The Freezer - A Food Storage Tool

January 2014

Freezers: they are in practically every house. Some houses even have two. But are you using your freezer to its full potential?

First off, do you know what’s in your freezer? Take fifteen minutes and organize it. Don’t keep the box of 30 corn dogs if there are only 2 corndogs left. Consolidate. Check the size of your containers, if you can move something into a smaller container, DO IT! Throw out anything that your family won’t eat. Throw out any meals over a year old or anything that has been destroyed by frostbite.

After you have consolidated and chucked unwanted or old items, you need to layer your food in a smart order. Raw meats should always go at the bottom of the freezer. If for some reason there is a power outage or open door and they thaw they won't leak juices onto other foods below. Cooked meats and meals should be layered next. They might leak juices and ruin other foods if they thaw, as well. Above those keep the fruits and vegetables. And finally put breads and baked goods at the top, so they don’t get squashed.

Now that your freezer is nicely organized, how full is it?  Freezers work most efficiently when at least 75% full. The less space available the less the freezer has to do to keep the temperature down. If your freezer is less than 75% full, you can store water in it to fill the space AND increase your water storage supply! Milk jugs, plastic applesauce jars, soda bottles, etc. work great, but be sure to leave some room at the top for the water to expand as it freezes. For those of you who have a full freezer, make sure you can navigate through your frozen goods. It shouldn’t take two minutes to position everything so you can close the freezer door.  It’s also recommended that you label by listing the item, quantity, cooking instructions, and date.

There is no One-Size-Fits-All Method to freezer cooking. Some people spend one day--eighteen hours--cooking a month’s worth of freezer meals. Some people batch cook, which is doubling, tripling or quadrupling a recipe that you’re already making and freezing the extra “batches.” Again, there is no One-Size-Fits-All Method to freezer cooking. If you don’t like casseroles, don’t cook them! Start with recipes your family already loves and makes on a regular basis. Think about how parts could be adapted and made ahead of time and stuck in the freezer. Be realistic with your time, energy, and money. Choose a plan of action and jump in!

The following are recipes using food storage items that freeze great.

Homemade Refried Beans 

Turn the crockpot on High and dump in the following:

2 1/2 cups pinto beans—previously soaked for six hours or overnight

1 chopped onion

1 tsp cumin

Pour 8 cups of boiling water over the ingredients in the crockpot.  Cook on High for 6 hours.  Then remove most of the excess water.  The more water you remove the thicker the refried beans will be.  Better to take out too much and then add some back in than to leave too much water in.

Mash the beans.  Add 2 tsp. of salt.  Add 1/3 lb. of cheese (cheddar, monetary jack, colby jack) cut into cubes or shredded.  Mash again until cheese melts.  I serve the beans from the crockpot to help keep them warm, but I do turn it off.

These beans make a great dip especially with a couple teaspoons of taco seasoning, but we usually make them for burritos with the normal works:  tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, etc. I freeze the leftovers in one cup quantities and use them in recipes requiring refried beans or spread them between corn tortillas. Yum! However, I’ve only been able to test these beans in the freezer for 2 months. They don’t last that long at my house! The consistency does hold up for two months.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

1 Tbsp oil ½ cup onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic 1 lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded 1 cup salsa, divided 4 oz cream cheese, cubed

1 tsp ground cumin 1 cup black beans ½ to 1 cup quinoa, cooked 1 cup shredded cheese, divided ½ cup chopped cilantro Flour tortillas

Heat large skillet with oil on medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Add chicken, ¼ cup of the salsa, cream cheese, cumin, black beans, and quinoa; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add ½ cup of shredded cheese. Add cilantro when cheese is melted; mix well. Pull off heat.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray 9x13 pan and pour and spread 1/4 cup of salsa on the bottom.  Warm up a tortilla in a frying pan (lightly sprayed with Pam) on both sides.  Place slightly browned tortilla on a plate and spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Roll up each burrito using the Taco-Bell-Bean-Burrito method (I learned this method at BYU where I bought many a bean burrito) and place seam side down in the 9x13 pan.  Continue to roll up the chicken mixture in tortillas. I make as many as I can, usually around 10 or so.  Pour remaining salsa over the enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Put into the oven until heated through, 20-25 minutes.

