I was curious if anyone had had any luck in prepping things ahead of time and freezing it, like with a vacuum sealer? For example ... cauliflower rice, purees, etc.? I know that being prepared ahead of time are vital to the success with this so anything that makes life easier through the week would be a huge help. I've never been much of a cook, but I have a Foodsaver so that when meat is on sale, I can stock up and freeze in individual portions.
I make 3 qts of veggie puree at a time & freeze 2 qts.
I also shred zucchini and chop peppers and freeze. I don't want things going bad!
I also make my own chicken broth from scraps/bones & freeze that.
Hope someone else will be able to give info about caulirice.
Since I'm not so much of a cook, and normally can only make something if I have a recipe or a box with instructions to follow ... could you tell me how you do your stuff? Do you have to blanch stuff before you freeze it? Add water? Pat dry? (Quit laughing!! I. Am. Clueless.!!! )
That's my thing, I buy stuff and am not always able to get it used so I want to freeze it, but I don't know what I'm doing and I haven't been able to find much in the way of instruction online. I've winged it with my meats. I was smart enough to put parchment paper between the hamburger patties I made though!
Since I'm not so much of a cook, and normally can only make something if I have a recipe or a box with instructions to follow ... could you tell me how you do your stuff? Do you have to blanch stuff before you freeze it? Add water? Pat dry? (Quit laughing!! I. Am. Clueless.!!! )
That's my thing, I buy stuff and am not always able to get it used so I want to freeze it, but I don't know what I'm doing and I haven't been able to find much in the way of instruction online. I've winged it with my meats. I was smart enough to put parchment paper between the hamburger patties I made though!
Well, the purees are a variety of veggies plus whatever needs to be used up in the fridge. Since we're both in St Louis, I either go to Schlafly Farmers Market on Wednesday after work or Ferguson Farmers Market on Saturday am to get my produce. Last weekend, I got a huge bunch of turnip greens with 5 turnips. The greens went in the pot to be cooked down before pureed. i use chicken broth when I cook things down and then puree. There is usually garlic and green onion, typically celery and bok choy. Sometimes bell peppers and usually a bit of hot pepper too.
The bell peppers and jalapeno peppers I chopped and froze, that is literally what I did. I chopped them, tossed them in a bag and froze them. They'll need to be chipped apart to get what I need when I want to use them. I guess I could have frozen them on a parchment lined cookie sheet first and then the pieces would have stayed more "separate". It just wasn't that big of a deal to me (and my freezer is small)
Rainbow's recipes are great because she includes all the pics of what she did. That might be VERY helpful!
When I have time to prep a nighttime protein, I always overcook and then freeze and store in individual servings. I do this in glass tupperware or in plastic baggies (depending on what it is--turkey burgers go in baggies, "looser" items go in tupperware). I find the frozen useful when I'm in a rush and am in search of a mircowave dinner. I just roast up a few veggies and I'm good to go!
i freeze my purees and soups easily in the freezer in the crystal cut jelly mason jars 8 oz. perfect for about 3/4 cup puree or soup with head space...which is 1 vegetable serving.
make sure you leave some space for expansion and i have found that straight sided work best and the quilted jars don't break.
you can sit them out on the counter in the morning, or put them in the fridge for 1-2 days to thaw....and sometimes i even sit in a pot of hot water to help speed the thawing if i need it faster!!
i love my golden goddess soup and can not find orange zucchini except in sept. and early oct. so i always freeze ahead!!
You are wise to buy meat and freeze it in individual portions.
The price of meat will be steadily rising because of the drought. I hear bacon may double by next summer.
I have a foodsaver and buy meat & fish when it is on sale. The foodsaver really helps to keep freezer burn at bay.
I also buy hamburger wholesale from a slaughterhouse where it is packaged for long term storage.
I make chili and spaghetti in large amounts and freeze it in one-serving plastic containers. That saves me a lot of time later. And I know how many calories are in each small portion.
I make and freeze my own fruit juices from my garden, and I also freeze whole tomatoes and sliced green peppers.
I count my calories, so I try to keep my frozen portions small.
Don't be scared...the one thing to note about freezing is that most veggies get soggy when you freeze and then thaw...especially the ones we can have because they tend to be high water content ones. So...I usually make soups/purees or use them in something that you do not mind being soggy. For example sauteed peppers for "fajitas" or in eggs vs. just cutting peppers up and thinking you will use them as snacks...yuck.
We almost always make extra meat and then I freeze it in pre-portioned amounts...it makes it so easy. I also tend to chop two days worth of veggies at a time. If I am roasting then I do double batches.
Thanks ladies!! This is the kind of info I was looking for! I think I will do some make ahead purees so I can have some variety through the week, instead of four days of cauliflower, or four days of something else.
Good tip about the peppers. I love peppers in my omelets.
