When you get home from work, and you just want to get dinner on the table, using frozen produce and products can save you time and money.
Frozen vegetables from the supermarket are snap frozen, so the nutrient value is retained, if not better than fresh! As fruit & veg gets older, the nutrient levels reduce, so snap freezing it as soon as it is harvested helps retain its goodness. Fresh vegetables have more crunch and bite, if that’s what you like best.
To save time, keep fresh, sturdy products you use most in the freezer to speed preparation up. Keep re-useable freezer bags (available at kitchen stores) for diced and/or sliced Onion, chopped leeks, capsicum (diced, strips or chunks), diced, sliced & julienned Carrot, curry leaves, lemon grass, whole chillis (red, green, jalapeño, whatever you use most of) bananas, peeled ginger – if you’re going to cook it, freeze it! Freezing them will make them go soggy when defrosted, so for fresh salads or garnish, you need fresh veges to add some crunch and texture. Keep as much as your freezer will allow. I’ve had success with all of the above!
When my bananas are going ripe too quickly over the summer, I peel them, pop them in a bag and freeze them then they are ready to use for healthy smoothies, banana loaf/cake or muffins later!
I pre-mash a large batch of potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower or parsnips, with a little skim milk and dried herbs such as chives, Italian mixed herbs, oregano, and freeze in a small mould (round, square, semi-circle, ice cube) then once frozen store in a freezer bag for heating up in the microwave at mealtimes.
Freezer cubes are a good idea too, juice, citrus zest, yoghurt, pureed fruit, pesto, coconut milk, stock – rather than throwing it out, if you have some left and you’ll use it again, freeze it and pop it into resealable freezer bags or containers (make sure you label & date them!), then you can use the ice cube trays for something else.
If you see your favourite butter or margarine on sale, buy a couple (or a few, again depending on how much space you have in your freezer). Keep one in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. When you need to open a new one, take it out the day before you need it, and let it defrost overnight, or at least a few hours until it is spreadable.
Fruit and vegetables will keep frozen for up to 3 months, make sure you note the date you froze a product on the package!
See my recipe for Mediterranean Vegetable Medley for another freezer-friendly pre-prepped side veg.
