Raising the Bar

Here's the nitty gritty:

1. Measure the space you plan to use in your refrigerator. This is your starting point. I actually made room to accommodate taller containers than I originally thought I'd use.

2. Visit a Walmart, Target or other store where plastic storage containers are found. Keep an open mind and peruse your options. I originally thought I'd get one large, shallow container but couldn't find one that would make the most use of the space. I found that these two containers would utilize the full width and depth of my shelf.

3. Find containers that fit within your main container(s). I actually spent a bit of time trying out a variety of insert containers. I looked for small containers that had straight sides, so that I wouldn't have wasted space as I seated them next to one another. I also realized that while a quart container of grape tomatoes or cauliflower would be about right, I did not need that large of a container for sunflower seeds. So I ended up with one quart freezer containers and one cup freezer containers that fit well in an arrangement together to make the most of the available space.

4. Take them home and wash them. Clean out your fridge. And see how your larger container(s) fit. Don't like the way it works? Get creative and move things around. Who says that a produce drawer can't hold small containers of dairy products? Who says egg cartons can't be stored on their sides?

5. Empty your produce drawers of all your salad items and prep them for the salad bar. You'll want to use a lid for items such as onions, which could make everything else smell like them, or for cucumbers, which are best when not dried out to the same humidity level as, say, mushrooms. If they don't need to be extra moist or aren't likely to share their aroma, I leave the small container open within the larger container to make it more convenient.

6. I leave half of one large container open to keep my lettuce handy, also. Line it with a paper towel, wash and tear your lettuce, place it loose in the open side, and cover lightly with a damp paper towel. Really, salad making doesn't get any easier than this.

7. Get creative with your salad bar contents. Don't think only produce, think of canned items that could jazz up your salad building, nuts, eggs, whatever you like to eat.

8. Remember, it's not just for breakfast. What would it be handy to have ready to go for making other meals a snap?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

What's in my salad bar right now?
Romaine lettuce
Iceberg lettuce
Hard boiled eggs (peeled and in fresh water)
Cucumbers
Onion
Sunflower Seeds
Scallions
Grape Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Broccoli
Radishes
Jicama
Celery
Sweet Pepper
Cauliflower

Things I have/will have in my salad bar:
Apple
Garbanzo Beans
Beets
Kidney Beans
Black Beans
Squash
Zucchini
Carrots
Banana Pepper Rings
Mandarin Oranges
Fennel
Snap Peas

Go crazy - It's all good for you!