The Game Changing Magic of Proper Food Storage

Something that I really enjoy eating but really hate paying for over here is cilantro. I know there are likely a lot of you reading this who do not like cilantro, and that's fine (even if you're wrong) but don't abandon this post, yet. You may not like cilantro, but you may still find something useful in here.

I always have a hard time buying cilantro (and most other fresh herbs) because they're sold in huge bundles, and I usually only need maybe 3 or 4 sprigs at a time. The rest never keeps well in the fridge. In fact, unless I buy the cilantro the same day I intend to use it, it's already sad and limp by the time it makes it to the table. It's so frustrating. Especially since Superstore has one if its -amazing- (sarcasm font) deals where you can buy the bundles for 25 cents less if you buy them in groups of two. Insert one million eye rolls. Why would I buy 2 bundles of this stuff that barely keeps for the drive home?

Anyway, guess how old this cilantro is?

so fresh and so green, green!

I bought it in January. January! It's at least 2 weeks old, and it's not even a little bit gross looking, yet!

Considering normally when I put cilantro in the fridge it is a wilted bouquet of wasted money within hours, I think this is pretty damn amazing.

Also, check out this ten day old spinach that is usually green slime the day after you open it:

What? Bagged salad greens that actually look edible? Hashtag no filter.

My husband uses the bagged spinach in his morning smoothies, and more times than not, after a week there would be half a bag of goop in the back of the crisper drawer, but not anymore. We can actually use the whole bag over the span of 2 weeks without having to freeze or throw any of it away.

How is this possible, you ask? Tupperware, my friends. I have drunk (drank?) that Kool-aid.

Please know that this is in no way a sponsored post. Tupperware is not paying me to post this, and I paid my own, real money for these containers. In fact, I've paid my own real money for these several times, because once I bought a whole set of 5 of these for ten zillion dollars, never used them, sold them for peanuts, and then re-bought the same containers again when I decided to give them another try. Man, are they worth it.

The containers in question are called FridgeSmart, and they have some fancy shmancy lid system where you set a vent to varying degrees of open or closed depending on what kind of food is inside, and it magically makes your food last basically forever. It's truly magic. I had raspberries and blueberries in there for a week, and not a single one went mushy.

Magic Boxes. That's what they should have called these things.

These are important. If you're tired of wasting food, or you're shying away from fresh produce because you can't use it all before it gets nasty, these can help prolong their fridge life. If you can actually use the entire head of cabbage or bunch of dill or whatever it is in your meal plans instead of using half, and letting the rest waste away wrapped in saran at the back of the fridge, that's a win! And this way, you don't have to eat the same vegetable every day for a week, because it will keep for longer, and you can still have variety in your menu without feeling guilty about the green onions in the bottom drawer.

For me, I used to avoid meals in the plan that needed time sensitive produce, because it usually meant an extra trip to the grocery store. Not anymore. Now, I can make a plan on Sunday and buy all the things I need to cook Friday's meal without needing a separate, last minute list.

Like I said, this is not a sponsored post, and I earn no commission if you decide to seek out and buy these containers. However, I do have a friend, Jackie, who is a Tupperware consultant, and while I'm not gonna earn any commission on these magic boxes, maybe she could. I've added a link (click her name in the previous run on sentence) to her Facebook group, so if you're at all interested, maybe give her a shout.

Also, if anyone out there is interested in Grocery 101, where you sit down in a small group with me for meal planning, list making, price matching and grocery shopping strategies, stay tuned on my Facebook page, YEG Grocery Guru, tomorrow, where I'll post the upcoming sessions dates.

Want to learn some grocery/budget strategies? Get a grocery tote? Just hang out and eat Samosas while I blab about the price of beans? Check the FB page, tomorrow, for details.

As always, thanks for following along. I've got big goals to make this blog more of a priority moving forward, and I truly appreciate all of you who read and comment on and share my posts. If you think the information is useful, please share it.