I'm doing a freezer challenge this week!
My grocery budget has been a little overstretched so far this month, and my freezer could use a little decluttering.
Which means that it seems like the perfect time to take inventory and spend a week trying to use up some odds and ends.
Want to see what I'm starting with?
We have here:
- chicken bones (I can make broth)
- tomato paste (need to check for freezer burn!)
- a bone-in chicken breast (I'll probably use this in a stir-fry)
- frozen grapes (smoothie)
- two waffles (some kid will eat these!)
- a package of ground beef (how about some burgers?)
- a jar of tomato sauce (pizza, prob. or pasta.)
- a jar of squash soup (I can defrost and eat this for lunch)
- a package of corn tortillas (I usually keep these around to slice and fry up for taco salad toppings.)
- a partial package of corn (I'm not sure if it's freezer burnt...need to check that!)
- some shrimp (This will be easy...lots of things to do with shrimp.)
- half a pork loin (I can't even remember why I bought this and used half. I'll google for ideas.)
- two burgers (homemade, ready to cook)
And I have my Hungry Harvest delivery to work with as well.
I am not at ALL a strict freezer challenge sort of person, so I give myself permission to buy fresh, not-from-my-freezer foods if they'll help me to use up my freezer stash in a tasty way.
(I'm not doing this because I enjoy suffering, k?)
I have a fair number of proteins in my freezer (pork, chicken, shrimp, ground beef), so I think I should be able to come up with some decent dinners from those.
Wish me luck!
And hey, if your freezer needs a clean-out too, hop aboard the train with me. The more, the merrier.
(I'm not going to flood the blog with freezer challenge stuff aside from an update on Friday, but I'm sure I'll be posting about it over on Instagram. Which, incidentally, is the social media platform I'm on most often. Come join me there! I'm @thefrugalgirl there. And everywhere. 😉 )
I’m so looking forward to see how this goes - cooking from just what I have has always been a tough one for me. Good luck!!
I really need to do this too. I think I will do it next week after I clean out the garage so I can make it to my freezer. 🙂
We've been purging our freezer the past few weeks. Now I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum and need more food in there. I think I'll aim to keep it a bit bare for the next month though in anticipation of Thanksgiving. Fridge and freezer space is always appreciated at that holiday...especially since we are hosting this year.
You and me both. I finally emptied my freezer enough to defrost it. Now that I'm mostly proteinless, I hardly know what to serve for dinner!
Pork loin is easy. Marinate it using soy sauce/mustard/apricot preserves/garlic in a ziplock overnight. Grill it up the next day. Or toss it in the oven for 30-45 minutes. The marinade ingredients can be substituted for whatever you have lurking in the fridge. Roast up the acorn squash and sweet potatoes as a side dish.
I've been thinking I need to do this, but it will have to wait until next week as I already have the groceries for this week. Good luck!
Good for you for cleaning out the oldies in the freezer. I have noticed you don't seem to stockpile a lot of food and supplies the way some bloggers do and recommend. I have always tried to have a reasonable amount on hand, but not like some.
I am doing this this week too. We are picking up our 1/4 cow from the butcher on Saturday so I’m making room in the freezer.
Good reminder to use up what's in mine! It's a good week for that too, 'cause on Friday the repair man is coming to see what's making my freezer run round the clock, with ice accumulating on everything. Ugh.
I too am purging a freezer this week. It happens that I wont have a chance to grocery shop this week, and the deep freeze could use defrosting, so it is serendipitous.
Last night I used up a log of frozen bread dough, some chicken thighs, a brick of frozen cooked spinach, and some cream cheese to make calzone. With a bit of frozen tomato sauce for dipping.
Freezer burn never bothers me. There's nothing unsafe about it unless you just don't like the texture or something.
Yes! It's not dangerous, but it's the flavor and the texture that I dislike.
Freezer burn shouldn't matter at all for the tomato paste. If you use the corn in something moderately complex - such as in a frittata, or soup, or maybe even patties - freezer burn shouldn't matter for the corn, either.
that's when I make soup with it......I run the freezer burn item under cool water to dislodge the ice particles & toss into a soup pot, with whatever else I find. THEN. either eat it OR if I have alot process it into quart jars.
I just ate my freezer down recently, so I'm on the fill-it-up side of things. It sure did save us on some groceries, and I have to ask myself, why am I buying more when I have things that are sitting, waiting in the freezer? It's because I don't plan well. I don't check my freezer list and make a plan to use what I already have instead of buying more.
I am about to change jobs, and will have a much longer commute (can't be helped. Not frugal, I know). I MUST plan now, or be faced with no food and it's too late to do anything about it when I get home. Thanks for the reminder that I need to run a checkup on my freezer, even though we'd been eating out of it, to make sure I know what is available. I keep a list, but notice that I sometimes fail to erase foods when I take them out. Nothing like looking at 9pm for that ground beef for tomorrow, only to realize, there is none, no matter what my list says.
Us too on the recently ate down and filled up--though part of the eat down and fill up was because we knew we'd be going to TJs in the city after more than a month away!
