The Controversial Items I Stock My Freezer With

To start off, I lied.  This list isn’t really controversial, in my opinion.  However, that title got you to start reading, so great!  Now, that being said, I used to be really good at planning all of the week’s meals ahead of time.  I knew what I was making and which day I was making it.  Yet, somehow in the last few months, I have found myself scrambling to decide dinner menus at the last minute and then scrounging up the ingredients to pull together a meal, just in time to serve it.  (I know what you are thinking here…would she have served it earlier if it was ready earlier?  Maybe.  Probably.  But I served it right on time, because on time is whenever it has finished cooking.)  Anyhow, now that I have clearly confessed to not always knowing what I will be serving for dinner, and to scrambling to prepare it once I have determined what it will be, I will let you in on a few important items I try to keep stocked in my freezer to help me succeed in my last-minute meal preparations. 

1.       Protein options.  I try to always keep a package of chicken breast, pargiyot, or ground beef in my freezer.  I also usually have a side of salmon waiting to be used as well.  These are all foundational pieces to a well-rounded meal, and if I think of it early enough in the day, I can pull one of these proteins out and allow it to thaw on the counter.  Even if I don’t know yet how I plan to prepare it, any of these proteins can be used pretty simply to create a delicious meal with minimal time and effort.   And yes, I do also keep some store-bought chicken nuggets and hot dogs in the freezer for when I need something very quickly (Maybe those are controversial items?  Let me know what you think).

2.       Frozen vegetables.  Yes, bags of frozen vegetables are completely important.  And I don’t just mean broccoli.  I stockpile a wide variety of frozen veggies, including things like diced onions and peppers, that can make my meal prep much faster.  Do I usually use fresh onions and peppers in my recipes?  Yes.  Is it great to have some in the freezer for emergency vegetable situations?  Absolutely.

3.       Bread.  I try to have a loaf of bread or two, hot dog buns, maybe some bagels, all waiting for me in the freezer.  I can use these as a side dish (think garlic bread) or as part of the main dish (think sandwiches), but bread freezes well and is a good item to stock.

4.       Frozen fruit.  This may be a little less important when dealing with last minute meals, but frozen fruit means easy-to-make smoothies and warm fruit cobbler, both important food groups.  But seriously, many a chicken dish has benefited from a touch of frozen fruit, so I try to keep some on hand.

5.       Leftover, fully-cooked rice.  Yep, if I make a meal and I have extra plain rice, I throw it into a bag and freeze it.  I can then quickly heat the rice up and add it into a recipe, make a fried rice, or serve something delicious over it.  Rice is a great carb to freeze for future use. 

6.       Chicken soup.  This can be served alone, served with pasta or rice, or even used as a base for a heartier vegetable or beef soup.  It also comes in handy whenever you have someone feeling a bit under the weather.  You can pull out the soup for them while everyone else eats the regular meal.  Although, who am I kidding?  Everyone else will also want some of the chicken soup, so make sure to keep a bunch in the freezer.

7.       Ice cream.  This doesn’t help with meal preparation at all, but it is really nice to have in the freezer. Definitely stock some.

And those are the main items I keep in my freezer to help me when I need to make a quick meal.  Or they will be tomorrow, once I have gone grocery shopping.  It sure is a good thing I planned tonight’s dinner ahead of time!