Fiddleheads, considered a delicacy, are the shoots of the ostrich fern. They've been in my freezer for months.
It has been suggested that we should get rid of the food we have before buying more. My husband is tired of trying to shut the freezer door with bags of nuts and seeds and whatnot getting in the way. I’m looking at this as a way to save money on groceries.
I must admit the cupboards are pretty well stocked and the freezer appears full. I like to freeze meals for my meat-eating husband to avoid having to cook every night.
The fridge is looking pretty sparse though. As long as I have nuts and seeds, frozen spinach, Greek yogurt, carrots and apples, I’m ok. When they run out, I’ll have to give in. I need the staples.
A bit of creativity and alternating foods helps to extend our little project. Yesterday for breakfast: eggs and a bagel; today: toast and cereal. I’ve been rooting through the cupboards and on Sunday I made very healthy bran muffins with dried cranberries, lots of bran, molasses, etc.
You can't get more bran into these muffins. Made with a recipe but with a bunch of other stuff thrown in.
Last night I took out a chunk of frozen turkey and a baggy of homemade turkey dressing, a baggy of rice (pre-made and frozen) and opened a can of gravy to simmer the turkey in. I added some peas and presto a pseudo turkey dinner to please my man. The secret to recreating the Christmas turkey dinner experience is homemade dressing so I freeze it in baggies. The cranberry sauce ran out.
It’s amazing what you can do with the right ingredients. An old friend once expressed amazement at how, on those empty fridge days, his wife could whip up an entire dinner for five with a can of creamed corn.
Last night I left some turkey in the pot of gravy before seconds could be had. Tonight: hot turkey sandwich with a side of fiddleheads and sauerkraut. For me, I’ll add spinach, soy nuts and a bran muffin.
Tomorrow, who knows? There must be some forgotten frozen treasure at the back of the freezer (perhaps the never-ending hamburger soup?). And the adventure continues.
I can completely relate! I am like you, my husband is basically a meat-and-potatoes type (although he did eat four of the tofu patties I made last night.) A well-stocked pantry and freezer means there is always something on hand for me to work with for my own vegetarian meals. But, yes, sometimes you have to make your way to the back of the fridge or cupboard. When we moved into a smaller space with a MUCH smaller kitchen, I swore to use up all the excess pantry stuff and try to shop for immediate needs only. This is a bit of a challenge. I like to make soups and my own bean-and-grain veggie burgers and freeze them. Soups go into one or two serving containers and I freeze the veggie burgers raw on a cookie sheet then ziplock them. It is always such a relief to pull one out if I am strapped for time or ideas. I only occasionally use faux meat products, but over the holidays I made lasagne twice for non-vegetarians using Yves veggie ground and it all got eaten up pronto. v
Great ideas! I figure if I’m going to cook for my meat-eating husband, I’m certainly not going to do it every night. I take advantage of the freezer, too, so there’s always something to draw on. Chrissy