Freezer Surprise!

Thursday 30th June 2022

Focus on the healthy.

Well the hospital had us in and out before his appointment was due which meant I got to the huddle in good time and he got to go back to bed :) The scan on his belly showed everything was all clear regarding livers, kidneys, spleen etc so now the doctor should refer him to a gastro paediatrician and hopefully we can make some progress.

We had freezer surprise for dinner, he ended up with chicken curry, mine was chicken in gravy, we had it with the broccoli I had in the fridge and a cauliflower cheese from freezer, sorry Aunt Bessie, not impressed with your cauli cheese, the shop home brand one is better.

Now it was freezer surprise because I always forget to mark up leftovers, I know at the time I think, 'oh I'll be able to tell what they are' and to be fair I did guess yesterday so, I'm not far off.

Here's some freezer hacks to help save money at this tough time, firstly a full and well-organised freezer saves energy (and money) as less cold air can escape.  I know when you're skint it's not so easy to keep it full, I've put my cooler blocks in mine, or put a couple of loaves of bread in there.  Next, now this one makes me smile as I didn't know there was such a think but you can freeze leftover wine and then use it in your cooking, it is a good idea.  You can freeze eggs!  Whisk them up into silicone ice cube trays for popping out when it's time to cook.  You can do the same with milk, freeze in ice cubes to pop into your tea or coffee to cool your drink quicker.  Hard cheese like cheddar and parmesan can be grated and stored in freezer bags for up to two months.   

Not one I'm likely to use but a frozen block of butter is easy to grate when you're making pastry, one I am more likely to use is freeze fresh herbs in olive oil or water, ready for adding flavour to soups and stews.  Also as a space saver and for quicker defrosting you can free soups, stews and curries flat in reusable freezer bags.  Why not pop a lolly stick in a pot of yogurt and freeze to make a refreshing yogurt pop.  

A great way to keep the freezer organised is knowing what's in there to start with, keep an inventory and mark things off as you use them - list out all the freezer meals, vegetables, meats, and more that you store in your freezer.

Unlike me, label everything and pack them in smaller portions, this will help you're wallet and your waistline!  I now freeze leftover meat in the gravy so I have a spare portion for another day, I had this idea from Tina and yesterday I loved her for it as I enjoyed my dinner, this is great to do when meats on offer, plus you're only using the oven once.

Right that's me, I need to get ready for work, I managed to sleep 5.45am when himself called me to say good morning, it's rarely I'm still asleep when he does that, thankfully my alarm was set for 6 so I'd been awake and snoozing, can you believe it's Thursday already - he'll be back tomorrow night.

Here's to a great day ahead, I've took honey and mustard chicken out the freezer this morning, another leftover to use, I remembered to write on that one :) we'll have it with rice I think, or maybe I'll get him to try some quinoa.  

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx