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Did you know you can use your freezer to help you save time and money?
Freezing simple things like leftovers, baked goods and berries are common place. But what if I told you, you could save huge amounts of time and money with your freezer.
By the end of this article you are going to want to invest in a simple freezer, nothing too technical a simple chest freezer will do.
40 Foods You CAn Freeze to Save you time and money:
1. Berries
Freezing the bounty of the summer season. Strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries all amazing summer fruits you can freeze for use in baking, smoothies, topping ice cream or just for enjoying alone. Freezing fresh berries during the summer will save you time and money in the winter when you have a craving for strawberries and cream.
Wash and slice your berries, or freeze them whole. Place berries on a cookie sheet, freeze, then place in a freezer bag for easy storage and use.
2. Avocados
Avocados like other produce ripen fast and spoil easily when only partial used. Frozen avocados are great in smoothies and main meal dishes.
To freeze, slice and place on a cookie sheet. Once frozen transfer to a freezer bag for easy storage. You can also blend fresh avocado and freeze in ice cube trays.
3. Herbs
Flavorful cooking and gardening. You can freeze fresh rosemary, garlic, basil and other herbs by adding them to oil or butter in an ice cube tray.
Slice up your herbs and add them to olive oil in an ice cube tray and freeze. These can then be added to various recipes throughout the year.
Make your own herbal butters by adding garlic and rosemary or fresh lavender to homemade butter. Save these great spreadable treats by storing them in an ice cube tray or small container. When defrosting, mix to ensure proper consistency.
4. Coffee
Everything is better with coffee. You can freeze whole bean and ground coffee to ensure freshness. This is a great way to save money when your favorite coffee goes on sale.
You can also freeze coffee ice cubes for use in blended drinks or cocktails.
5. Muffins, Pastries and More
Whether you are baking blueberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies, apple pies or homemade bread. You can freeze it all so it is ready when you need it.
You can also freeze ready to bake cookie dough, pastry dough, cinnamon buns, bread and more. If you can bake it generally you can freeze it.
Plus think about it. A bakery or coffee shop will charge you $2-$3 a muffin you can save that money by stocking your freezer with all you favorite homemade pastries.
6. Meats
Let’s face it meat can be expensive so when it goes on sale stock up and freeze. Separate it in to meal size portions or freezer meals.
If you live close to a butcher or farmer look into prices for 1/4 or 1/2 cuts. Splitting the cost of half a cow with a friend could save you tons of money during the year. But only invest in what you will eat.
7. Milk
When milk goes on sale it’s time to stock up. You can freeze milk and cream. However, it is suggested that due to slight separation during freezing, previously frozen milk and cream should be used for baking and cooking not drinking unless desired. Ensure mixing and or shaking before use.
8. Cheese
Cream cheese, cheddar cheese and grated cheeses, you can freeze it all. Just note the consistency may change during defrosting, so use this cheese in baking and cooking.
9. Eggs
This is one item I was surprised at. I did not know you could freeze raw eggs. I did know you could freeze egg bites and other forms of cooked egg but raw egg surprised me. You will need to crack the raw eggs into an ice cube tray and freeze as single egg units. Or you could freeze egg whites or yokes individually.
10. Pancakes and Waffles
Make your mornings faster by batch making pancakes and waffles. Freeze the extras by layering them between parchment paper and placing in a freezer bag.
11. Smoothies
Divide up all your greens, coconut cream, avocado, fruits and juices into individual freezer bags for easy morning smoothie making. This also gives you the advantage to use up leftover or ready to spoil produce.
12. Greens
Don’t let your extra kale and spinach go to waste. Freeze your extra greens for use in frittatas, smoothies, baking and more.
13. Fruit
You can freeze more than berries. Do you have leftover watermelon, apple, grapes or bananas? Freeze them and use them in smoothies and baking. Bananas can be used in dairy free ice cream, baking, smoothies and more.
14. Vegetables
Harvest the bounty of the season and freeze it. You name it and you can freeze it. Most fresh vegetables will require a slight blanch before freezing. Place vegetables in a freezer bag for easy storage. Note that some vegetables will change consistency during freezing.
15. Pasta
Frozen lasagna comes to mind first when I think of pasta in the freezer. But this falls more into the batch cooking idea. Cook extra pasta and freeze for easy meal preparation on busy weeknights. Simply defrost heat slightly and add sauce.
16. Cooked Ground Meat
Was there a sale on ground beef? Great think of all the dinner dishes you can make. Tacos, lasagna, spaghetti, burritos, shepherd’s pie and etc. Cook your ground beef and store it in separate meal freezer bags. This way you can grab a bag and make tacos on a busy weeknight and still have another bag for the next time you make lasagna.
