What Moms Want To Know

Food Leftovers -- Storage That Won't Make You Sick

Some Tips To Help You Avoid Becoming Ill From Improper Leftover Storage

1) Don't Let Food Sit Out Too Long
Anything that has been out for over two-three hours should be tossed.

2) Don't overstuff your fridge.
If you put way too much food in your fridge, it might not be able to circulate air and cool properly.

3) Keep Your refridgerator at 40 degrees or below.
If yours does not have a built-in thermometer, you can buy one to make sure its cool enough.

4) Leftovers Last, On Average About 4 Days
So, eat up, unless you decide to freeze some of it.

Save Money At The Grocery Store

All you cooking aficionados out there probably know this, but I did not...Red peppers are not currently in season and they are extrememly expensive right now.  I was at Kroger the other day and my ONE red bell pepper rang up for $2.84.  Yes---two-dollars-and-eighty-four-cents.  I thought there was a mistake, but the cashier, who I guess happens to actually be a cooking aficionado, told me that yes, that was the correct price.  I told him he could keep his red pepper, he understood, and made the following suggestion, which was simply brilliant.

He suggested I buy a bag of frozen peppers and onions.  The bag cost $1.34, contains red, yellow, and green peppers and onions.  He said to just pick out what I need and stick the unused portion back in the freezer.  He even ran and picked me out a bag.  This saved me a good bit of money.  There are some recipes that are just not the same without peppers, such as this one, which is what I was planning on making that night.  His suggestion works beautifully and I would highly recommend it.   Not only is it cheap, it is also easy, since the chopping is done for you. 

Tip For Preparing Dinner

If you're like me, then preparing dinner is a something you fully intend to do every night, but more often than you'd like to admit, your family ends up eating bowls of cereal with some fruit (you quickly sliced) on the side.  Since I am a now a stay-at-home-mom, I just really feel bad when this happens.  I mean, my job right now, is to take care of my son, keep the house half-way livable, and prepare food for my family.  I really should be able to do that.  Right?  Not always, it would seem. 

Well, I have finally come across a solution that is working pretty well for me.  I am fixing lots of meals in the mornings, before I am too exhausted to do anything but tear open a bag of Banana Nut Crunch. One of my good friend swears by this method, and once I finally decided to try it, it really works pretty well. 

It doesn't work with every meal, of course, but I am coming up with more and more meals to prepare this way, that I plan on sharing on this blog.  In fact, right now, sitting in my fridge, is ground sirloin steak marinating in AuJuice Gravy.  All I have to do is stick it in the oven for half an hour, boil some rice, pop open a can of green beans, and my family will have a healthy, tasty meal ready to eat.

This morning, I made the sirloin patties, browned them, prepared the gravy, and all the "hard" part of dinner was finished, and we had not even had lunch yet!  How good did I feel??