Being a homeschooling mom of three, of course I plan out all of our meals for the week and then grocery shop according to the extensive list I've made after pouring through our pantry to discover what we need to purchase. NOT. (And such a long run-on sentence would lead you to ask what kind of education my kids are actually receiving, would it not?)

All joking aside...I'm not a master strategist when it comes to cooking -- I've just never taken the time to plan meals out. However, I love to cook and am always finding shortcuts to make it go faster and to eliminate the things that I dislike about cooking.

My favorite tip (and forgive me -- I've done this for so long I don't remember who to attribute it to, but I know there was someone who gave this idea to me, as I'm not smart enough to come up with it on my own) is that I don't buy whole onions or bell peppers anymore. I buy the little flash-frozen packages (pre-chopped) by Birdseye and store them in my freezer. When a recipe calls for onion or bell pepper, I simply pull out the package and eyeball the amount. No cutting involved. I mean, who really enjoys cutting onions? You can also buy the little packages of celery, onion and peppers to be used for stews, stirfries, or any other meal your little heart desires.

It works for me...what works for you? Head on over to Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more great WFMW tips!