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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Kitchen Tip - Use Your Freezer Wisely!
I just wanted to share something that I have been doing that has been working out just great for me! I made up a form on the computer with "Freezer Meals" at the top, with just some lines down the page with a check box beside each line (you can do this by using the bullets command and choosing the check box option). I have this list posted on my refrigerator, which sits beside our small chest freezer. Here is how I use it:
- Whenever I have leftovers from a meal, I put it in a freezer bag or container, add the items to my Freezer Meal list, then put it in the freezer.
- I also use this list to keep track of meats that I have in the freezer, such as hamburger, pork, ham, etc. That way you know exactly what you have.
- Keep a ziplock freezer bag with leftover veggies from your meals (you know that bite or two that you hate to throw out, but not enough to save). Keep adding to the bag and when you have a good amount, use it to make some vegetable beef soup! Add your chicken or beef broth and your cooked meat and put in the crockpot to heat all day. Yummy!
- Also use this list to write down any whole meals you have prepared and frozen. Some casseroles are easy to double and will give you two meals worth of food. Freeze half and you will have another meal to pull out later!
When I sit down each week to do my menu planning for the coming week, I look at this Freezer Meals list and try to incorporate some of the items into meals for the week. For example, I have some leftover black beans and rice that I froze. I could use this as a starter to make some taco soup by adding some corn, sauce, cheese, etc. to it. When I use a meal or items from the freezer, I cross it off my list so I know it is used.
If you are like me, in the past I have just put any leftovers in the refrigerator to eat up later. Well...that "later" never came and our nice leftovers found the trash after a while. I am finding that I need to just immediately freeze any leftovers and that way they can be used later and not be wasted. This also prevents things from being lost in your freezer forever and getting freezer burn before you use it.
This simple practice is working out great for me. It feels so good to be a good steward of our food...and it helps on the grocery bill too! It is fun to see how many meals I can prepare from things in the freezer and things I have on hand. Why not give it a try! |
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Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - bless you!