although it pains me to think about how much plastic that wastes, it’s convenient and cheap. I make beans at home because it’s waaay cheaper and tastier! And it seems like a lot of work but it really is nothing more than boiling the beans for awhile. I also never buy tortilla chips but instead cut up tortillas to throw in the oven since it’s cheaper and also, if there were chips lying around we’d probably gobble them up too fast! And I would never buy pre-made guacamole because it kinda creeps me out!
I have never thought about buying heads of romaine like that – it is such a great idea! Whenever I pre=chop lettuce, I always use my salad spinner to make sure it’s all dry. Then I always put a paper towel in the bag with it so it stays nice and crisp/dry.
I always buy my own whole pineapples – there is no reason not to! It takes about 2 minutes to chop it all up. Way to go on the grapes -t hat’s a steal!!
being as budget conscious as you are w/ your groceries, you should clean your own for sure :)
I usually buy the organic pre-washed spinach so I can just grab it and throw it in my meal! I also buy pre-made nut butters, almond milk, veggie burgers–maybe when I have more time (ha!) I’ll make it all myself! :)
A tip I learned from a chef:
Use a ceramic knife when chopping greens. They will stay fresh LONGER. The carbon content in steel knives reacts with the lettuce and causes it to brown and wilt faster. Ceramic and plastic knives are best :)
I have a ceramic knife, and I will totally use this tip of yours…thank you!
Always buy whole and cut myself. It is so much cheaper that way. I pay 1/4 of what I used to by spending some time cutting. My kids like to snack when I am cutting and cleaning, and they get to pick through what we have. My husband is like a toddler and only eats what I clean, slice and have ready in tupperware for him. If I didn’t do this he would only eat chips and dip-ask if I am kidding either. I sneak in the raw when I can and how I can to them.
“My husband is like a toddler and only eats what I clean, slice and have ready in tupperware for him.”–
REALLY?!! Our hubs must be twins. Mine is the SAME. Oh my. Yes, I know.
I generally make everything from scratch, unless something’s on super-good offer at the store…
Funny about the lettuce mix, precut pineapple, etc–that is such a recent phenomenon, and I think that it’s part of the process that makes people so distanced from their food (the same process that makes people not realize where milk, meat, etc come from and so be kind of innured to it–I think the situation is almost as bad around plant foods).
I felt stupid, for example, buying pomegranate seeds–I’m perfectly happy to seed them myself!
As for the lettuce, I love the outer leaves and the heart, shame to throw away. I love it most when I can buy organic, not worry about pesticides and not wash at all: I think it’s actually good for us to eat some dirt ;)
Sorry I missed sweet potato talk–yams have been my revelation this winter. Yams and parsnips mashed with a little coconut oil, add nooch and (if you’re like me) something spicy like berbere, mix in some peas and greens–to me=heaven right now!
love
Ela
people so distanced from their food = YES! good point!
and a little dirt never hurts :)
I do most of it myself. Sometimes I will buy the slaw mix or frozen vegetables, but for the most part, I can’t spend extra on things like canned beans and pre cut lettuce. I am a budget freak when it comes to that.
I definitely buy lettuce that I clean and cut myself. It’s soooo much cheaper it’s ridiculous. And like you said, so easy. I try to prepare as much of my own stuff as possible (salad dressings, dips, beans, etc), but always have a can of beans on hand for when I’m in a bind. :-)
One thing I don’t make on my own but want to is bread!
I buy and clean my own lettuce, but usually buy the bagged spinach as I think it’s more tender. I almost always buy the whole pineapple and dice it up myself as well. So much cheaper and it’s really not THAT much effort (plus you can snag a few bites as you go along). I buy dried beans and cook those off and keep frozen and make my own veggie burgers to keep in the freezer too. There are a few things I do buy canned though like artichoke hearts and diced tomatoes.
I usually make my own everything but I always buy prewashed salad greens I can never motivate myself to prep them so usually they go bad and I end up throwing them out.