Staples for Stocking a Healthy Freezer
Below are the items that we keep in our deep freezer often, if not always. Unless otherwise stated, all of the items listed we purchase at Costco due to a cost advantage and/or added convenience of buying these products in bulk. Meat/Seafood (each come vacuum-sealed in individual portions or packages perfect for small families)
- Organic chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks
- Lean ground turkey - unavailable in organic when bought bulk
- Organic ground beef
- Salmon fillets
- White fish (not from Costco; my husband catches fresh)
- Lobster tails
- Salmon burgers (homemade or from Costco)
- All-natural chicken burgers (homemade or from Costco)
- All-natural meatballs (homemade or from Costco)
Starches and Whole Grains
- Batch-cooked brown rice, Mexican rice, and fried rice (brown rice bought uncooked at Costco), then homemade)
- Batch-cooked quinoa (quinoa bought uncooked at Costco, then homemade)
- Whole-grain sandwich bread and sandwich thins
- Gluten-free bread
Vegetables
- Frozen broccoli
- Frozen root vegetables (carrots, potatoes)
- Frozen corn
- Frozen peas
- Frozen vegetable medley (purchased at Trader Joe's)
Fruit
- Frozen organic berries
- Frozen pineapple
- Frozen organic cherries
- Frozen organic mango
Dairy
- Shredded mozzarella
Nuts and Seeds
- Chia, hemp, and flax seeds
- Raw almonds, cashews, and mixed nuts
Treats
- Fruit sorbets
- Popsicles (homemade)
Breakfast Foods
- Shredded potatoes (purchased at Trader Joe's)
- Leftover breakfast hash (homemade)
- Egg whites (if unused before expiration date)
- All-natural bacon, breakfast sausage, and Canadian bacon-ham
Marinades and Premade Meals (all homemade and then stored in the amounts needed for single-recipes using freezer-safe containers)
- Batch-cook marinades like those used for: broccoli & beef, Asian salmon, orange and kung poa chicken
- Sauces: pesto, spaghetti
- Meats: ground turkey tacos, meatballs
- Soups: chicken tortilla, enchilada, sausage-spinach-white bean
- Chilis: turkey pumpkin, butternut squash, quinoa chili