Let It Snow (in April?)

My 4 y.o. sang along, simply delighted, as I defrosted the freezer – not in the least bit put off by the fact that he was the reason I was defrosting the freezer (I’d explain further but if you have – or have ever had – a 4 y.o., honestly, you can imagine any number of very valid pre-schooler reasons you might suddenly find that your freezer door has been inexplicably left ajar for hours.) The end result was, essentially, Elsa’s ice palace: everything was frozen shut with thick wall of ice.

However, here are some amazing reasons I love my freezer almost as much as my 4 y.o. — and it’s essential for healthy eating in this busy home.

1. Frozen vegetables: nutritionally equivalent to fresh, cheaper, and reduce food waste and easy to always have on hand

2. Frozen fruit: I always some bags on hand. I batch cook no-sugar compote to add to yogurts and porridge.

3. Batch cooking: I make double or triple batches of stews, stocks, pasta sauces, casseroles and freeze for quick mid-week dinner later.

4. Reducing food waste: extend the storage life of staples such a breadcrumbs, herbs, certain peppers. Freezing kitchen scraps (ends of onions, carrots, celery tops) can be put straight from freezer into pot to make a quick veggie stock.

5. Frozen short-cuts: You can buy chopped adn ready-to-add ingredients such as chopped garlic, coriander leaves, and onion. Saves a prepping step and reduces food waste.