I am a lunchroom manager at an elementary school and as we are getting ready for summer break I have used your freezer clean our videos as inspiration to clean out and use what I have in my massive walk-in freezer, cooler, and dry storage room. I made a list of 8 meals to serve On the last 8 days of school and I think we will have an almost empty freezer for the summer!
This might sound crazy but I have a little notebook in my freezer and a pen magnet thing, so anytime I put anything in my freezer I take the pen and write it on the freezer notebook 😂😂😂 it works !
Not crazy, my hubby does our freezer chest inventory and we have it taped to the inside of our "pantry" just a white cabinet in the kitchen that got handed down to us for extra storage. 👍😁
I have a white board attached on the top of mine with velcro. I can take it off when I clean out the freezer but otherwise we leave it attached and update as we add/remove. It's so easy to stay on top of it.
Ground chicken is great for homemade wontons or rice bowls. Soy ginger garlic toasted sesame oil purple cabbage chopped pink lady apples purple onion BAM😎 over rice. . just mix it all in a bowl while the chicken is raw. You can cook it in a skillet, form meatballs, put it in wontons or my fav is to preheat an oven to 390 and spread it on parchment on a sheet pan and cook til gbd 😋 top with sliced green onion
@@Anaphya just mix it all in a bowl while the chicken is raw. You can cook it in a skillet, form meatballs, put it in wontons or preheat an oven to 390 and spread it on parchment on a sheet pan and cook til gbd 😋
Freezer lid frustration tip -- mount a command hook (extra-strong hold version) on the front outer edge of the lid so that the 'hook' part is facing down. Mount another command hook (or nail/screw) on the wall above the height of where the freezer lid is when it's open. Use a shoe string, etc. and tie one end tightly to the wall hook/nail, and then measure the length to the command hook when the lid is open. Tie a loop/knot on the end of the string so that you can hook it over the command hook on the freezer lid. BAM!, your freezer lid will stay open!!
You know you are an adult when you see all that food and you are satisfied be not having to go to the store haha Love your videos! Watching from Uruguay!
I inventory frequently and items/qty's go into a spreadsheet that is also my meal planner. I can see exactly what I have and meal ideas all in one shot. When I try new recipes and they get the 'keeper' status, they are added to my meal plan, the recipe is put into word and linked to the spreadsheet so I can get to them in a single click. When I buy something, it gets added, as the meals are consumed they get highlighted for purchase. This helps me to shop only sale items because I always know what I need.
“Ribeye” and “rib steak” are the same cut of meat. The term “ribeye” more often refers to a boneless rib steak, whereas calling it just “rib steak” usually means it’s bone-in.
I created an excel spreadsheet listing all the meats, veggies and freezer items I purchase. I laminated it and glued a magnet on the back and have it on my fridge. I keep inventory of my freezer this way so I can: 1) create a meal plan and 2) create a grocery list.
Whenever I have bread it's either in the freezer or fridge and then toasted. We can NOT leave bread on the counter because our cat will literally gnaw his way into the bag. And he LOVES bread so he's got some sort of crazy radar that he just KNOWS when it's out.
Oh my god my old cat used to do this. He also ate butter if he could get to it. He figured out how to open the butter container my stepmom had out and would eat the butter sticks. 😂
I did a freezer cleanout, defrost, and deep clean about a month ago and it's such a great feeling! My biggest accomplishment from the last year by far, LOL
I just did the same thing with my freezer. Used bins to seperate like items. I do like having an upright freezer. The shelves make it much easier to see what you have. No head diving involved! 😃
The downside of an upright is they are more expensive to run! Every time you open the door, the cold air tumbles out! You get more frost in them! . Had one, got rid of it!
Hint for dry ground chicken: make meatballs or meatloaf and include a panade (chopped up bread soaked in milk, or broth or water) this keeps moisture in the meat. 🥰🖖
For round steak. My mom used to cut the meat in bite size pieces. Lightly brown , then add peppers , onions, mushrooms (all fresh). Add 1 bottle ketchup, 1 bottle bbq sauce. Rinse both bottles to equal 1 full bottle of water. Cook on the stove until meat is tender. Serve over rice or noodles. Easy peasy. You can always use extra veggies. Good stuff. Does not work well in pressure cooker. Must cook slow.