I did learn last night that zuchini chips don't keep their crisp. I don't typically like it, but I've tried the chips and as long as they're still crispy I love them. But once they get chewy and start tasting like zuchini again? Not so much. Since I make them in the oven (until I get a dehydrator) and they take sooooo long, I'm going to have to save them for weekends.
Well, the purees are a variety of veggies plus whatever needs to be used up in the fridge. Since we're both in St Louis, I either go to Schlafly Farmers Market on Wednesday after work or Ferguson Farmers Market on Saturday am to get my produce. Last weekend, I got a huge bunch of turnip greens with 5 turnips. The greens went in the pot to be cooked down before pureed. i use chicken broth when I cook things down and then puree. There is usually garlic and green onion, typically celery and bok choy. Sometimes bell peppers and usually a bit of hot pepper too.
Rainbow's recipes are great because she includes all the pics of what she did. That might be VERY helpful!
I have a friend that is a vendor at Ferguson. She keeps telling me I should come up. Maybe we could meet up on a Saturday morning?
How do you know what tastes good together? Trial and error? For example, I've never had turnip or greens either one. I wouldn't even know what to put with them to cook them (other than your suggestions!!).
Sorry for responding separately ... I'm apparently clueless about multiple quotes too because I can't for the life of me get that to work either!
I did learn last night that zuchini chips don't keep their crisp. I don't typically like it, but I've tried the chips and as long as they're still crispy I love them. But once they get chewy and start tasting like zuchini again? Not so much. Since I make them in the oven (until I get a dehydrator) and they take sooooo long, I'm going to have to save them for weekends.
I bet you could crisp them back up in the oven again if they "uncrisped" (is that a word lol!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by AngieBaby41
I have a friend that is a vendor at Ferguson. She keeps telling me I should come up. Maybe we could meet up on a Saturday morning?
How do you know what tastes good together? Trial and error? For example, I've never had turnip or greens either one. I wouldn't even know what to put with them to cook them (other than your suggestions!!).
Sorry for responding separately ... I'm apparently clueless about multiple quotes too because I can't for the life of me get that to work either!
I take a guess!!! You can use the veggie puree ideas from Liz's thread: fun with veggie purees.
I think celery makes all my soup broths taste better so celery goes in all my purees. I'm a garlic lover so its a given. I use bok choy because its pretty bland but good for you. I just guessed on the turnip greens b/c I didn't want them to go to waste when I bought the turnips. Making oven turnip fries.
The things I am freezing are for cooking with later. Peppers are chopped to add to sautees. Zucchini is shredded and bagged for making IP muffins or pancakes. That way I can stock up while the fresh produce is available & what I buy doesn't go bad. Tonite I'm chopping up some green onions that are getting a tad old. Nothing that was frozen would be good raw.
RE: Ferguson market. This week I went at 8:15 am. Last week it was about 9. It sort've depends on what I have planned for the day. The earlier I go, the less it carves out of my day. I live in Ballwin so it's a hike to get there. I'd be happy to let you know what time I'm going.
oh yeah...one more thing...to quote or multi quote...at the bottom of a post, it says quote. Click that to quote one person. Click the quotation marks on multiple posts and then click "post reply" to reply to multiple
I buy Kroger Great Value tenderloins, which are usually almost $10 for about 4 pounds. I wait until the "sell buy date" is today and then the price gets knocked off by 50%. Then I use the zip-loc individual portions bags and put 2 tenderloins in a bag and all those servings in a big freezer bag and freeze them. I also cut up my broccoli into the same portion bags and freeze it. And then when I cook my meats I make them with 2-3 portions in mind so I have 2-3 meals.
I've started making a list of marinades that I can just pre-portion meat into and freeze. So much easier to thaw and cook rather than having to make the marinade (or in my case, REMEMBER to make the marinade) in the morning! I will often buy 2lb of boneless chicken breasts when they're on sale, and cook the whole thing - I sautee garlic in olive oil, season the chicken with basil and a little salt, and add it to the pan with a half cup of Apple Cider Vinegar. Then I can just pull out the chicken I need from the fridge through the week - cold for salads, or reheated with veggies and seasonings for stir fry, Pad thai, etc!
i freeze my purees and soups easily in the freezer in the crystal cut jelly mason jars 8 oz. perfect for about 3/4 cup puree or soup with head space...which is 1 vegetable serving.
make sure you leave some space for expansion and i have found that straight sided work best and the quilted jars don't break.
you can sit them out on the counter in the morning, or put them in the fridge for 1-2 days to thaw....and sometimes i even sit in a pot of hot water to help speed the thawing if i need it faster!!
i love my golden goddess soup and can not find orange zucchini except in sept. and early oct. so i always freeze ahead!!
When you say it is one serving of vegetable is this the 2 cups per meal for IP?
Making ahead & freezing???
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