17. Sauces
Sauces and marinades are great items to freeze. Simply defrost and serve.
18. Stocks and Broths
Do you make homemade broths, stocks and bone broths? Freeze your extras to save you time and money.
19. Bones
Did you have chicken tonight? Freeze the bones to use the next time you want to make broth or soup stock.
20. Soups
This is one of my favorite freezer items. There is something about having a warm cup of soup on a cold winter night. Batch make your soups and freeze the extras to save time and money.
21. Casseroles
Large family and busy schedules call for casseroles. Simple easy meals you transfer from the freezer to the counter to the oven. Lasagna, taco bake, there are so many options for casseroles. Casseroles are also a money saving meal option.
22. Baby Food
Don’t go buy the premade baby food when you can make your own at home. Simple freeze the extras in easy to store containers. This way you know your child is eating the best and no food is going to waste.
23. Juices
Whether there is a sale on juice or you are a fresh juice maker freezing your extras will help you save money.
24. Yogurt
Freezing yogurt for use in baking and cooking is a great time saver. You can also freeze yogurt as a substitute for ice cream. If you have single yogurts you can place a popsicle stick in the tub and make your own yogurt pop.
25. Hummus and Other Spreads
Did your favorite store have a special on hummus and spreads, freeze the extras for later use. Or did you batch make more than you need, save the extras.
26. Flours
Depending on how fast you cook or bake freezing your flours and dry goods can make them last longer.
27. Applesauce
I love applesauce whether it is homemade or store bought. It is a great dairy free substitute for yogurt or sour cream in a recipe you can also use it as a substitute for eggs and oil in some recipes. Applesauce is also a great baby food and kids treat.
28. Bacon
Bacon makes everything better, simply freeze your extras for use in baking and cooking. Save money by stocking up on fresh bacon during a store sale and freezing till needed.
29. Bananas
Like I stated before bananas are a great frozen treat. Do not let the bananas go to waste! Freeze bananas whole (but peeled) or slice them and freeze them in chunks. You can use frozen bananas in baking, dairy free ice cream and other cooking recipes.
30. Ginger
This one is another one I did not know you could freeze. Ginger is generally a cheap item but sometimes you have leftovers. Do not let it go to waste. Peel and freeze the ginger in chunks or grate if you know you will need this texture. Ginger can also be grated frozen if need be.
31. Citrus
Do you have extra lemons? Slice them up and freeze them for waters or baking. Grate the zest of the citrus and save for baking or savory dishes.
32. Nuts
For those of us that shop at bulk buy stores this is a money saving win. Freeze your nuts so they stay fresh longer.
33. Cooked Grains
Whether you are making extra rice, quinoa, barley or other grains you can freeze what you don’t use. Cooked grains make great additions to baking, salads and soups.
34. Tortillas
Fresh tortillas are amazing and they freeze well for use during taco or fajita night.
35. Cooked Beans
You don’t have to be on a beans and rice diet to know that freezing cooked beans is a time and money saver.
36. Tomato Paste and Sauce
Did you grow some amazing tomatoes this year and make a great sauce, freeze it and enjoy it all year. Did you only use a small amount of the tomato paste from the jar, freeze the extras to save money.
37. Zucchini
The plant that keeps on giving. Shred and freeze your extra zucchini for use in baking and cooking. If you enjoy zoodles (zucchini noodles) you can make them and freeze them to save time and money. Do not zucchini can change texture once frozen.
38. Vegetable Scraps For Stock
Do not let your extra vegetables or leftovers go to waste. Freeze your vegetable scraps for use in stock. Simply add a separate bag to the freezer marked “for stock” and add the vegetables as you go. Make stocks and broths when you have enough supply and time.
39. Pet Treats
Did you make fresh pet treats? Freeze the treats to ensure freshness. You can also freeze store bought treats to ensure savings.
40. Chocolate
Need I say anything more than chocolate…. Just note that chocolate can turn white once frozen and change texture. But it is still great for baking and cooking.
Another great time and money saver is freezer meals.
I love freezer meals, especially the ones you can simply dump into the slow cooker or Instant Pot and hit start. Talk about time saver and money saver.
Freezer meals can be anything from lasagna to chicken soup to marinated chicken. They are meals that you premake and freeze for use at a later date. They are huge time savers.
In fact you can make a weeks worth of freezer meals in one hour. If you are interested in the freezer meal program we use to stock our freezer with time saving yummy weeknight meals check this out.
Freezer meal and frozen food must haves:
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