Preparing nutritious diet foods can be time-consuming. There are days when you just want to eat something quick. Commercial frozen food can be expensive and may contain ingredients that you are trying to avoid. Freezing individual low-calorie portions of your favorite diet main dishes, vegetable side dishes, fruits and soups will help you stick to your diet on days that you are short on time.
Preparation
Step 1
Choose diet recipes that freeze well. The nutrient value and taste of food doesn't change with freezing but the texture does. Lettuce does not freeze well. You can freeze a portion of a diet recipe and plan to serve it with fresh vegetables, pasta or rice. To serve a stir-fry dish, use your frozen meat-vegetable blend and cook rice.
Step 2
Prepare your recipes. Soups and casseroles freeze well. Most baked goods can be frozen before or after cooking. If you plan to microwave the food before eating, bake it before freezing. Using an oven instead of a microwave allows foods to develop browned flavors and crusts.
Step 3
Split large quantities of vegetables and meats into recipe-sized portions when you have more than you need for a single recipe. If your recipe calls for 2 cups grated zucchini, finish grating your extra zucchini and freeze it in 2 cup batches. Meat can be cheaper when purchased in larger quantities. Since the quality of food changes as it is thawed and refrozen, you want to avoid repeated thawing and freezing of your food.
Fruits and Vegetables
Step 1
Select fruit and vegetables at the peak of their freshness to freeze. When you are minimizing fats and sauces on a diet, you want to have the best tasting fruits and vegetables.
Step 2
Chop fruits and vegetables into serving size pieces. National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends blanching squash and peas for a few minutes before freezing.
Step 3
Add spices to fruit and vegetable blends according to your diet recipes. Freeze the fruit ingredients for a smoothie, then add milk or yogurt when you are ready to drink it. Make side dishes of flavored vegetables using different vegetable and spice combinations. The blanched vegetables will finish cooking when you reheat them.
Freezing
Step 1
Divide finished recipes into the suggested number of servings.
Step 2
Place each serving into an individual container or freezer bag in 2-inch thick layers leaving ½ inch headspace.
Step 3
Label each container with the date and contents. Include serving calories on the label.
Step 4
Use the quick-freeze shelf in your freezer. If you have several containers, spread them out across your freezer. Do not stack the containers until they are frozen solid.
Tips and Warnings
- To maintain vegetable texture, undercook them in soups before freezing. Try to use foods within a few months. The USDA says that food stored at 0 degrees Fahrenheit is always safe but food texture changes over time. Casseroles maintain their quality for two to three months.
- Freezing does not kill bacteria. Use proper food-handling techniques.
Things You'll Need
- Small freezer-safe food containers
- Reclosable freezer bags
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