Anyone want to join me in a freezer challenge this week?

[Amira]

Just a one week commitment. The goal is to clean out your freezer a bit and the only rule is that you have to eat something from the freezer each day. I know lots of you already eat something from the freezer most days (and so do I), but try to use things you wouldn't normally pull out of the freezer on a normal day or that have been sitting in there too long.  Come back each day and tell us what you made.  

 

It's just about time for dinner in my time zone and I need to do something with the Thanksgiving leftovers.  I'm going to try these stuffing cupcakes, but instead of whipping the leftover potatoes I'm going to make mashed potato latkes instead.

[Hilltopmom]

I would, but I've already gotten us down to just a few freezer meals left in there & lotsa empty space. I actually need to buy groceries big time this week :)

 

Good luck!

[PrincessMommy]

I will.  I need to reduce my freezer amount

[BooksandBoys]

I will. I need to defrost my chest freezer before it gets even hotter here, so we have been working on emptying it out.

[DawnM]

YES!

 

Yesterday I made inside out cabbage rolls with turkey meat.

 

Tonight I need to make something with ground beef and broccoli.  And I really need to use up some of the frozen fruit.  I think  I will make milkshakes with them.

 

 

[lavender's green]

Oh, wrong freezer challenge. :lol:

 

I'm in "fill 'er up!" mode!

[aggieamy]

I'm in.  I did a freezer meal thing at our local grocery store and most of the meals have ranged from "meh" to "not so good". I have five more to use up. I'll try to get them used up this week.

 

On the flip side ... I'd love some really good freezer meal recommendations!  :)

[scrapbookbuzz]

I will.  I need to reduce my freezer amount

Me, too. Count me in!

[KungFuPanda]

Ugh. I NEED to do this. I don't know that I have it in me. Yesterday I did use some chicken tenders to make chicken strips and served some frozen steam-in-the-bag broccoli with it. That, however, isn't the same as moving the stuff that's buried in the back and dealing with it. Maybe I should do something with the pulled pork. That's easy enough.

 

I'm a tentative Yes for this challenge. Keep your expectations low.

 

ETA: I lose track of stuff in my tiny freezer-over-fridge freezer. I don't think I'm responsible enough for a chest freezer :-/

Edited April 24, 2017 by KungFuPanda

[OneStepAtATime]

I'm with KungFuPanda. I need to do this but not sure I'm up for the challenge. I'll try to keep my daily goals realistic so I might actually succeed. I guess I'm in.

[Amira]

I won't come after you if you don't succeed. :)

 

I decided the latkes were more work than I was interested in for a meal of leftovers, so I mixed the potatoes with some cheese and labnah and the leftover turkey and baked it for a while. The stuffing muffins were easy. I thought the entire meal was the most boring thing ever but the rest of the family loved it.

[prairiewindmomma]

I'm in.  I have all kinds of odd tidbits that I need to use up before I begin a big stock-up.

 

Tonight we are having fajitas with stuff from the fridge---but I'm thawing some berries for dessert to have over pound cake. (Monday night = dessert night at our house).  I have some raspberries that are almost 12 months old in there. (Where's the shame emoticon?)

[prairiewindmomma]

I found a packet of onions and peppers already sliced in the freezer. I'll use that for fajitas tonight and bake the chicken in the oven with the onions and peppers.

 

Tomorrow: lunch is tortilla encrusted fish (freezer--have 5 pieces leftover that have been sitting for two months) and fresh salad.  Supper is salmon burgers and broccoli (both from freezer and at least 4 months old).

 

Wednesday: spaghetti with meatballs (freezer--have a 1/4 of a bag left), supper is bbq pork tenderloin (freezer from last fall).

Edited April 24, 2017 by kbeal

[Jane in NC]

Thanks for the challenge Amira!  The initial plan was to grab the mushroom ravioli from the freezer and serve them with hakurei turnips (sauteed roots and greens), maybe make some bread sticks.  Freezer exploration yielded a package of bread sticks from the last batch I made.  I grabbed those as well as a package of apple pie filling from last fall. But wait--there was streusel topping in one of the bagillion little bags in the freezer door.

