Freezing for Weight Loss Success

No, I'm not talking about freezing your buns off as you walk in the morning...although walking is good, that kind of freezing isn't so much fun.

One of the "weighs" that I save money and time and have had weight loss success is by making extra portions and freezing them. Buying fresh fruits and veggies is awesome...but if you throw it in the garbage because you didn't eat it then you are just tossing your money out along with it.

Rather than buying already frozen produce I will often freeze my own...whether it is tomatoes I got as a great deal at the farmer's market or organic raspberries on sale at the grocery store...they all freeze well. Then, during the dark days of winter I can pop out a couple frozen berries and have a reminder of the glory days of summer!

I've long been a "freezer" as opposed to a "canner"...canning scares me. Perhaps irrationally, but the thought that if I do it wrong I could poison my friends and family has kept me from this past-time.

People often think that if you freeze something it will last forever. I had a roommate who ate her frozen fish 2 years after the catch. While it won't kill you, the taste and the nutritional value is just not the same.

So it is a good idea to date everything you put in the freezer and then rotate the contents so you use the oldest things first.

If you want specific tips on how to freeze items, check out this article from The More Conscious Consumer blog...but I definitely discourage you from adding sugar or sugar syrup to the items you are going to freeze. And the info I got this summer about freezing whole tomatoes was fantastic--so easy, no blanching required!

So stocking up makes sense...but as a general rule, plan to use the food in the next 2 months. See this quality chart from the Food Safety and Inspection Service for more details.

Remember...it won't hurt you to eat it if it has been frozen longer as long as it has been consistently kept cold. So you don't have to throw it away...but start to use up the old food and only add what you will reasonable use in a couple months.