This is what I keep in my freezer. Just because something is in the freezer doesn’t mean it will last forever. There’s a big difference in cooking for a large family and cooking for one. When you are cooking for lots of people, freezer burn usually isn’t much of an issue because the foods aren’t in there for long! When you are cooking for one you need to be much more careful about how you wrap foods for freezing, because most likely they’ll be in there a while. I’ll include some tips about freezing foods later.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruit: blueberries — I put some on my cereal in the morning, still frozen, and those little guys thaw quickly, and if they don’t, I don’t care.). It’s also good on ice cream.
100% fruit juice — It’s great to have for smoothies (which I’m not in the habit of making, so this one’s for you.)
Vegetables: artichoke hearts, green beans, corn, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. (no more than 3 different kinds — fresh is always best)
Protein
Meats: chicken, fish fillets, shrimp, scallops, steaks, pork chops, meatballs, polish sausage, etc. (packaged in individual serving sizes)
Dairy
Cheese: feta or blue
Miscellaneous
Frozen dinner — I keep one for in a pinch. My whole idea is to avoid that, but to be realistic; I don’t want to eat another can of asparagus for dinner either!
Nuts: almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, (only one or two kinds — remember, the freezer doesn’t mean forever)
Ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, or sorbet (maybe one, sometimes none)
Bread — I always keep my bread in the freezer now, because I don’t eat very much of it. If I want bread, I take out a slice and toast it.
If you just got one tip from this, or it got you to start thinking about how you’re eating, then I’m happy.
When you’re making your own lists, think of the different food categories and then your favorites in each of them.
I welcome your feedback and would like to hear about how you approach stocking your kitchen.