 

Confession:  I added a ball of leftover pastry to my pastry ball bag in the freezer.  These tidbits  become useful containers for turning leftovers into hand pies.

 

My husband will be thrilled to have apple pie for dessert tonight.  I'll tell him it is due to this challenge which may yield a few interesting combinations before the week is over.  Ahem.

[Farrar]

I'll do it! I ate off the freezer week before last, but there's more.

 

I have a roast that needs cooking. And I discovered burgers I made that need cooking. That one's easy as I have some leftover buns.

 

And... I have four bags of butternut squash. Someone make a suggestion for those!

[Annie G]

I'm in for today and tomorrow- I leave Wednesday to go pick the grands up for a visit. So today was easy - chicken from the freezer. Found some meat sauce and decided to make lasagna tomorrow so the family can eat leftovers while I'm gone. Except now that the sauce is defrosting I'm not 100% sure it's the sauce I made last month. Or even if it's meat sauce at all. Tomorrow's lasagna might be 'interesting'. 

 

And I seem to never learn...I need to LABEL AND DATE everything. I always think I'll remember/be able to identify it. But clearly I cannot. 

[Noreen Claire]

I'm in! I have a sorry box of fish fillets from the beginning of Lent that I can serve tomorrow with some mac n'cheese and bagged frozen veggies. I have 2lbs sweet Italian sausages (from a sale earlier in the year) for Wednesday - I think I have a bag of potatoes I can roast with those. Saturday I can defrost a pot roast...

[BooksandBoys]

Two packages of frozen bratwurst, a half a bag of peppers, and a bag of broccoli helped make dinner happen tonight. Progress.

[rebbyribs]

Ooh, I should do this.  I have a bag of bread ends to turn into bread pudding and/or croutons.  Veggie burgers.  Frozen peas.  Blueberry pancakes (those should be easy!).  Phyllo dough and puff pastry. Not sure what else at the moment - definitely nuts and frozen fruit, but those are all fairly new and don't need to be eaten immediately.  Same with the ice cream.

[Amira]

I love reading what everyone made. :) And throwing away something that's too old or freezer burnt is also a win.

 

I remembered to check the freezer this morning to pull something out so it would have time to thaw. I don't label anything either, but I'm sure I found the leftover doro wat an Ethiopian woman made us a couple of months ago, and her injera. I have some palak in the fridge that has to get eaten today so I'll make some kind of palak yogurt thing to eat with the dosas (pretty sure they're dosas) I also found in the freezer. Youngest ds loves to dip flatbread in things so he should be happy tonight.

[aggieamy]

Just pulled out a package of meat to make ham loaf for dinner and some questionable potatoes from my pantry that have a bright future as mashed potatoes.  Would creamed peas or creamed spinach be too much with mashed potatoes?  Plan B is buttered peas.

[Jane in NC]

We are reveling in what I call "real food", fresh produce from the local farms.  Tonight's dinner will be a roasted carrot/lentil/feta/arugula salad. Staying committed to this freezer challenge, I pulled out some green cubes from a zip bag.  Carrot top chimichurri!  The bag was even labeled! A loaf of chimichurri bread is now baking in the oven.  I used this recipe but substituted the chimichurri for pesto.

[mom31257]

Honestly, I'm afraid most of the stuff is so old, it won't be any good. I had planned to clean it out this summer, but maybe I should do this. I'll think about it. I don't even have to cook dinner tonight because we're attending a fund raising event. 

 

 

[Amira]

I made this palak curry and it was delicious.  I knew the doro wat would be too so tonight was a lot better than last night, although the rest of the family wouldn't agree.