Oh man this is a great idea! We need to do a freezer challenge ourselves. I check our freezer when I make our menu each week, but I admittedly don't do a full-on DIG through the freezer. Who knows what delectable treats are in there. I'll have to give this a go when our schedule is normal here in a few weeks!
I do this a few times a year. It’s amazing what I find shoved in the back!
I did this a few weeks ago, and found a shocking amount of chicken, both cooked and not. See, what had happened was, that at my local Aldi, the Never Any! chicken and the other organic kind go on sale a lot...like 1/2 off, so I bought a lot, one package at a time. I've been making some chicken recipes I haven't made in a while, and Spiedies are on the menu this week!
I am unintentionally doing this too. I have had a whole hen in the freezer for awhile so it went in the crockpot this morning. I am making chicken and dumplings with it later this afternoon. One of my kids are sick and we finally got a cold snap in the South. Chicken and dumplings seem so comforting when someone is sick. Not chicken noodle but close enough since I am using what I have on hand.
I always enjoy these posts. It would be interesting to calculate how much you saved by using what you had on hand as opposed to buying new. That would be very motivating.
I started last week.
Chicken broth = chicken soup yesterday
Frozen pizza sauce, frozen mozzarella & sausage = Pizza
It is so much easier to spread frozen cheese on pizza!
Lots of fruit = using up in yogurt
Freezer bread = french toast This was wheat bread from Aldi and the bread was horrible but it made ok french toast.
This week I am on to some canned goods that just need to be used up.
Canned soup -potato toppings.
Tuna = tuna salad
We are also totally doing a freezer challenge. We have a ton of kale and spinach that needs to be frozen in the next couple of weeks, we need space in that chest freezer!!! I have a problem when it comes to food on sale : I buy too much! So my freezer is really full....
How do you freeze your kale? Do you blanch it first?
I freeze my kale for use in smoothies, and I just rinse it, cut it off the stems, and freeze it as is. Very easy.
No, I just throw them in the freezer as is. I blanch nothing.
Our freezer is also packed with stuff, but my husband wants to keep buying groceries @_@ We also have lots of veggies in the fridge that are starting to go bad. I feel like we're hoarding our groceries to some extent >_<
For me to take on this challenge would be cheating. Both our upstairs and downstairs freezers are full to bursting as is our pantry. I am a pantry person, and with cold and snow not far away I have been stocking up like the stores are going out of business. I find comfort and security knowing that I could easily go a month without going to the store for anything more than milk, bread and lettuce. I will love to see what recipes others come up with.
Mine are full too--many times over this amount! I'm a real squirrel in lots of ways--love to see provisions tucked away! Lots of good frozen veggies, fruit, tomatoes and meat put up--but a LOT that needs to get used up too. Wish I could make some batches of complete freezer meals with it, but wouldn't want to refreeze. I just need to get into the mindset that I have to use it all up before buying anything else but fresh ingredients. It will be easier now that winter is here in the extreme north for the next five months and I'll be inside cooking more than during our short summers when I try to be outside as much as possible gardening and enjoying the sun.
I'm going to make "eating out of the freezer" a real priority as much as possible this winter. I used several misc. packages of round steak and really tough grass fed chuck steak to make a big pot of long simmered stew a couple days ago with all the rest of the ingredients from the garden--potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery--so good! I can only do a meal or two in a row, but my hubby can eat beef all week so he is very happily still eating it! Pork next...
Thaw the pork loin and salt and pepper and put in the crockpot. Add a can of whole berry cranberry sauce on Top. Cook until done.
Serve with rice and a vegetable.
Makes the house smell wonderful!
I'm on board! Thanks for the reminder. I plan my meals on Monday, so this is great. Also, it's almost Christmas Cookie season and I'll need the space. Not to mention this is the time most of the non-profits we support come a calling :)! Would be nice to be able to say 'yes' a bit more. Embarrassed, but we probably have 16 or so meals tucked away. My son is enjoying this process. Just cleaned out two almost finished ice cream half gallons. 🙂
Hubby and I were just talking about this yesterday....... I'd like to save some extra money this month in preparation for the holidays to add more to my Christmas Club so i'll make an extreme effort to clear out our standing freezer and the small fridge one. Plus, we are almost out of beef from the cow we bought late last fall, so I told hubby i'd like for him or our daughter to get a deer so we can have some venison. Hopefully that happens 😉 So if they get one, i'll have room in the freezer for it. Let's do this!!!
Very timely post Kristen! I am also in the process of trying to eat our way through the meat in our freezer so I can have room to stock up with sale turkeys that will be in stores soon. I was able to make a delicious trifle with some cake I found in the freezer this past weekend. I roasted two chickens and used one to make freezer chicken in gravy with stuffing for a later date. So handy to have a meal to pull out on a day that you know is going to be crazy busy!
