I guess i can add to Dori's great ideas for fast and fresh starts. I too cut up onions, peppers, carrots, etc for easy mixings. Once a week, I take 3 pounds of each, onions, peppers, carrots, and celery. I dice them all up separately and place them in snack size ziplock baggies. I also make 2 bags each of a mixture of all three veggies. Half go in the fridge, 1/2 go in the freezer. That way for a quick fix for salads, i grab a baggie from the fridge and toss it in. For stir fry's or soups or stews, I toss in a frozen baggie. For salads, I make a yummy mixture of lettuce, I wash it, dry it, and tear into small pieces. I place in a huge plastic container, place a paper towel over the top of the lettuce, add the lid, remove any excess air, and place container in the fridge UPSIDE DOWN. The paper towel absorbs any moisture, keeping the lettuce fresher longer. Also, every time I cook a turkey, roast, fish, anything that would have broth or juice left over, the juice goes into one of those Glad seal keeper things. Then it goes in the freezer. Instant broth for flavoring just about anything. Also, something for us Moms, here is a great idea with baby food. This worked great when my kids were little. First, cook your foods, veggies, meats, oats, (if you eat them), fruits, (if necessary) then puree them separately. Pour the pureed foods into ice cube trays and freeze them, Then, once frozen, remove from the trays and place the cubes in a freezer bag to store in the freezer. Just pull one out as you need it. Just microwave it or heat it up in a sauce pan. Or thaw out for fruits. Usually, one ice cube sized food is a large enough serving for the little ones. If doing meats, chicken works much better when cubed very small before pureed. These are great if you are on the go or decide to go out to dinner. Just drop one or two frozen cubes in a ziplock baggy and toss in the diaper bag. Most places are more than happy to microwave it for you. Hope this helps someone........... Trish ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.