Here are some tips that may be basic, but then again they may be new to you.

• Scrubbing Vegetables - for scrubbing vegetables such as potatoes I have found a scotchbrite pad (or similar scrubber) to be ideal. Its flexibility allows it to get in and clean all those curvy surfaces.
• Clean as you cook - I have always found that if I keep cleaning up the little messes while I have a minute before the next step in the preparation of a meal that when all the cooking is done there is little left to clean (except the dinner dishes themselves). This gives you more time with your guests after dinner without having a big chore yet to do.
• Coffee grounds - many outdoor plants just love having them! I collect coffee grounds and put them around the base of my roses and several other plants. You can also add coffee grounds to a compost pile.