My favorite way to cook round steak is to cut it into single serve portions, season and lightly flour. Lightly brown, and put steak into a baking dish cover with a cream soup, (mushroom, celery, onion) add a can off water, cover and bake till steak becomes fall apart tender. Can also put in crockpot.
You know, you probably could have defrosted the freezer in the time it took you to assess everything. Just unplug it and prop the lid open, then when you're ready to put things back and it has melted a bit, scrape off the frost and scoop out the ice and water using a clean dustpan. I help my parents do this several times a year; it doesn’t take very long and is so satisfying.
@@phyllisschapiro7894 it definitely looks like there's some on the long sides when she shows the "after" shot (not a ton, but some nonetheless) 👍 Edited to add: ...but also, it's a good tip she could use in the future, even if she doesn't need it now
You can also add to your inventory if you add anything to your freezer by writing it a new color ink. I do this so I know what is newer just by looking.
Deep Freezer Organizing Tip: buy stackable recycling bins with handles & organize by category. A cheaper option would be to put items in reusable shopping bags so you can stack and pull out.
I would slice the round steak very thin, put in pressure cooker then make a great stroganoff with mushrooms or once the beef is cooked use it for beef dip
Good idea for containers in the freezer. Also, if the freeze was pulled away from the wall a few inches the lid would stay open depending on the hinges. Thanks for making videos to help us out with daily life hacks.
I make beef stew out of round or sirloin steak. I braise the meat in the oven at 350 for 1.5 to 2 hours. Then I throw in my onion garlic and root vegetables and cook for another hour.
I love freezing bread. I’ve never had a problem with it, and I’m always surprised when people don’t know you can freeze bread. And it thaws so quickly. About 10min for sliced bread aaaand you can pop them in the toaster frozen if your needing it fast. Also I have spilt flower in my freezer, it’s been in there for awhile and I just haven’t felt like messing with it. I forget the miscommunication my husband and I had exactly, but he ended up thinking I said to put the ripped bag of flower in the deep freezer 🤷♀️
To keep your chest freezer better organized. The dollar tree sells these xl bags in the section with hangers. Meant to use for storaging clothes and such to save space. They have handles. I zip lock/wrap my meat into meal size portions. Then put all of one kind in the big bags. Then when you are looking for lets say, chicken breast. You just pull a xl zip lock bag full of pre portion chicken breast without having to dig or mess up your organization of your other meats. As all meats are separated in thier own meat category xl bag. I hope that makes sense and helps someone. Bc chest freezers make it so hard not to loose things in....
I slice a pound or so of round steak in strips. Place in crockpot. Cover w can of condensed tomato soup (I rinse out w can of water), can of French cut green beans, can of corn(I've used 2 cans of green beans and no corn). I include liquid in cans. Packet of onion soup mix. Cook on low 6-8 hrs. Serve w mashed potatoes. *I've also added chopped potatoes w peel on. Just make sure everything is covered w liquid.
Round steak works great for crockpot meals. Two of my favourites are Swiss steak (steak cut into serving size pieces, sliced onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomato/pasta sauce with any other seasonings you like and cook 6 - 8 hours on low) or Beef in Mushroom Gravy (steak cut into cubes, 1 - 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 1 - 2 pkgs onion soup mix, [depending on amount of steak] garlic powder, parsley flakes, ground pepper and 1/3 cup water per can of soup. Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or until meat is cooked through and tender). Both work well served with mashed potatoes or noodles.
I have a large stand up freezer, if you don't keep a list you lose track and don't know what you have. Do not feel too bad if you lose track of what is in there over time it happens, when you know you got way more in there than is on you list just pull it all out and start over.
