Freezing Food

I've been on vacation.
I haven't cooked in over a week.
My husband is out of town for the following week.
I may never cook again.

To even think about blogging about food is even harder.

I can do this.

FREEZING YOUR FOOD
If you have the ability to have another freezer, this will help your budget immensely and time.  Who doesn't want to save time and money?
There are  variety of foods that you can buy in the freezer section and not all freezer food is bad for you.  I'm not recommending buying a bunch of prepackaged freezer meals, but there are several great things you can buy already frozen.  Some of my favorites:

• chicken breast
• shrimp
• vegetables--plain (broccoli, corn, green beans, okra...) and mixed (different type of stir fry, pepper mix, California blend...)
• fruit--blueberries and triple berry blend are my faves, but you can find melon and strawberries as well. 

Now there are a lot of things that I buy that I put in the freezer and this is what makes my runs to the store minimal, allows me to buy extras of things here and there with little to no waste.  Now there are a lot fears of freezing food and believing it's not as good for you.  Say what!!??  I came across the great article from Eating Well (I like the name of their blog LOL) talking about some of the myths when it comes to freezing foods.  Read it HERE.   With that, here are a few things you would find in my freezers:

• milk (10 gallons)
• bread (sandwich, buns, rolls, some homemade some not)
• pizza dough (that I make)
• biscuits (I rarely buy these prepackaged but if it's a sale I will, other than that homemade)
• shredded cheese
• ground beef
• sandwich meat
• rotisserie chicken
• chicken thighs or drumsticks (I normally buy these fresh, it's much cheaper)
• okay, pretty much all meat I buy (Italian sausage, kielbasa sausage, pepperoni...I like meat)
• onions
• peppers
• cilantro
• nuts
• coconut
• flour
• fruit (if there is a good sale, like 99 cent strawberries, I'm buying several!)
• broth
• sauces
• prepared meals (sometimes store bought, sometimes homemade)

Now, I'm no pro and still continually to learn new methods and different items I can add to the freezer.  I love lemons or anything lemon based.  Let me reiterate that, I LOVE ANYTHING LEMON.  I just learned I can freeze those bad boys to last me such much longer.  So excited because many lemons were going down my disposal to clean it since I couldn't cook with them. If you have a garden this is very helpful, I'm not very good at canning.  Freezing is easy and fast!

You can find some excellent tips and suggestions from these websites.  They are also on my Pinterest page under Group Recipes/Cooking Tips.  I have read all of them.  They each have different things to offer and sometimes different methods, but all economical and helpful.

11 Secrets to Properly Freezing Fruits and Vegetables -- Design Mom

Can You Freeze THAT?  Six Figures Under

The Ultimate How-to Freeze Guide--Krazy Coupon Lady

So what if you don't have a deep freeze or extra freezer
I have learned a few things over time that last much longer in the refrigerator versus other items and things that we tend to think have a short shelf life so we go out and buy weekly or bi-weekly.  Obviously, I am going to buy what last the longest.

• Eggs--I don't freeze them, even though I buy about 8-10 dozen a month.  I have to make room in the fridge.  Sometimes the month has passed and I still have eggs in the fridge.  I completely ignore the expiration.  Eggs last forever...well, not FOREVER but easily keep for a month plus some.  Buy all your eggs at once.  I will say that I accidentally froze some hard boiled eggs (shell removed).  Removed the ice and put back in fridge, made no difference in texture or taste.
• Sour Cream and Yogurt--I buy the 32 oz. containers of yogurt.  I'm a devout Dannon girl.  I only buy Natural Plain and Natural Vanilla.  Sometimes I will buy the Lite and Fit vanilla flavor, but rarely.  I use this for a wonderful recipe I discovered in Austria, called Bircher.  A-MAZ-ING!  I also use the yogurt for parfaits and smoothies.  I have never had a container go bad in less than a month, assuming I haven't already use it all by months end.  If it doesn't get opened, then it will easily last me almost two months.  I also only buy natural sour cream.  I've had an unopened container of sour cream (16 oz) that has lasted 2 months easy.  I recommend not buying the larger than that so that it last longer.  If you buy the Sam's Club/Costco large container, once it's opened then the spoil timer starts ticking.  I find it's also balances out cost wise, because there isn't a generic at the wholesale stores like at Aldi, where I buy mine and I'm not tossing any food out.
• Romaine Lettuce--I like to buy the packages of 3 of Heart Romaine.  If kept in the proper vegetable drawer, it will last me just under a month.  I have done this two ways.  I have left it on it's core, unwashed and removed from core, washed.  The unwashed version last longer but not by much.  If I'm short some lettuce by the last week, I have enough other veggie options to last me to not have to buy more.
• Peppers--green and colored peppers are a staple at my house.  Green peppers will last me a month as long as I have them stored in my bottom drawer of my fridge.  Every refrigerator is different but this is the "Extra-crisp" veggie drawer.  Colored peppers don't last me as long so those I try to make sure to freeze.  Though I will freeze both, I know that the green peppers are going to last me.  The one thing to remember about veggies that sit for a while the value of nutrients goes down.  The refrigerator slows that decaying process down, and freezing nearly stops it.  Check for soft spots.  If it only has a small one go ahead and use it.  It's still good but will rot within the next couple of days.
• Cheese--Outside of crumbled feta cheese (I don't do bleu), almost every cheese I buy last a full month.  I buy a lot of cheese...6 packs of cream cheese, pepper-jack, Colby, sharp, muenster, cheddar, mozzarella and sometimes specialty cheeses.  The key here is buying what you need for the month and open it only when you need it.  If you don't use the whole block make sure it's wrapped tightly or kept in a tight baggie with little to no air.  Most cheese has already aged for a while...what's a little more aging?
• Sweet Potatoes--the key to making sure your potatoes don't start to sprout is keep them in a dark place.  I know some people put their potatoes in a refrigerator, but most of us don't have that space.  I have a cabinet with some drawers so I keep my potatoes there.  I rarely have them sprout before I need to use them.  I'm sure this applies to other potatoes but I rarely buy those, so I don't know.
• Bread--speaking of dark places...for many years I kept my bread on the counter top.  I always freeze my bread but once a loaf was defrosted and out it seemed to go stale or mold quickly, especially wheat.  Then I understood the value of a bread box.  I don't have one.  But I have that same cabinet with drawers and I keep my bread in one of the drawers.  It's amazing the life it add to your bread.  I have actually had a loaf last a full month without going stale!  The other option is keep in your fridge.  Not a fan of cold bread.
• Carrots--these keep in the fridge well.  The key is to not let me dry out.  I normally just buy baby carrots.  I try to keep them in a sealed bag and in the veggie drawer.
• Green Onions
• Celery
• Cabbage--some people are afraid of the slightest browning to their food.  Don't be, it's harmless.  Don't throw it out!  Cabbage is one of those sad veggies that gets dumped for being mistakenly "gone bad."  One head of cabbage can last me a month, easy.  I'll use half for one meal and later on in the month for another meal.  But when I cut it in half the edges will brown.  Take a knife and trim the brown off.  Your cabbage is like new.  Cooks and taste great!

I'm sure there are other things I don't know about and these were things that I buy often.  They came first to my mind.  I would love to hear others ideas and suggestions to help me and others.  Anything to save me time and make my budget stretch a little further!