It’s always a good idea to prepare for unexpected emergencies. If you’re a busy parent on the go, the best way to expect the unexpected is to buy your food in bulk and freeze the excess. There’s nothing more satisfying than opening up your freezer and seeing your collection of frozen fruits and nutty treats.
When stockpiling your foods, be sure to put these freezer staples in an upright freezer like these to maximize your storage space. That way, a round of rummaging through a chest freezer won’t leave you back-ache ridden and begging for takeout.
If your New Year’s resolution revolves around swapping processed to-go meals with nutritious homemade dinners, freezer cooking may be the missing ingredient in your kitchen makeover. Freezing foods is one of the best ways to preserve your grocery freezer staples, as frozen foods retain their nutrition during the freezing process. Because produce starts to lose its nutritional value before it ends up in your cart, keep an eye out for these great groceries to buy in bulk and freeze.
Here are some tips on how to get started.
Meats
Stock up your freezer with different meats so that you always have a tasty dinner entrée on standby. Ground beef freezes very well, along with packaged bacon and chicken. Hot dogs are another excellent freezable option. Just remember to defrost your meats overnight before you intend to use them.
Bags of berries
When you’re next at the grocery store, pick up some bagged berries to store in your deep freeze. Berries pack a nutritional punch and are great to have on hand for things like breakfast smoothies, pies, and crumbles. It’s great to have out-of-season berries at your fingertips whenever you like.
Bananas
Fresh bananas seem to over-ripen and go brown almost overnight. Instead of throwing out less-than-perfect bananas, freeze them instead. Be sure to peel them before bagging them. Then you’ve got a nutritious treat to throw into smoothies or your morning fruit medleys.
Green veggies
Vegetables like carrots, broccoli, squash, and peas are great candidates for your freezer stockpile since they retain their nutrition after freezing. You can buy bagged frozen vegetables at your local store or even blanch and store your own garden’s vegetables.
Shredded cheese
When buying your shredded cheese, consider buying in bulk and freezing the excess (unopened) packages. Shredded cheese is an everyday staple in most meals, so be sure to keep some on hand (and on ice).
Pre-made meals
Let’s face it: sometimes, making a meal seems like too daunting a task. Consider keeping some pre-made meal options in your freezer for nights you aren’t up for cooking. If pre-made store-bought food isn’t up your alley, then start freezing the leftover portions of your homemade meals to freeze for a rainy day.
Nuts
While nuts go rancid unfrozen, they maintain their freshness and flavor for much longer once you freeze them. Nuts are incredibly versatile. You can grind nuts into flours, eat them whole as snacks, or even turn them into nut milk. Go nuts.
Wrap up
Freezing bulk items will give you peace of mind because you know you have enough on-hand to create several meals. Shop smart and buy in bulk, freezing the excess to use tomorrow.
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