It’s a real drag when you’re in a frazzled meal-prep rush and midway through the recipe you realize…
…the leftover tomato paste is moldy!
…I don’t have a lemon!
…'”Chop one onion”?! I don’t have TIME to chop an onion!
When frozen and tucked away in the freezer, these six ingredients are like little gifts of time and sanity when you need them them most. Trust me, your frazzled future self will thank you for it.
1. Smoothie Cubes
I learned this trick from Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean. It’s the secret to making smoothies without washing the blender every single time! Get the details.
2. Pureed Spinach & Kale
If you’ve got greens that are on their way out, puree them and freeze them in an ice cube tray, then pop out and keep in a zip-top bag. You can toss them into smoothies and sauces.
3. Broth
Got a half-empty carton or can of broth in the fridge? Pour it into ice cube trays, freeze, then keep in a zip-top bag. When your recipe calls for a little bit of broth, you have some (a standard ice cube holds about 2 tablespoons–that’s 1/8 cup).
4. Chopped Onion
I’ve been doing this trick for years and it has saved me loads of time. I chop several onions at once then portion them into zip-top bags (roughly one chopped onion per bag). When a recipe called for a chopped onion, I just pull it out of the freezer and drop the frozen pieces right into my pan.
5. Tomato Paste
I let way too many cans of tomato paste go bad in the refrigerator before learning this trick from Adina at Healthy Little Eaters: Scoop out leftover tomato paste in one-tablespoon blobs on a small plate covered with parchment or wax paper and freeze until firm. Then transfer into a freezer bag. When you need a tablespoon or two of tomato paste for a recipe, throw them in!
6. Lemon Juice
I use a lot of lemon juice in recipes because I love the flavor. You can juice a bunch of lemons, pour into an ice cube tray (I usually get about two cubes per lemon), then transfer frozen cubes into a freezer bag. When you need lemon juice, pull one out to thaw or put it into your hot pan or skillet.
Related: Get recipes for 30 Healthy Freezer Meals
