If you’re new here: since we’re all trying to minimize our grocery shopping, my readers and I are busy trying to take advantage of the food we’ve already got in our freezers.
Time for another freezer challenge update from me (and you can update us on yours in the comments!)
Here’s the batch of things I started with last go-round.
And here’s what I did with it all.
Banana bread
I thawed the banana bread and we just ate it as-is.
Very simple!
Pork tenderloin
I cooked up the pork tenderloin:
Then I shredded it and used it in quinoa bowls, made with a citrus dressing.
Roasted peppers
I used the roasted orange peppers in a batch of basil/roasted pepper mayo.
And I made sandwiches with chicken, croissants, and the mayo.
Sausages
I grilled the sausages and served them on toasted and buttered buns (which were from my chest freezer).
Peas
As of this moment, the peas are still there. But, I plan to make pork tinga tonight, and that calls for peas.
So, here’s how things stand, and you can imagine the peas with a checkmark on them after tonight. 😉
This week’s freezer items!
So, I’ve pretty much finished with my kitchen freezer, so I figured it’s time to rummage through my chest freezer to find some neglected odds and ends.
A lot of bread odds and ends
Four bags, to be specific.
I think I’ve kinda let the bread pile up a bit too long.
So, I’m thinking some croutons and probably another French toast casserole are in order.
A jar of applesauce
We’ll have this with dinner tonight.
A jar of butternut squash soup
At least, I think that’s what it is. I’ll find out once it thaws!
If I’m right, it’s this recipe.
And if it is, I’ll eat it for lunch.
Leftover rice
I’ll probably make a small batch of rice pudding with this.
Cookies
I froze some at Christmas time, since a lot of times we end up with an overload of cookies at that time.
April seems like a good time to get them out. 🙂
Melissa
Tuesday 14th of April 2020
So I’ve been just pulling out what we have in the freezer and seeing what I can make. So far the only flop was turkey stir fry. How do you keep on a budget? I do think I have enough fruits and vegetables to last until May so I don’t plan to go back to the store at all. I have milk delivery starting on the 21st so that keeps me out of the store. I went this past week and loaded up so I’m hoping to do well and not waste any. I’ve been following you since your kids were little and I just pray my kids turn out as well as yours. Regards Melissa
Rachel R.
Monday 13th of April 2020
Great idea & self-control on the Christmas cookies!
I'll join in this challenge.
What I've been using:
-cherries in yogurt & muffins
-Chicken, broccoli, sugar snap peas & sweet peas for a stir-fry
-diced onions in a ham/bean soup
What I intend to use up next:
-parmesan cheese rinds in sauce
-raspberries in muffins
-Chicken for dinner with wild rice
Gina
Monday 13th of April 2020
I think this week I will be focusing on eating out of the fridge mainly to use up some Easter foods. For Easter I made a turkey djnner which we shared some with friends. Tonight I made shepherds pie using turkey, the remainder of the gravy and I added the rest of a container of chicken broth to stretch the gravy, the rest of the cooked carrots from yesterday, the remainder of a bag of mixed vegetables and most of the leftover mashed potatoes. It was really good. We have one serving of the pie for someone’s lunch tomorrow. We have bacon, sausage, and ham to use, stuffing, a small dish of mashed potatoes, a single salad, and then we should be pretty food on using up the food. I’m trying to be really vigilant in order to prevent food waste.
Ruth
Monday 13th of April 2020
I've been SLOWLY rearranging/clearing out the deep freeze. The top shelf is DONE. I found 2 4-cup containers of leftover turkey of indeterminate age (it was badly freezer burned), so I threw it out. I also found some chicken giblets - I'll probably make broth and can it. I found 3 4-cup containers of leftover ham, all designated on their labels as "For Soup," so I made a batch of bean soup and used up one container. Everything else is relatively new, mainly ice cream, frozen pot pies, and butter.
I've been kind of going through the other shelves as I look for specific items. I'm trying to group like items together - chicken, ground beef, been roasts, pork chops, pork loins, sausages, fo example.
I have found some forgotten orphans, so I'm trying to use them up! It's going pretty well, actually. I have a much better grip on what is in there!
Annie
Monday 13th of April 2020
I wish we had room for a chest freezer so we could really stock up on milk, bread, and frozen veggies to not have to shop for a looong while. (I'm in NYC and not keen on leaving the house unless we absolutely have to!) It's almost impossible to get delivery slots anywhere so my husband has had to go out a few times, (I'm recovering from a back injury and can't go out yet.). We did start using up some stuff from our freezer so we could make room for some milk and bread. Hopefully the next trip can wait for at least two weeks. We had the following: 1. Leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving with our Easter ham. 2. The last of the shrimp with pasta and pesto sauce. 3. Used up the 5 bananas in banana nut bread and found some chocolate chips for it too! 4. Beef bones I roasted and made stock with to make mushroom barley soup for this week. 5. Did the same with chicken bones but will use the stock later. 6. The last of the cookies from our October trip to Stew Leonard's. We made room for two half gallons of milk, two loaves of bread, and a few packs of frozen veggies. Pretty good I think!