Energy Bites

¼ cup butter or margarine

½ T chia seeds soaked in ¼ cup water for ten minutes

1/3 cup sugar (or honey)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup ground flax seeds

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

pinch of salt

½ cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine butter, chia seed/water gel mixture, sugar, and vanilla; mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop out on to a plate or cookie sheet like you would cookie dough. Place in freezer to flash freeze for 30 minutes or so. Place bites in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for quick and easy snacks.

You can use peanut butter as a substitute for the butter and chia seed gel.

Food Storage for College Students and Young Families

December 2013

“Build a small supply of food from your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.”

                                                All Is Safely Gathered In , Food Storage Pamphlet

Following these guidelines for food storage for a college student or for a young family seems like a simple way to begin.

1. Make a list of the “staples “ that your food storage should contain according to the foods you like to eat. Keep a collection of your favorite recipes.  This also helps meal planning and staying on a budget.

2. Keep this list as a “Long Term Grocery List” inside a cabinet door so you can purchase items as they are on sale or when the food budget allows for extra purchases.

3. As your ” Staples” storage grows move on to complete a full three-month supply.

Kathy Bray, co-author of Not Your Mother’s Food Storage, suggests to “write down the date you open something and then look at the date when you’ve used it up.” Just write it on the packaging with a sharpie. This will help you know how quickly you use up your staples and calculate how much you will need. For example, If you use one jar of peanut butter in a week, you will need 12 jars for a 3 month supply. This can be helpful when using a food budget and planning a monthly budget.

Food storage in an apartment or small living space can be easier when think outside the kitchen. Start with a closet that can be used as a “pantry”. Use plastic bins to hold homemade mixes. Place food under beds or on shelves located in less conspicuous places. Keep food accessible so you can easily rotate your storage.

An important part of food storage is budgeting. Building your food storage on what you like to eat will reduce wasteful spending and increase your ability to store food on your budget. Also, a storage full of items you enjoy will lessen your desire to spend more on a fast meal elsewhere also helping you stay on a budget.

Food storage can be helpful and less expensive by making recipes for mixes made out of bulk items and stored in Ziploc bags, ie, noodle mixes, brownie and muffin mixes, dry soup mixes. Included are some recipes.

Food storage can bring peace to your mind during any rainy day, whatever your situation may be. It also allows you to serve your neighbor on their rainy day.

Ready to make mix recipes:

Instant Oatmeal Mix

13 cups quick cooking oats                          1 cup brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup dry milk powder                             1 Tbsp cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients together in a ziplock bag or ice cream bucket. To make 1 serving: Mix ½ cup of oatmeal with ½-1/3 cup water. Add any dried fruit you would like. Microwave on high for 1 minute.

Basic Muffin Mix

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour                          Add: 1 tsp  vanilla

½ cup sugar                                                             1 egg

2 tsp baking powder                                                2 TBSP oil

¼ tsp baking soda                                                     ¾ cup water

¼ tsp salt                                                       optional: add berries, dried fruit,

2 ½ TBSP dry milk powder                                     cinnamon and sugar on top

Mix dry ingredients together in a ziplock bag. You can use ¾ c. wheat flour and ¾ c. white flour. To make: Pour mix into bowl and add wet ingredients. Mix or stir together. Pour into greased or paper lined muffin tins. Bake 400’ F 20-22 minutes.

Basic White Sauce

3 cups non-instant dry milk powder , 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 Tsp salt.

Mix together and store in an airtight container. Use in any recipe that calls for making a white sauce using milk, butter and flour. It is a completely fat free alternative and tastes great! It will store for up to 5 years on the pantry shelf.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

8 oz macaroni, cooked                                 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese

½ cup + 2 TBSP white sauce mix                salt, pepper, garlic onion to taste

2 cups hot water                                                       Diced ham, optional

Cook noodles, Whisk white sauce mix and water together in sauce pan. Cook and stir

Season with spices to taste.  May add ham and buttered bread crumbs . Bake at 350’

Until bubbly hot. You can freeze this dish before baking. To use frozen casserole just thaw and bake as directed