I ask myself the same question every week, how can it be Friday already? If you’re on a budget and/or hate relying on convenience foods, you have to think of cooking shortcuts, ways to prepare meals and sneaky little tricks that can get you in and out of the kitchen when time’s not your friend. Here are some tips I’ve found to help me make it through the week- Prepare Ahead of Time I’ve recently gotten into the habit of preparing vegetables and salads on the weekends. Most of the recipes I use call for onions, carrots and celery. Now I chop and slice extra, put them in zip lock…