A once a week refridgerator cleaning can create a whole new meal without throwing anything away! Third in the series of stretching food dollars. Practical tips for what usually gets tossed in the trash. I usually talk about using whole grains, but this fits into the healthy & frugal lifestyle as well. Visit our store: www.millersgrainhouse.com or get our FREE RECIPES at: www.eatgrains.com
Thanks, I will be looking forward to watching it.
I do this same thing. But, there is another freezer meal that I do and that is Pasta Casserole. Most of the time my pasta gets mixed with my meat sauce, and I have left overs. I keep gallon plastic ice cream buckets for this reason. I throw all that left over pasta into one of those bowls and throw it in the freezer. When I get ready to use it, I thaw it out in the fridge, pour it into a casserole dish and sprinkle it with shredded cheese and bake it until hot and bubbly.
That’s a great idea too! A perpetual pasta bucket! I too like to use those ice cream tubs – they work great for a compost bucket for the counter too.
Thanks for more ideas FruglAli!
Best Blessings!
Donna
Great idea on the veggies! wow! I am going to try that this week… thank you!
Thanks!
We also empty the jar for pot pies and other casseroles if soup is not on the menu!
Best Blessings!
Donna
Just wanted to say thanks for all the time you spend bringing us these great tips!
It’s my pleasure and joy to share…I hope to keep ‘em coming! Thank you so much for the encouragement!
Best Blessings!
Donna
Thank you and may God Bless you.
Happy to be of service…and, He HAS (o:
Best Blessings!
Donna
That is such a cool idea!….I have been watching all your videos over the last few days and have received so many good tips….I look forward to seeing more
Thank you for your kind and encouraging comment!
I hope to have a few more up soon, but my ‘camera man’ has finals coming up – so he’s distracted (o:
More will be coming tho! Promise!
Best Blessings!
Donna
great ideas cept I have an ice cream tub in our fridge. As I prepare our dogs dinner at home, ie I dont buy commercial dog food, all our scraps get added to the dogs dinner the next day to add to its meat or what ever else we cook up for the dog.
That’s a good idea too.
We have one (tin) in the freezer for the same type thing but we draw the line that if WE can eat it – we try that first…but the dog does get his fare share of really good treats!
Good idea too to feed animals REAL food!
Thanks!
Donna
A family friend who is almost 90 now taught me to do this on a camping trip in the 60’s. She said she always cleaned out her frig/freezer before they head off to go winter-camping and use a big pot or dutch oven.
Yep! Good idea!
One reason we don’t put meat in is to have choices and use the veggies in a wide variety of ways – pot pies, shepards pie, soup, casseroles etc….
Done this for EVER.
Best Blessings!
Donna
I lived in Romania for a few years and I was shocked that no one buys dog food they all cook there scraps and old bread.
This is also Biblical , in the Bible it said to give the dogs only table scraps. I do not think people are even aware they can do this since dog food companies scare people into believing they could not meet the dogs nutritional needs. If you can cook for a human and keep them healthy than you can most certainly keep a dog healthy
i’m proly hyjacking the thread, but it’s all about keeping the basis covered. eg, protien, carbs, veg, grains. Even fruit. Give your dogs that kinda food you got healthy dogs
Donna, one question. We always have a lot of little cups of leftover beans. Mostly black beans and refried beans. Should I keep the bean separate like the pasta and rice, or throw the beans in with the veggies and everything else?
LOVE this idea….
GREAT QUESTION!
If the beans are already cooked (as it sounds) then I would keep them separate partially for variation options and to add in like rice at the end so they don’t get overly mushy.
If they are still pretty firm, they can go in with the veggies (I’d still keep them in their own jar though to give options).
Refried beans will add thickness (like mashed potatoes) so add them whenever.
GREAT topic!
Thanks for asking…wheels are now turning!
Best Blessings!
Donna
question….. can you make freezer soup out of other leftovers like i made curry chicken with mixed vegetables after we ate there was alot of vegetables and sauce leftover what can i do with this so that i dont have to toss it
Great question!
You can use it in soup. I’d suggest that it be in it’s own container (sauce, veggies, leftover cooked chicken) that is clearly labled so you know the flavors/spices you’ve already added and will have an idea of what type of soup it will work well in. Not sure if it would do well in a beef base, but in a cream or chicen base, yes.
We do this with left-over spaghetti meat-sauce. Save a small portion to put in vegetable soup. So it’s a similar thing.
Best Blessings!
Donna
you can freeze tomato pieces and even whole tomatos to keep for homemade sauce or soup. By the way, it is MUCH easier to peel a tomato when it is frozen, just run it under warm water and rub with your thumb. the skin will roll right off. I do this for making pasta sauce from “scratch”
I love freezing a tomato vs. canning them! Too hot and messy for me.
Great reminder of an easy use for fresh sauces! Thanks!
Best Blessings!
Donna
Nice, but aren’t you worried about using food that is old tasting or maybe spoiled that could give you food poisoning?
That’s a fair question! Thanks for asking…
Nope, not worried at all.
I do this either after a meal knowing that the little bit left over isn’t enough to just keep. If it has been in the fridge it’s less than a week old. Each Wed we do a ‘fridge purge & plan’ so nothing is ever actually ‘old’. I smell everything to be extra sure. When in doubt – don’t save.
You have a good point, but if done weekly, there is no worry…monthly….would be gross. (o:
Best Blessings!
Donna