Freezer Friday

One thing that has helped me save time, money and sanity is utilizing my freezer. I grew up cooking for a big family so that is the way I have always cooked, even when it was just me and Jeff. Poor Jeff. I have found it is much easier to make a lot of something and freeze the extra. I love having a freezer full of meals ready to go. Freezer cooking has definitely evolved for me through the years. I hate to admit it but I used to have a freezer full of casseroles... ug! Luckily there is a lot less (if any) cream of chicken soup in my cooking now.

To me the biggest advantage of freezer cooking is saving time. I want to share some of the things that have been helpful to me. In an effort to record what has worked for me I'm instituting "Freezer Fridays". I'll try to post one freezer recipe or idea that works well for our family.

A local farmers market has insanely cheap produce. (Strawberries 4 pints for $1, Blueberries 3 pints for $1, Pineapples 99 cents, you get the idea) When something is in season the price is amazing. One way to enjoy this inexpensive bounty all year long are smoothie kits. I use lots of different types of fruits but here is one example.

I use 3 or 4 types of fruit or veggies and fill a quart size freezer bag. In this case I used almost 2 cups of blueberries, 3/4 cup fresh pineapple, 1 and 1/2 bananas and a handful of spinach. These stack easily in the freezer and when I'm ready to use it I just dump it in the blender with some vanilla yogurt and orange juice. One blender full makes 6 small glass servings. Super quick and easy. The total cost for each bag is less than 75 cents.