Why the Frozen gif reference? Because I’ve been given the nickname “Freeze Queen”.
One of the 10 things I attributed to the sustainable weight loss and healthier lifestyle in the How I’ve Kept it Off Post was freezer prepping. I listed the items in no particular order. In hindsight however, freezing my food would be at the top of the list. Many of the ingredients and foods I eat and cook with are straight out of the freezer.
I got into freezer prepping in a really organic way. I was tired of my yummy bread going bad so I started freezing it. The first thing, good ‘ol bread, go figure! For the most part, because I’m just feeding myself and I won’t finish an entire loaf before it expires often times it would go to waste. So I guess my undying love for bread is what kind of kick started it and over time the value in freezer prepping materialized for that reason and others:
Not wanting to be wasteful – Just like Oprah, I love my bread, I do!.. and I want to enjoy it all, not in one sitting though. What’s considered to be “better” or healthier bread tends to have a shorter shelf life and will go bad sooner, so I started freezing all of my bread. Same goes for produce, it goes bad quickly so I’ll freeze greens and fruits for my smoothies. As you can guess, you also save money being less wasteful.
Didn’t wanna chance going rouge– If you wake up everyday not knowing what you are going to eat or not having readily available options, you’re probably more likely to eat on a whim. This might include dining out and maybe consuming less healthy options. BUT…when you got a a la carte popping off in la freezer then you are good money (excuse the slang ) and it reduces the stress that comes with uncertainty.Maybe unplanned meals are a part of the spontaneity or spice of life that you enjoy.. if however you are in a place of wanting to change your diet for whatever reason, then planning ahead, some or most of the time, might be helpful.
Variety and convenience– With freezing I always have options. When I open the freezer it’s like a frozen buffet of tasty goodness, seriously. I think about what I’m in the mood for and I grab and go! Some people prefer weekly prep because they find that gives them more options. Weekly prep as in cooking meals to have in the fridge an enjoy over the course of the week. For me personally, freezer prep as the primary and weekly prep secondary is the better option. Even on weeks that I don’t prep I have food in the freezer because it these meals lasts several weeks.
Pre-planned portions– When I freeze meals, I package them in portions sizes. Everything is already portioned out. I’m grabbing meals and items that I’ve cooked and froze so I am aware of their nutritional content.
All of these things have made freezer prepping a staple for me. There are other benefits and tips and I can go on and on about them, but I’ll stop here and resume in part two.
Really you just learn as you go and you figure out what works for YOU. I’ll admit I went crazy at first, prepping a thousand things in one weekend and freezing them. I was prepping to have everything I liked in the freezer at once. I’ve since found a more reasonable way to go about it. I can go weeks at a time without prepping because I have sufficient options.
In future posts I’ll share:
- What I have frozen at any given time
- My favorite things to freeze
- The ‘what to freeze’ and ‘what now to freeze’
- The nutritional value of your frozen food
- How to package and portion it
- Etc.
Stay tuned!
XoXo
GB
P.S. I’m going to find a way to make “freezer prep” sound more stylish and fashionable b/c as is, it sounds “cold” (pun intended) and boring. It’s really cool though I promise, put your food in your cute stylish bowl, warm it up and it’s tasty and healthy!
GBinStyle 