Are you struggling to include fresh fruit and vegetables into your busy life? Do find your beautiful fruit and veggies that you purchased on Sunday are wilted by Wednesday? Do you find yourself going to the supermarket way too many times during the week to pick some fresh produce for dinner?
Frozen fruit and vegetables can save the day. Picked & flash frozen at their peak of ripeness, the nutrition in frozen produce is equal to, and may even exceed that of fresh which may traveled long distances, losing precious nutrients along the way.
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Pre-washed, pre-cut, and ready to use - who doesn't love that? The convenience of making a meal with frozen produce on a busy night is highly under-appreciated.
Now, I get it, the soft, mushy texture of frozen fruit and vegetables can be off-putting. There are ways however, to play off of these textures and make them work for you. When you get the hang of it, you'll soon be turning to frozen fruit and vegetables as staples in your kitchen!
I wouldn’t recommend, for example, adding defrosted vegetables or fruit into a salad. The mushy texture is all wrong in this dish where we expect crispness. But what about adding frozen fruit and vegetables into dishes where a soft texture makes perfect sense - smoothies, soups, stews, mashed veggies? This is where frozen produce shines as a ready-to-go ingredient in your kitchen, adding a boost of nutrition, fiber and color into your meal with no washing, peeling or chopping required.
Here are the 5 Best Ways to use frozen fruits and vegetables to make healthy meals and snacks.
Toss frozen fruit like berries, pineapple, papaya, mango, and veggies like spinach & kale into your smoothie. Check out my Make Ahead Smoothie Recipe Pack for some delicious smoothie ideas.
Add frozen cauliflower rice to to your favorite canned soup for a heartier meal without overloading the calories.
Mix frozen peas, carrots, corn, or chopped greens into your favorite stew, slow cooker or instant pot meals.
Switch up mashed potatoes with mashed frozen butternut squash.
Cook a simple blended vegetable soup with frozen vegetables. This “Creamy"Cauliflower Soup Recipe is a staple in my house from fall through spring as a vegetable side dish, or a satisfying snack (hint: there is a secrete ingredient to create the creamy texture without the cream).
Experiment with one of these ideas, or one of your own inspiration, to discover your favorite way of tapping into the ease offered by frozen vegetables and fruit. Before you know it, you'll will be stocking your freezer with these time saving ingredients, pulling together healthy meals more quickly, AND making one less trip to the supermarket each week. That's a win!
Do you want access to more recipe ideas? Sign up for a FREE trial of my meal plans, no credit card required. I recommend the Simple Eats plan, which is filled with recipes with a short list of ingredients as a great entry point. Once you sign up, search through the library of 1000s of recipes. Find your top 10 favs that you can cook with your eye's shut. Perfect for those weeks when your time is tight.
Interested in learning how to work with me to achieve your personal health goals? Scheduling a discovery call here.
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*Disclaimer: Ellen Petrosino Consulting has no affiliation with any of the mentioned brands on this website.
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