By Renae on October 5, 2009
I am getting ready to take a 10 day vacation. I have cut way back on grocery shopping leading up to the trip. However, I still had some perishable items that I didn’t want to go to waste. I thought I would share a couple of tips!
I had a whole bag of carrots that would have been spoiled by the time we got back. I did a little research and found that you can blanch and freeze carrots easily.I sliced some and kept some whole. For the sliced carrots I boiled them for 2 minutes to blanch. The whole carrots required 5 minutes. Then I immediately cooled them in ice water. I do not have a food saver. Ziploc freezer bags did the trick while I expressed as much air as possible. The carrots were packaged according to serving size for my family.
I happened to have extra orange juice too. I learned a trick from my friend Julie some time ago. What you do is pour the orange juice into an empty ice cube tray. Place it in the freezer until the orange juice is solid. Kids love the frozen orange cubes! It is kind of like a popsicle only in a bowl with a spoon! Place extra frozen orange cubes in a ziploc bag for future treats.
By Heather Sokol on July 21, 2009
There are numerous products and tools designed to help you live your life. Some will work, while others won’t. Each Tuesday, we’ll share something we’ve tried so you won’t have to spend money until you know it’s worth it! Our selections usually include items that will also save your family money while others will save [...]
By Heather Sokol on July 14, 2009
The key to big long term savings is buying the items you need when they are on sale before you need them. This means taking advantage of each sale as much as you can with as many coupons as you have available. You will begin to create a “stockpile” of products you use on a [...]
By Heather Sokol on January 20, 2009
Image via Wikipedia A well-stocked pantry is essential to making meals on a budget. Who hasn’t made a last minute run to the store in the middle of a recipe only to pay way too much for the ingredient you need? Keep your pantry (and refrigerator) stocked by buying often used items—and family favorites—when they [...]
By Heather Sokol on September 17, 2008
Image via Wikipedia As gardening season comes to a close, many people are left wondering what to do with a bushel of tomatoes in October. You might also be interested in stocking up on your favorites before the Farmer’s Markets come to an end. Different types of produce should be stored in different ways to [...]
By Heather Sokol on January 30, 2008
Image by sporkist via Flickr There is a concept out there called Once A Month cooking that focuses on the freezer. The idea is exactly what it sounds like—you spend one weekend per month cooking 30 meals to store in the freezer. I don’t go quite that far, personally, since I actually enjoy nightly cooking, [...]
