Cha-ching! Having food in the freezer is like having money in the bank. A well stocked freezer will support you on the nights you don’t have time to put together a dinner from scratch, hold snacks and desserts, and keep food fresh longer. Today we’re sharing the steps to create and maintain a stocked freezer to support your family meals:
- Create a Freezer Inventory List
- Clean out Your Freezer
- Stock Your Freezer
Check out our Free Printable Table365 Freezer Essentials list for inspiration.
1. Create a Freezer Inventory List
One of the challenges of getting healthy meals on the table every day is remembering what’s in your freezer and using the food that you have frozen before it gets too old. A freezer list is a great tool for tracking what’s in your freezer (especially if you have a deep/chest freezer where you cannot see everything at first glance). It is especially helpful if you have more than one cook/meal-planner/shopper in the household.
Create your freezer inventory list by using the Table365 Freezer Essentials list, or take an actual inventory of what you currently have in your freezer.
There are multiple formats to keep your freezer inventory list, so pick one that works best for you and your space.
- An inventory list on the freezer – whiteboard. A magnetic white board with pen attached to the freezer door is a great way to list the items in your freezer then erase them as the items are used.
- An inventory list on your computer – spreadsheet. If you have a computer that you use in the kitchen, a spreadsheet listing the freezer inventory, quantities, and “use-by” dates can be easily updated and referenced while you are cooking and meal planning.
- An inventory list in your kitchen notebook – printout. If you prefer paper, an inventory list can be created on your computer and printed out, or you can hand write a list (similar to the white board) to keep in your kitchen notebook with your recipes and other meal planning tools.
Advanced Version – Add a “use-by” date to each item on your inventory list so that you know what you need to use first in your meal planning. Keep a sharpie in the kitchen to create labels or write on packages directly.
2. Clean Out Your Freezer
- Dispose of old, freezer-burned food.
- Wipe down shelves, walls, and drawers with warm, soapy water, rinse, and dry. Then wipe down same surfaces with a natural window cleaner or white vinegar.
- Organize each shelf or section with groups of like items (see categories below) .
- Stock your freezer with Table365 Freezer Essentials.
3. Stock Your Freezer
Like having a well stocked pantry, keeping your freezer filled with basics makes getting meals on the table much easier. You can just pull something out of the freezer to heat, cook, or serve.
Top 10 Freezer Essential Categories:
- Assorted frozen vegetables: frozen vegetables retain most of their nutrients because they are harvested at their peak and are immediately frozen making them a good choice for healthy meals. The Columbia River Organics brand is consistently excellent.
- Breads: sliced loaf, bagels, whole loaf, pita, tortillas; whatever you use regularly.
- Meats: chicken, sausage, ground beef, fish, and any cuts you use in normal rotation.
- Nuts and seeds: for baking, eating as snacks, or adding to salads.
- Cooked beans: after cooking dried beans (see our post on cooking dried beans) freeze and label them. About 2 cups of beans equals a 15 oz. can.
- Sauces: curries, spaghetti sauce, marinara, pesto (any sauces you use with pasta or for simmering proteins or tofu).
- Soups: individual sizes for lunches, bigger containers for meals.
- Entrees: casseroles, chicken pot pie, meatloaf, lasagna, enchiladas, pre-marinated meats.
- Assorted frozen fruit: great to use in muffins and smoothies and on top of cereal. Some of our favorite fruits top the list of heaviest pesticide use (see the Dirty Dozen™), so be sure to buy organic strawberries, blueberries, and peaches whenever possible.
- Baked goods: homemade pancakes and waffles to reheat in toaster, muffins, quick breads (zucchini, banana, pumpkin), cookies, and cookie dough.
Free Printable Table365 Freezer Essentials list.
What a great feeling to have back-up!
Cheers,
