How to: Diced Mixed Vegetables

You are excited to try my diced mixed vegetable technique – but don’t want to spend hours getting your veggies into perfect 1/4 inch cubes. I don’t blame you.

I don’t spend hours chopping – I have a chopper that I use. I recommend it – with hesitation – I can’t keep it from breaking. After about 6 months usage the hinge breaks, this is only in the vicinity of 24 uses – not very good – right?

Trouble is – I have tried so many other options and none of them work either. The food processor doesn’t give you the right size or consistency, other choppers have been too difficult to use, and manually just takes me forever!

This one works the best – but clearly it’s not ideal because it keeps breaking. I keep returning mine – hoping the manufacturer will fix the flaw – but so far no luck. I’m open to suggestions!

So with mixed feelings I will tell you I use the Vidalia Chop Wizard. It’s made by progressive. They sell it under the Williams Sonoma name as well, it’s the exact same one, just pricier.

Welcome back to PND. It's good to see you again!How to: Diced Mixed Vegetables

Shopping Bags – Get in the Habit of Bringing Your Own Reusable Bags!

By Tania Reuben

Bringing your own bags with you when you shop is such an easy change to make – yet so many of us don’t bother.

I thinks it’s just because we haven’t gotten into the habit. And – it really is a habit. They say it takes 30 days to form a new habit. I’m a slow learner – it took me almost a year.

So how do you break through the bag barrier?

To start:
Keep shopping bags in the car. This way they are with you when you need them. After unloading groceries – I put the all the bags outside my front door this way I remember to put it back in the car.

Even if you don’t have the canvas bags, start by reusing your regular shopping bags – over and over again.

The canvas bags, they will come – I kept getting given them through special promotions and now I have a fleet – it really is worth buying them they are typically around a dollar and you only need a handful.

Advanced:
Don’t stop at your grocery bags. Strangely for me, it was harder to get in the habit for sundries, going to target or the drug store. While “shopping” shopping – it was harder still.

Somehow those shiny crisp beautiful looking bags have become part of the shopping experience – yet whatever we pull out of that bag will look the same no matter what it comes home in. And we’ll be taking better care of the planet at the same time. If this is still a jump for you, try getting a slightly snazzier canvas or tote just for retail therapy.

That should make every shopper happy – go shopping for a bag so you don’t need bags when you go shopping.

There have been times when I’ve been caught without my bags – I’m not perfect, but now it really has become a habit.

And if you are wondering – why bother – coming soon.

Shopping Bags – Get in the Habit of Bringing Your Own Reusable Bags!