FREEZER LIST TO MAKE EATING LOW SODIUM A BIT EASIER
1. bones…put beef bones in one bag, pork bones in another and chicken bones in another for making broth
2. veggie trimmings…wash veggies first before trimming….onions, celery, parsley stems, carrot peelings, cabbage leaves, turnip ends (turnips are waxed so don’t save the waxy skin), peppers that have seen better days, mushrooms, zucchini bits, green onion trimmings…store in a large baggie and freeze…all are added to a large stock pot or crock pot with water and boiled, strained and you have broth
3. the end of a loaf of stale bread, crusts, buns…make into bread crumbs and keep in the freezer or crumble and dry them in the oven after you have cooked something else…keep turning them over so they don’t sit and go moldy
4. save bits of soup, stew, gravies to be added to a new pot of whatever you are making…can also be mixed together and made into a Sloppy Joe/Manwich kind of quickie meal
5. pancakes, waffles, French toast can all be frozen and reheated in the toaster or hot air fryer
6. dice peppers when they are cheap and freeze for omelets, pizza, soup, stews, meatloaf, relishes
7. dice onions if you have an abundance and freeze
8. wash and dry mushrooms before slicing so they don’t all stick together when put into a baggie to be frozen…or lay out flat on a cookie sheet, freeze and then put them into a baggie
9. leftover cooked meats…can be added to soups, stews, sauce, stir fries
10. bacon – cut a package in half and place into a baggie – freeze This way you are only dealing with a half package of bacon and are not tempted to indulge too much.
11. ham – dice lowest sodium ham you can find into amounts that you would use in an omelet (56g) – use your scale, put the ham into small baggies, label amounts and sodium, put all the little baggies into a large one and freeze
12. milk/half & half – before going on holidays and there is leftover milk in the fridge pour it into baggies in 1 cup measurements, place in a bowl standing up…freeze…once frozen, seal (milk expands when frozen)
13. cheese – buy a large block of cheese and grate your own….partially freeze the cheese first, grate, bag in 1/2 cup measures, label with date, amount and amount of sodium, put several small bags into a large one….use for pizza, casserole toppings, a sprinkle on a salad, wherever you would normally use grated cheese
14. lemons, oranges & limes…zest first and put zest on a small tray or dish and freeze, once frozen place the zest into a small, clean, plastic, labeled spice bottle to use in recipes where you need zest. Slice or quarter the fruit to use to squeeze over fish, pork or chicken…to get more juice out of the fruit, thaw and then microwave about 5 seconds and squeeze
15. herbs…chop finely and place about a half tablespoon into each section of an ice cube tray…depending on your end use, add water to cover or olive oil. If you use olive oil, it will turn a light yellow when frozen but return to normal colour when being used in a salad or sauce…basil will turn black when frozen but it is still edible and has full flavor
16. butter – butter can be frozen. I buy 1 lb blocks and cut into fourths..wrap each section in plastic wrap and place into a baggie…just take out what is needed and butter won’t go rancid just sitting in the fridge
leftover bagged coleslaw…freeze….can be fried up with a bit of bacon or put into a stew
eggs can be frozen for baking, omelets and scrambled eggs
overripe bananas…freeze in skin….peel when you have three to make banana bread or banana muffins
freeze grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches…make a fruit salad or a smoothie
bacon grease…when grease is cool but still liquidy, pour into a small yogurt or sour cream container with a lid….use for frying eggs, stir fries….freezing prevents it from going rancid or having weird things grow in it…use a knife to break out a small amount. DO NOT pour hot grease into a plastic container…it will melt the container and also the grease that is already there – you will have a huge mess to contend with…ask me, I know!
Cooked rice and barley
Diced jalapenos
Roasted peppers and garlic
Fresh ginger… grate while frozen
Extra nsa tomato sauce and tomato paste
Leftover spaghetti sauce
Yeast
Nuts, seeds
Granola
Low sodium broths
Low sodium breads, muffins and buns
Double bake potatoes
Extra mashed potatoes
Spanish rice
Refried beans
Low sodium pizza dough
Low sodium pie crust dough
Whipping cream
Crackers
Low sodium potato chips
And lots more