I don't like chest type freezers because food gets "lost" in them and it's hard to keep food "rotated" in them. I have an upright freezer for those reasons. It's also frost free. :)
A tip for those with deep freezers. I picked up a small 8x11 white board from walmart for $2 i think. I have everything written on it and as we pull meat i can adjust qty or cross off easily. Once a month i go downstairs and make sure numbers correct and update as needed
Round steak... always tenderize it! Even if it says tenderized, pound it again! I love it cut into strips for breaded steak strips (not the healthiest), in the crock pot with mushrooms and cream of mushroom soup over mashed potatoes, or Swiss steak... sliced, with green peppers onions and big stewed tomatoes, liquid aminos or soy sauce... great over rice!
I also have this kind of freezer! Maybe I'm a little extreme, but I write everything on a list in my cabnet (on date) when I buy it. So first in, first out of the freezer ( I also use bins, love them!) New items go to the bottom bin and the old once slowly go to the top when I take something out. Plus I write the freezer date on the items so that I always know what is new and what is old. When I want to know what to cook for dinner I just look at my list in my cabnet and I can see everything I have :)
i said it before color coded baskets are the way to go. When I had a chest freezer I had blue bins for fish, red for beef, green for veggies, browns for bread and such, you can do other groups too like purple for fruit, pink for desserts, I dunno what you have. Also on the outside of the fridge I had little magnetic writable labels you can write on with a Sharpie when you put something in, and then when you pull it out you can remove magnetic label and stick it on the other side, also makes a great shopping list cos you knwo what's gone but also what's still there. you can "erase"sharpie with some rubbing alcohol
yeah, a rib steak is a ribeye with the bone on. I like to make beef rice bowls with round steak. It isn't super tough...it responds well to being cubed, seasoned with some salt, pepper, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce and being seared in a pan with some onions. I put that on top of rice with avocado, salsa, cheese, beans, sour cream, etc. Yum!
Ground chicken will work well with my twist on a Kraft Food recipe for Quesadillas. It calls for 2 cups shredded chicken (I used ground once because it was what we had) turned out great. So 2 cups cooked chicken- dice it, shred it, ground it. 1 cup taco blend shredded cheese, 1/2 cup black beans- drained and rinsed if canned, 1/2 corn - drained if canned. 1 cup chunky salsa, and a pack of taco size soft tortillas. The recipe calls to layer ingredients on one side fold together then cook in a skillet over medium heat 2 mins each side. I mix everything in a bowl, stuff a folded tortilla place two at a time in the biggest skillet I have and heat each side of each tortilla until golden or browned. My twist is it called for green onions that I don’t use. The salsa has enough onions for our liking. It’s a crowd pleaser and you can substitute items if needed. Also if you don’t have the chunky salsa you will have a runny mess of a still tasty meal.
That's what I need to do is take stock of what's in the freezer downstairs and use it all up so we can defrost it. Especially with the weather starting to warm up here, now is the perfect time to get it done!
Ground chicken: 10 minute Thai Basil Chicken. Literally 10 minutes from (thawed) chicken to meal, including chopping. Very flavorful and easy to add extra vegetables, and Very Quick.
With ground chicken I do meatballs. I use the cheap box stuffing mix as breadcrumbs because of the seasoning in it and the regular meatball ingredients. Then there are Swedish meatballs or spaghetti or many more things to use the meatballs in. I even refreeze them after I make them up.
I had the same problem with forgetting what's in the freezer. I went thru and listed everything. Now I use what I have on top of my list and any new items added are at the bottom. Makes meal planning easier.
I love making chicken lettuce wraps with ground chicken and bunch of leftover veggies. I use a sweet chili garlic sauce with sesame oil and extra red pepper flakes for some spice.
Take pics of the contents with your cell phone as you pull them out. Then inventory that way or make a list and delete pics as needed. So faster and easier🙂
Use reusuable grocery bags for containing like items in deep freezers! Works great! They can stack easily on each other and easy to pull out. I got this idea for freezer organization from A Peek Inside. She has a great system for inventory as well!
Round steak cut up in the crock pot with green bell peppers and onions, add a can or 2 Of golden mushroom soup salt pepper , cook on low 8 hours serve with rice or mashed potatoes!
