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Monday, March 10th, 2014
Fresh from the garden, roasted, and ready to freeze – tomato sauce!
Home cooked dinners in the freezer are like money in the bank – that’s what I always say! The only difference is food, unlike money, has a shelf life. Don’t leave it in the freezer too long otherwise you’ll end up with freezer burn.
Making more than one night’s worth of a great meal, to put away for the not too distant future, is a time saver and great on rushed nights. When I go to the freezer and find a dinner, it’s the same feeling as when you reach your hand in your pocket and you find five bucks. Score!
Freezing food is an excellent way to avoid food waste, too. If we can’t eat it before it goes bad – or if it was lost in the back of the refrigerator – it gets frozen for another time.
Mexican pulled pork can feed our family 5 dinners – mixed with pinto beans. It’s delish!
5 Tips for Cooking and Freezing Foods
- Cook: When making a meal, double the recipe and freeze one. Get into the habit of this and you will thank me. This method makes cooking meals ahead of time easy.
- Size: Freeze the food in size appropriate containers. If you’re single and live alone, freeze food in containers that work for you. If you’re feeding a family, freeze in containers that will provide enough for a dinner. Don’t forget to leave space at the top, too, for head-room. Liquids expand when freezing.
- Label: Use masking tape and label what you’re freezing. Don’t kid yourself and think you’ll be able to remember. I certainly can’t! Applesauce can look eerily similar to chicken stock when frozen.
- Convenience: Buying healthy convenience food is expensive and comes with lots of packaging. Brown rice, pinto beans, any beans, lentils – all of these work well when cooked and then frozen.
- Know: Not every food should be frozen – not because it’s bad – but when it thaws, it may not have a good texture. It all depends how you’re going to use the food once it’s thawed. Lettuce meant for a salad doesn’t work but spinach frozen works well when added to a soup. Mashed potatoes are fine to freeze but cubed potatoes in a soup are mush when thawed.
Pesto is always a favorite to have in the freezer. We call it “green gold.”
Get some money in your “freezer bank” and put together some meals for future dining. You can have a night off in the kitchen and enjoy a home cooked meal. Just make sure you don’t leave your dinner in the freezer too long!
What’s your favorite meal to freeze? What do you cook ahead and freeze?
Go Gingham related links:
Why I cook with pork – several reasons – and one involves sweat
Mexican pulled pork recipe is here – make it in the slow-cooker!
Just say no to baby carrots!
11 reasons to meal plan every week – save money, save time and reduce food waste
How our freezer gets used - what I keep in our freezer and how I utilize the space
Grocery shopping soon? Plastic grocery bag alternatives
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Sunday, March 9th, 2014
This was a great month of eating. We began with Super Bowl Sunday leftovers, had a dinner at grandma’s house, and then Valentine’s Day dinner with pureed beets and arugula salad. Next, we hosted our dinner group with a fancy dinner and then had our kids’ school auction. Our lives revolve around food, don’t they? […]
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Friday, March 7th, 2014
Here’s what the 9th week of this home organization project has taught me: The less I have, the more I want less. It’s a think piece. Things I’ve been keeping and holding onto for one reason or another are now going, going, gone! Once we finish an area, it feels so good. During it and […]
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Wednesday, March 5th, 2014
Do you ever buy something and wonder why? Me, too. I should not have bought this adorable table cloth but I couldn’t help myself. With those fresh colors and gingham; it was too cute! Plus, it was from a shopping trip with girlfriends to the Goodwill Clearance Center so was inexpensive. Once I got it […]
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Saturday, March 1st, 2014
Here’s an easy formula for frugal living and entertaining – dinner group. Good food + good friends = dinner group. It’s always good fun – and doesn’t break any budgets! Rotate hosts, rotate homes, and rotate who’s bringing what and you’ve got dinner group. Find some friends – 8 people is a good number – […]
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Friday, February 28th, 2014
Shoes, glorious, shoes – oh, how I love shoes! How many pairs does one person actually need? How about an active family? This week’s home organization project is – you guessed it – shoes! When every activity seems to require a different pair of shoes, we certainly own our share. Remember when we just went […]
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Tuesday, February 25th, 2014
This is a guest post from my husband. He loves to travel as much as I do. Knowing little about Central America – aside from foggy memories of the “Contra” scandal during the Reagan years – Costa Rica’s tropical, jungle mystique has made it a destination we’ve always wanted to visit. When we were contacted […]
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Monday, February 24th, 2014
Who doesn’t love mac & cheese? My family does! Pasta and cheese together? Yum! This healthier mac & cheese has a secret ingredient – not that I’m advocating hiding foods and tricking your family – but no one needs to know about the beans! This recipe tastes great and without lots of butter, cream or […]
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Friday, February 21st, 2014
This week’s home organization project took much longer than anticipated. The kitchen pantry got tackled and it took 6+hours. To save time, cookbooks should have been sorted and baskets, bowls should have been rounded up before starting – rather than during the project. After almost 19-years in our home, the kitchen pantry needed attention. The […]
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Thursday, February 20th, 2014
Electronics seem like they need to be upgraded before they’re barely out of the box. If you’re looking for ways to keep your electronics out of the landfill and recycle them, check out these organizations and companies. There are several options for recycling – and you can even mail items. Where to recycle electronics Free […]
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Monday, February 17th, 2014
On snowy days, we love to have a hearty soup for dinner. Well, I love to have a hearty soup for dinner. The rest of my family would prefer something else but split pea soup is one of my favorite meals. It’s so good for you and unlike cooking with dried beans, split peas don’t […]
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Saturday, February 15th, 2014
Dear 25-year-old Self, Buy bigger belts! You will not be the same size around the middle – despite all of your best intentions and hard work. Child birth, fashion, and gravity will all conspire against you, and your beautiful belts won’t fit any longer. With love, from your 45+-year-old Self ps buy Apple stock. If […]
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Friday, February 14th, 2014
When my kids were little and played with toys, I felt like the day would never come when they would stop – and we’d no longer step on random Legos or vacuum up Polly Pockets. But, before I knew it, we were in the slow process of giving away toys and games. What I’ve learned […]
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Thursday, February 13th, 2014
Are you always looking for ways to save? Me, too! These are my easy ways to save – both money and resources. These hit all of my requirements – good for you, good for the environment, and good for the pocketbook. Cook :: Cook at home. You’ll eat healthier and with meal planning, you won’t […]
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Monday, February 10th, 2014
One of my big dislikes of slow cooker recipes is that many of them call for opening a can of soup and pouring it on top of something. After I began paying attention to the ingredients listed on cans of soup, I realized I didn’t want to cook like that. While I try to avoid […]