I've been doing this for the past week or so...especially trying to use up last year's venison, as it's now hunting season for my husband and more is coming! So far we've had chili, peanut-sauce kabobs on the grill, homemade hamburgers, breakfast sausage patties, tacos, etc. We've switched to chicken for tonight...but's its still coming from the same basement freezer! lol
I will be excited to hear how your freezer challenge goes! I am due for one of those 😉
What will you do with your acorn squash? We just signed up for hungry harvest, this was our 2nd delivery and I don't know what to make with it!
I'm thinking about roasting it. I haven't decided yet!
My freezer is packed and I need to clean it out before the holidays. Last night I had to dump the ice bucket out so that I had room to freeze the chicken broth I made. My freezer is mostly full of ice packs (way more than I need), pre-portioned meals I put together from leftovers to grab for work lunches and bread . . . Oh, the bread. I like bread but I don't actually eat that much of it so the freezer is full of sourdough, rye, beer cheese bread, various sandwich breads and English muffins. Some should probably be tossed. I see sandwiches in my future.
Feed the birds with it..do not put in your garbage disposal it will block it up. It is also not good for composting
My freezer is pretty bare. I only have the freezer above my fridge, and only have stuff on the top shelf. 🙂
My freezer has been getting frosty (like the door is being left open, but I never see the door open), I think I need to pull it away from the wall and vacuum the coils. Hopefully that will help.
Now, on the other hand, I have pantry items that could/should be used up. Like potatoes, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans...
try cleaning the rubber door gasket too, then rub with veggie oil to keep it supple. My hubby worked in refrigeration 30 yrs...He taught me this a few yrs back before we got married. It really does make a big difference in how the door seals when it closes.
That picture is so inspiring -- and familiar!
We are trying to plow through all the drastically reduced frozen stuff (including some organic chicken patties and meatballs that were past the suggested date but heck, they were frozen and taste just great. Was leery about the date but no problems 🙂 ) Agreed, too, that we can buy whatever we need to make it work. I am out of town at the end of this week so the next 3 nights are all about the frozen mysteries . . . Good Luck!
Seeing your shrimp reminded me to give you a big thumbs up for the Shrimp Viennese
recipe from last week! Made it for Sunday dinner with broccoli on the side and the family loved it! Was easy to prepare and used tarragon instead of dill. Just finished a freezer clean out and now stocking up for winter. It's nice knowing you have food on hand in difficult weather. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Great timing. I SO need to do this too! I have 2 huge chest freezers, one upright freezer, and the one with my French door refrigerator. They are all full. I am getting a whole hog in January so I need some motivation for a clean out. I do put 60-80 lbs of king salmon in the freezer every spring when they’re in season, and we did get a whole steer last October... but still. I need to get in there and plan! No more buying.
I love freezer challenges! Thank you for your inspiring challenges and frugal tips.
I got a little nervous when I saw what looks like a glass jar in the freezer - I'm assuming it's a plastic one. If frozen, the liquid in the jar would expand once it turned to ice and could cause the glass to shatter or explode. Just a little safety tip for readers!
Glass jars work fine in the freezer as long as you leave headspace for the liquid to expand as it freezes. I do it ALL the time when I make applesauce.
Also, a wide-mouth canning jar works best for freezing.
I feel like I have been spending $$$ like flowing water.. so my goal is NO shopping!
Monday night was chicken veggie Lo Mein since I had fresh carrot and broccoli to use.. it used a bag of frozen diced chicken...
This evening I am leaning towards using the bag of Tyson chicken tenders and serving them with oven roasted tiny taters!
Question for you regarding the Hungry Harvest Boxes.. Last weeks and this weeks photos - is that all you got for $25? The photos see rather sparse and I wonder if you feel that you are getting your moneys worth of produce... or if part of the value is knowing you are aiding in non waste? I realize this is one of those *Your Mileage May Vary* incidents... I know local to me I have quite a few places that I could get great priced produce and get a larger quantity for that price...
Oh yes, I could likely beat Hungry Harvest's prices by shopping at Aldi.
The thing about Hungry Harvest, though, is that I'm saving food from the landfill, supporting a movement the fights food waste, AND supporting hungry people (Hungry Harvest donates produce to families in need). So, all of that makes it totally worth it to me!
Thanks for answering. I have been wondering this too!
I had just organized the fridge freezer this morning before reading your post. We are doing the same thing this week and maybe next too. I will be buying a small amount of food today but shopping the freezers first!
Good idea! I need to dig through both of my freezers this weekend and see what I have hiding in there. I should probably do a freezer/pantry challenge as my pantry is also overflowing.
I look forward to your update and what you came up with. That's always the hardest part for me since I tend to cook the same stuff over and over. I need some creative inspiration!
Ever theought about doing this purge every month? We are on a limited budget so the last week of the month we are eating whatever is left in the freezer. It is a lit of "mystery meals" but we never end up with much freezer burn or strange looking items. I do stick up in the pantry though, in case the weather keeps us indoors or I find a really good sale. Something to think about!
I probably should do that!
Gah! I'm scared to look in my freezer! So many odd bits leftover...