 

http://nishkitchen.com/spinach-yogurt-curry-palak-moru-curry/

[KungFuPanda]

I'm still in! Yesterday for lunch, I pulled some chicken tenders from the fridge and used a sauce pouch to make chicken tikka masala. I served it with rice, a channa masala pouch and some steamed spinach (added it to the veggie basket while the rice cooked.) For a late supper, I made frozen taquitos and pizza rolls. Basically I phoned it in all day, but I did get three things out of the freezer.

 

I 'should' do something with pulled pork tonight, but I'm feeling kinda blah about it. DH and DS are sick, so I'll make them whatever they want or get them takeout.

[West Coast Mom]

I'll join in! We are moving (locally) in six weeks and I want defrost the chest freezer before we leave. I just took out a container of pulled pork and we will use it this week for lunches.

[BooksandBoys]

Flounder for dinner tonight. And some random bag of frozen black eyed peas. And salad/rice to round it out. By pulling that from the freezer, I was able to fit everything else that was in my chest freezer into my house freezer, so the chest is now defrosting.

 

Actually, it's fully defrosted after only two hours. One of the (few IMHO) perks of living in an incredibly warm climate.

[IfIOnly]

Lunch: Chinese chicken pasta salad using cooked and deboned fryer meat and peas (fresh veggies too) from the freezer -- Yum

 

Dinner: beefy potato one dish wonder using uncooked ground beef from freezer.

 

I have broth, cooked and raw chicken, ground beef, beans, and pork loin and steaks that I need to use up. I don't really like pork, but my family does, so I have the hardest time getting it used before it gets freezer burnt.

[Jane in NC]

Admittedly I have been working on this freezer project for a few weeks now in an attempt to clean out last year's produce.  This thread has given me new motivation though.

 

Delighted to report that I found one last package of shrimp that I froze last fall.  I only buy local shrimp which is why I create a stash as the season ends.  On tonight's menu will be chipotle shrimp with crunchy slaw and corn tortillas. 

Edited April 26, 2017 by Jane in NC

[Amira]

Today I found some plov (rice pilaf) and a container of mystery meat. The mystery meat turned out to be quite delicious and I also made a cucumber totmato salad to go with it.

 

Again, I love seeing what you all are creating. Or at least clearing out. :)

[prairiewindmomma]

I threw away sketchy looking black beans and some bananas with freezer burn.  Lunch ended up being a handful of chimichangas that we stretched with some salad. Someone ate the last of the spaghetti so we still have meatballs hanging around. 

 

[scrapbookbuzz]

I forget what I used yesterday but I did manage to make room for the meals I prepped last night.

Oh, yeah, had to throw away a beautiful cuban steak meal I'd left in there too long.  :closedeyes:

 

Tonight, however, I'm pulling out a bag of cauliflower and a bag of broccoli. Will steam both of those, then serve

with rice and peppered beef.

 

ETA: I also used some gf blueberry waffles for my breakfast this morning.  :thumbup:

Edited April 26, 2017 by scrapbookbuzz

[scrapbookbuzz]

I did use the cauliflower and broccoli. and now ds is using up some waffles from there.

Now to figure out what to use tomorrow. I may make the kids use up the two microwave meals that have been

in there for a couple of weeks. I need the space!

[KungFuPanda]

I used corn and green beans, but I just bought them yesterday so I'm not sure that counts.

[prairiewindmomma]

We had pork tenderloin last night with steamed broccoli. I found a 1/4 bottle of raspberry chipotle sauce in the back of the fridge that I used to marinade the pork.

 

I still have 2 tenderloins left...any ideas for something Instant Pot friendly?

[Noreen Claire]

We've eaten a long lost box of fish fillets and 2lbs of sausages so far. Tonight we will have meatballs from the open bag in the freezer, but I don't think we will finish it. I was going to thaw a roast for Saturday, but it looks like we will be out all day. I'll have to save it for Monday.

[BooksandBoys]

Shrimp over salad or pasta last night.

I think I'll have salmon burgers for lunch. Turns out we had three boxes of them hidden in the freezer.

[scrapbookbuzz]

You all seem to have much larger freezers than mine! I just have the tiny one above my refrigerator.

