Local and organic produce is ideal! But in our busy schedules, it is not always possible. I try to eat at home as much as I can. In order for me to make this happen for my family, I make big batches of everything and then I freeze or I use some frozen ingredients for a quick meal.
Frozen food gets a bad reputation but it is not always unhealthy. For instance, frozen vegetables and fruit are picked fresh and flash frozen. Therefore, they keep many nutrients that would have been lost while traveling to get to our grocery store. This means organic corn, peas, blueberries and other great vegetables and fruit are still nutritious and delicious to help you whip up a quick meal.
Tips for freezing
- Pair frozen food with something raw and green to increase the nutrients such as a salad or top food with fresh herbs.
- Freeze a portion of your meal the day you cook it so that it is as fresh as possible and still packed with nutrients.
- I always freeze beans because they take a long time to make but they are perfect for adding into almost every meal.
- Freeze soups in glass containers such as pyrex or mason jars. Leave a little room at the top, you don’t want it exploding.
- Freeze burgers by wrapping them in parchment paper before tossing in a pyrex or freezer bag. Make sure to remove as much air as you can!
- Eat within 2-3 months for optimal freshness, you want to intake before the freezer burn gets to it.
- Consider incorporating vegetables from your own vegetable garden or a farmers market to increase overall nutritional value.
- Don’t buy pre-made frozen foods full of sodium, sugar, additives and preservatives. Freeze your own!
- Label everything and clean out the junk!
Enjoy! It is better to incorporate your organic, frozen foods than to eat out.
For some great items to freeze, take a look at my Awesome Turkey Meatballs, Brazilian Black Beans, Homemade Chicken Burgers or Vegetable Mung Bean Soup.
Pictured here is a photo of my lunch yesterday. I defrosted a homemade coconut red lentil curry soup with fresh green onions from my garden.
