The Bag Lady

Zip it baby!
Man, I have to admit, I love Ziploc bags. Without them, I would be a mess.
Ziplocs are one of my must have items while living in Vallarta.
They keep snacks snacky. With the humidity here in the summer, potato chips become potato limps without them.
Plus you end up fighting the battle of the super-mini ants. If you even so much as open a bag of anything edible, these little buggers come out of nowhere to pilfer your goods.

With Zipoloc bags, your cheese stays fresher, your bread even better and besides in the kitchen they have other uses as well.
But, in the kitchen I have found, Ziploc bags are a godsend. I marinate meat in them, I store veggies and fruits in them. When I hit one of the markets on their fruit and veggie day and I buy a bunch of stuff, I take it all home, wash it well and then cut it all up, put it in Ziplocs and then when I am cooking or making a lunch, I just take out what I need. Viola! Easy!

I find most people skip on the fruit and veggies as it can be a pain to have to clean a head of broccoli when you have a sink full of dishes but when you have a few bags full of pre-washed ready to go veggies, throwing together a stir-fry is a flash in the pan. A handful of this, a handful of that and in no time, a healthy and flavorful meal is at your table. This method also works great for throwing together a salad, a wrap or an omelet. Quick and easy, now I like that!

I also use the Ziploc freezer bags for when I go on my meat buying binge. Sam's Club sells their meat in monster sized packs, so when I get it home, I simply portion it out, wrap it in wax wrap, toss it in a freezer bag and then write what it is, portion amount and date. Makes life simple.

Outside of the kitchen, Ziplocs are my travel make-up bag. They also hold wet bathing suits. When I travel, I put my shoes in them to keep dirt from getting my clothes or suitcase dirty. I have also been known to use them as my wallet/coin purse. Ok, a little trailer trashy of me but they work great, you see where everything is and hunting for a peso is a thing of the past.

Ziplocs also make a great shoe stretcher! If you have new shoes that are too tight, fill a sandwich sized Ziploc with some water (make sure there is no air so the bag is pliable) and tuck the bag into the shoe and place it in the freezer for about 24 hours. Water expands when it becomes ice and will usually stretch the shoe to a more comfortable fit.

I also tend to reuse some of the Ziplocs. My rule of thumb is if it held meat or cheese, I throw it away after one use. If it held veggies or fruits, snacks, cookies or bread, I will wash them well with hot sudsy water and let them dry and use again.

Now if only the stores would start carrying the cheapo paper plates!