Freezer Challenge - Introduction & Week 1

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 A well stocked freezer is the frugal cook's best friend, but it can be a challenge to use up and rotate stock efficiently, especially when small items are pushed to the back or forgotten.

A few months ago we cleaned out our chest freezer, rotating items, pulling out the odds and ends. These odd ball and older items were moved up to our regular over-the-fridge-freezer. This poor freezer is now packed, making it hard to flash freeze items, or access frequently used items. I thought a use-it-up freezer challenge would be a great way to kick off the New Year, and hopefully return the freezer to a less chaotic state.

The Freezer - Week 1

Getting Organized

First I pulled everything out of the freezer and spread it out on the counters. It was shocking how many frozen blocks of food were in there! Next I quickly wiped out the freezer with a damp cloth, being sure that all the little vent holes were clean.

Next I attempted to organize everything into categories, as you'll see below. Now, not everything in this freezer needs to be used up, some of it is newer and will get to stay. I estimate about half to two-thirds of the contents qualify to be used up though.

After I sorted the food items by category, I made a list of what was in each category, and then put the items back in the freezer. I was playing some serious Tetris by the end!

Please note that the pictures below show everything in my freezer that I removed and organized, not just the items I want to use up!

The Contenders

After reviewing the list of items, here is the list of items I will be challenging myself to use up over the next 4-5 weeks:

Frozen Fruits & Vegetables

  • 2 Small Bananas
  • 3 cups of Strawberries (this is one solid lump!)
  • 2 Bags Bell Pepper Strips
  • 1 Bag Diced Bell Peppers
  • 1 Bag French Style Green Beans
  • 1 Bag Corn
  • 1/2 Bag Broccoli
  • 1/2 Bag Corn
Frozen Fruit & Vegetables


Red Meat & Sausage

  • 1 Package of Chorizo
  • 1 Package Chile & Roasted Garlic Sausage
  • 6 Breakfast Sausages
Red Meat, Sausage, & Cooked Meat

Poultry

  • 1 lb. Ground Chicken
  • 1 lb. Ground Pork
  • 1 lb. Ground Turkey
  • 1 Package Italian Marinated Chicken Tenderloins
  • 1 Package Pesto Marinated Chicken Tenderloins
  • 1 Package Chile Lime Garlic Marinated Chicken Tenderloins
Poultry

Cooked Meat
  • 3 Packages Cooked Cubed Chicken
  • 1 Package Ground Turkey
  • 1 Package Ground Beef
  • 1 Package BBQ Pork

Cooked Meals & Miscellaneous
  • Turkey Pot Pie Filling (about 2 cups worth)
  • 2 Breakfast Burritos
  • Fiesta Rice Bowl (2 servings)
  • Mozzarella Cheese
  • 2 Ciabatta Rolls
  • 2 cups of... Milk? It's dairy, but I don't recall what kind!
  • About 12 Lemons & Limes
  • 1 Jar w/ tsp. of Fresh Ground Ginger
  • 1/3 Container Sherbet Ice Cream
Cooked Meals & Misc.



Misc. Door Items

Miscellaneous Basket (small items)
  • Pepperoni
  • 1 Popsicle
  • 1 Biscuit
  • 2 Open Bags of Blueberries
  • Tortilla Scraps
Misc. Basket


The Plan for Week 1

This week I'm planning on the following recipes to start knocking out some of these items:

  • Blueberry Banana Flax Muffins
    • 2 Frozen Bananas
    • 2 Open Bags of Blueberries
  • Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
    • Ground Chicken
    • Ciabatta Rolls (these will be made into breadcrumbs)
  • 6 Breakfast Sausages
    • Cooked and served with weekend breakfast
  • Shepard's Pie
    • Cooked Ground Beef
    • 1/2 Package Corn
    • 1/2 of the Bag of Diced Peppers
  • Breakfast Burritos for Breakfast x2
  • Strawberry Yogurt
    •  Frozen Strawberries - I'm going to defrost and puree some of these strawberries to flavor plain yogurt

Are you partaking in any food or frugal related challenges in the New Year? Feel free to share below!

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