As busy moms we deal with overloaded calendars, endless to-do lists and children who seem to need us during every free minute we may possibly have in a day (God bless them). Finding time to cook healthy meals can seem like an impossible task.
I have found that with a little food prep, meals and snacks can be thrown together much faster during the week. One of my time-saving food prep strategies is to utilize the freezer.
Go bananas! – Peel the banana, place in a zip-top bag, squeeze out the air and keep in freezer. I use frozen bananas almost daily for smoothies (not just for me but my husband and kids love them too!). This is a great way to save bananas from going to the garbage can when they are no longer appealing to eat. I like to buy bananas in bulk when they are on sale. Some stores will put the not-so-pretty ones in a paper bag and sell them super cheap. These are perfect for peeling and freezing.
Lemon Juice – With a lemon juicer, squeeze out the juice from the lemon and pour into a liquid measuring cup or container with a spout and pour juice into ice cube trays for easy freezing. After the lemon juice cubes are solid, you can take them out, put into zip-top bags and store in the freezer. This is great for making lemon water (see why I drink it HERE) each morning or to have lemon juice on hand for recipes that call for it.
Muffins or Protein Pancakes – Make a batch and freeze in a zip-top bag for a quick breakfast or snack. Simply let thaw and enjoy. You can toast the pancakes in the toaster or heat the muffins in the microwave if you didn’t thaw them out the night before. Check out this awesome recipe for Strawberry Peanut Butter Blender Muffins (made without flour and very simple to make!)
Avocados – Puree avocados with lime juice, about 1 tsp lime juice per small avocado. Spoon into zip-top freezer bag and freeze up to 6 months. This is great to use for guacamole or as an avocado spread for sandwiches.
Quinoa – Cook a batch of quinoa according to the directions on the package. Freeze 1 cup per zip-top bag for easy thawing when you need it for entrees or side dishes. Quinoa is the perfect substitute for pasta or rice. It is a grain that is a great source of protein, fiber and potassium.
Freezing food is just part of the food prep equation. It’s great to do these things over the weekend to help save some time during the week. Want to learn more food prep tips and ideas? Leave me a comment on FaceBook, Instagram or Twitter and let me know! I would love to share more with you.
((Hugs))
Kari
