There are lots of frozen food that are healthy and at times more appropriate to use than what you can buy in the store. This allows for eating food out of season, reducing waste by storing food longer than the fridge can provide, and you can quickly prep to have food ready to use for fast meals when needed.
Generally I look for single ingredient frozen foods that contain no added salts or sugars, and no sauces. This is one thing Trader Joes is good at, having basic frozen food you can use to create quick dinners. Look for bags where the food has not frozen into a big single clump, for I have been told this indicates it has thawed and was refrozen. You want to feel the individual peas or corn when you pick up the bag.
Defrost? I generally do not defrost the food, just throw them into my dish, unless the dish cannot handle the extra liquid. If making Shepard’s Pie I thaw the peas, because too much water will dilute the gravy. For Lasagna I want as much water gone as possible so I thaw and squeeze the water out of frozen spinach. For a slow cooking stew or soup I do not worry and throw in the frozen food.
Proper storage: Date everything you put in the freezer, make sure oldest is in front so it gets used sooner. Use containers or processes that do well in the freezer.
Here are the frozen foods in my freezer right now.
Leftovers. Of course I would start the list with this. I have left over chili and soups in the freezer right now. (Actually one less chili, we had that for dinner the other night.)
Pesto. Bought or made, pesto does great in the freezer. Best is to save it in ice-cube sizes so you can just pull out the number of cubes you want. Pesto is also a great way to use up left over greens from the garden too. Pesto can be made from basil, parsley, cilantro, arugula, kale, beet greens, spinach, etc. Even without a garden you can do this by purchasing a large tub of Pesto at Costco (check the ingredients) and once home spoon pesto into ice cube forms and freeze. Once frozen, move the cubes into a “pesto freezer bag” for later use.
Peas. While I do occasionally buy fresh peas (ate some last week in fact), it takes time to properly prep, and the amount of peas for the effort is not equal.
- Pea Pod: After washing the pea pods, use a knife or your nails to break off the end and peel back the string that is on the top and bottom of the pod. In the summer, I would sit with my friends and do a big batch of peas + pods which we would then freeze (but we ate a lot while doing this as well).
- Peas Only: If you just want the peas you have to open and remove the peas from each pod. Not a good use of time and we tossed all the pods (although the pigs would eat them).
For last weeks dinner I prepped the peas by removing the strings, cut them diagonally and added to a stir fry dish. But if I was making Shepard’s Pie it would be easier and cheaper to use frozen peas. I always have 2 bags in my freezer.
Butter. Butter keeps well in the freezer and when I buy the European unsalted butter packages at Costco there is just too much for me to use in a reasonable time, so I freeze them.
Blueberries. I have two blueberry bushes that produce great berries and it is a race between me and my dog as to who can get to the bush and eat the berries first. (He does often wins.) Frozen blue berries work great in oatmeal, and smoothies. So do frozen organic raspberries,strawberries and peaches. I want only the fruit, no juice or added sugars.
Corn. I always have a bag on hand for that last minute quick feast or casserole. I do not like canned corn, but frozen can taste like fresh if properly used. I do occasionally roast and cut off the kernels from the corn cob for dinner, but do not always have the time.
Bread. I will freeze good quality sliced bread so I can pull out just the number of slices I need and keep the rest frozen. This way I can always have good bread available when the time comes. To defrost I just stick slices into the toaster and set it on the highest setting (#7). Comes out very tasty each time.
Ice Cream. This is generally not for me, but for others in my house. If I get any, I choose sherbets, ices, and sorbets which are lower-calorie deserts.
Rice. This is not for me, but we keep some Trader Joes rice packets on hand for those times when I am away or for some reason cannot cook. This is a very easy, heat up and eat pouch of white or brown rice. I look for the lowest sodium available with no added sauces, just plain rice. (Actually, I think we primarily use this rice for the dog when he has an upset stomach.)
Riced Cauliflower. This is just a pure time saver and I can use only what I need and keep the rest frozen. I generally only get the cauliflower alone, although there are bags with riced cauliflower and mixed veggies now.
Spinach. Already wilted, frozen spinach can speed up the cooking of lasagna and other dishes. I use frozen for casserole type dishes, I prefer fresh for soups.
Stock. All the stock I make I freeze, with the oldest in front so they get used in a timely way. I have mainly chicken and some homemade dashi. I try to never buy premade stock, it is so easy to make and so much more healthy and flavorful.
Meat: All the meats in my freezer are “organic,” grass fed and pasture raised. Mainly we have chicken, but there are some smaller half-pound packages of ground beef, lamb, pork, and turkey. All meats are portioned into cooking sizes so when I pull to defrost I know how many servings I can make. Exception is that I have two whole chickens for special dinners. We rarely eat beef cuts, and when we do it is part of a meal like stir fry or a casserole dish.
Salmon. I take salmon and portion them out into bags and put in the freezer. If it is to be baked with other veggies or fruit then frozen salmon works well. (Again this is when I buy a huge cut of salmon from Costco.)
Mixed Bags. I have a bag of mixed chicken bones and leftovers for my next stock and a mixed bag of veggies for the next veggie stock.
What do you have in your freezer? Does your list match mine? What other foods would you add to the list?
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NEWS: (1) 2/20/2019 A new California-based study followed 16 people who transitioned to a 100 percent organic diet and found that their exposure to four classes of pesticides was reduced an average of 60 percent over just six days. The researchers studied 16 people in four demographically and geographically diverse families, hailing from Oakland, Minneapolis, Baltimore, and Atlanta. As I have written, if you can it is best to switch to all organic or at least minimally pesticide-free produce. The more we can get those chemicals out of our body the better our health.
Recipe: I added some cutlets choices, a Greek and Italian options as well as a Lemon Orange Cod. I added a Dashi broth, as well as a second broth and seasoning to make from the leftovers. I also added a Garlic Cod + Fennel dish.
–Patty