A Ground beef should be used within two days of purchase. Be sure to check the use by information on the package label before purchase. You can store ground beef safely in your refrigerator at 35 to 40 degrees, for one to two days. If you can't use it within that time, freeze it.
Quick loaf pans. Most quick loaf recipes (banana bread, zucchini bread) are written for 9 x 5 x 2 3/4-inch pans, a traditionally shaped loaf pan that's just slightly larger than a yeast bread loaf pan. Caveat emptor: Using a yeast loaf pan for a quick bread recipe may result in batter overflowing the pan. Likewise, using a quick bread pan for a yeast loaf recipe may result in a loaf that doesn't dome. These pans, though similar in size and shape, are not interchangeable. Quick loaves also can be baked in a longer, narrower pan (about 12 x 4 x 2 1/2 inches).
I'm debating whether to buy a 1 lb or 1.5 lb loaf pan (Chicago Metallic specifically). Is one size more common than the other for sandwich bread recipes? I already have a 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 Pyrex loaf pan but I'm not sure what size that equates to in terms of pounds. Your 8.5 x 4.5-inch is a 1.5-lb loaf pan, meaning that the dough is scaled at 1.5 pounds for this size pan. Of the two sizes you're considering, it is more commonly called for in recipes. However the 1-pound pan size is nice for sandwich slices if you like them about the same dimensions as store-bought sandwich bread, or can't finish a larger loaf before it goes stale. Mine are 7.5 x 3.75 x 2.25. I reach for them more often than the 1.5-pound pans, but use at least two at a time.