Would love to have an extra one for when I find great deals on meats, pizza, etc!

 

KungFuPanda's post reminded me I have green beans to use. Just need to figure out what to serve with them . . .

Edited April 27, 2017 by scrapbookbuzz

[Amira]

We have a big upright freezer here that came with the house.  It's sort of a necessity (from an American point of view) because I can't always count on being able to get a ride to go grocery shopping and it's too hot for a good chunk of the year to safely walk to the grocery store nearest me, and it has very little produce anyway. I haven't had a separate freezer for the last 10 years and it's nice to have more space.  

 

I found zaatar chicken and Keralite coconut potatoes, along with kabsa. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I have an upright freezer in the garage and a french door refrigerator with a large underneath freezer. :)

 

I have a ton of frozen sweet cherries from last summer. Snack time!  I think I'm going to just cook the meatballs in marinara sauce and top with mozzarella for lunch and pair it with a bunch of veggies from the fridge that need to be consumed.

 

I have three 1 lb. packages of ground beef to use up for tonight. Does anyone have a good beef empanada recipe? The kind with the cilantro dipping sauce? 

[prairiewindmomma]

We also have a large upright freezer in addition to our refrigerator pull-out drawer which is quite large as well.  We buy chicken in bulk from Zaycon and when I am organized, I do once a month cooking freezer meals.

[OneStepAtATime]

O.k. DD ate a frozen dinner and I ate a Gluten Free corn dog that has been glaring at me for weeks.  Does that count?  

[prairiewindmomma]

O.k. DD ate a frozen dinner and I ate a Gluten Free corn dog that has been glaring at me for weeks.  Does that count?  

Absolutely. Gold star for you!

[Amira]

O.k. DD ate a frozen dinner and I ate a Gluten Free corn dog that has been glaring at me for weeks.  Does that count?  

 

If it came from the freezer, it counts.  Especially things that have been glaring at you.

Edited April 27, 2017 by Amira

[OneStepAtATime]

Absolutely. Gold star for you!

 

 

If it came from the freezer, it counts.  Especially things that have been glaring at you.

 

 

LOL.  O.k.  

 

I was feeling pretty guilty about not eating that corn dog.  It was kind of expensive.  Now I don't feel guilty anymore.  :)  This is better than therapy.   :laugh:

[OneStepAtATime]

DD is now getting inspired and pulled out the frozen leftover lasagna. She's going to heat some for her brother and her for lunch.

[BooksandBoys]

You all seem to have much larger freezers than mine! I just have the tiny one above my refrigerator.

Would love to have an extra one for when I find great deals on meats, pizza, etc!

 

KungFuPanda's post reminded me I have green beans to use. Just need to figure out what to serve with them . . .

I have a small chest freezer in addition to the one attached to my fridge. I'm thankful for the flexibility it affords. Groceries are mucho money here(and neat really never goes on sale) and the nearest bulk food store is nearly an hour away, so I really appreciate being able to stock up there once every two months and store it on my freezer.

[scrapbookbuzz]

I did find two more things in my freezer that were way past their usable date (even for being frozen), so those were chucked. :-/

However, it made more room for me to prep more meals while I was cooking anyway this morning. Gotta like that! Maybe if I get better

at actually using what's in the freezer on a regular basis, I'll also get better at prepping more than one meal at once. We might even eat healthier, too!

[BooksandBoys]

We cleaned the leftovers out of the fridge tonight, so the only thing we ate from the freezer was some green beans.

[aggieamy]

I'm loving this challenge! Clearing out a lot of stuff in the freezer that I've been putting off using.

 

Last night:  Mystery marinated chicken. It was okay but not every meal needs to be five stars.

 

Tonight: Broccoli soup (not from freezer) but I'm going to make some bread with a random back of whole wheat I found in there.

 

Adding to freezer - Strawberry Tea Bread that I made two loaves of yesterday and was afraid I would immediately eat the second one so I had to hurry up and get it in the freezer.  :)