Growing up my Mom had "restaurant night" once a week. It was the leftovers from the week, there was not enough of each meal for everyone in our family of 6 to have again, so on Friday night, we got to pick what we wanted. It was always a lot of fun!
I keep a meat inventory and frozen veggie/fruit/misc list (on white boards) on my kitchen fridge. I can see what I have or what I need ar a glance. I have 2 extra freezers. It's a real game changer
I just bought $260 in groceries. Everything is full(because I keep buying!ugh!) Freezer, cans, pantry. I'm hoping to live off of what we have and clean it all out!! Tough cuts of beef- stew and fry bread night. Thanks for the inspiration to use what we have.
you can use ground chicken in spaghetti sauce, or stuffed peppers. I recently did Chefs Plate meal box and we had Mediterranean burgers....Ground chicken or turkey mixed with bread crumbs and garlic powder , S & P...make patties. Then in a bowl put mayo and (clubhouse) greek seasoning or mediterranean seasoning and mix ...spread on toasted buns top and bottom ....then add roasted shallots and red pepper slices (1/2 inch thick) on top of burger...............it tastes amazing
Reusable grocery shopping bags make really good storage for reach in deep freeze since they’re not hard and and easy to stack and remove easily to reach what is underneath.
Round steak I do with tomatoes onions and green peppers cooked in crockpot and place over rice or noodles. Bbq chicken pizza with ground chicken or chicken bacon ranch pizza
I update my list every month. I cross things off as I need it and add in that month things I buy. And then go back and make sure I didn’t forget to add/subtract anything.
I just did a massive inventory of my freezers a couple of days ago too. I was surprised to find almost no ground turkey and zero ground beef. But I had four italian sausage. I need to do a pantry shelf inventory. For the ground chicken breast I love to make buffalo chicken burgers. Add an egg, some bread crumbs, franks red hot, and blue cheese or feta cheese crumbles. I don't like blue cheese so I use the feta. They don't end up super spicy so I usually top with more Franks. They are soft before you cook them but the egg helps hold together and firm up.
I use ground chicken to make Gyros. Add Greek seasonings and an egg as a binder, put in food processer so it's very well blended, then bake in loaf pan like you would with a meatloaf. Let cool. Slice for perfect pub style Gyros meat!
Ground Chicken --- Buffalo Chicken bites --- wonton wrappers in cupcake pan, fill with cooked ground chicken seasoned with your favorite buffalo sauce and a bit of butter, top with cheese (mozz or mexican blend), bake. Yum!!
Just a loving tip: Next time thaw that freezer while you are at it, it will save you on your electricity bill. That ice crust costs extra energy. You probably know that, but I couldn't ignore it. :)
I’ve never seen so much meat ever except in the grocery store. What a blessing! Thank you for the fun video. Stay safe everyone and Happy almost Spring 🌸 🌺 🐝
You could use the ground chicken for the pot pies, and cook up some of your chicken breast, shred it and use for chicken salad for some quick and easy lunches as well.
Ground chicken is great for Asian lettuce wraps! Cook it up with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, green onions, water chestnuts and eat it in lettuce cups! 🤤
I usually make oven shawarma when I have a ton of chicken breast since it marinates in oil and makes everything super moist and delicious (also a good way to use up naan or pita bread). I have a whiteboard on my fridge that keeps track of all the meat I have. When I buy more I just add to it or erase it when it's used up.
I sort our upright freezers using baskets too! I still need to label my bins so things get put in where they belong. This also helps me keep the older stuff to the front of the bin since I can pull it out place the new stuff to the back. Keeping inventory let’s me know what we need to restock.
I take ground chicken add my own spices make nuggets and bread and freeze on sheet pans so the kids can grab a few and throw them in the AirFryer when they are making lunches or snacks.
comment on the frozen bread: sometimes my loaves get soggy pulling it out of the freezer, I have found that if I have it thaw in the fridge first and then move it to the counter it never gets soggy.
Can I request a video of how you store things to last longer (veggies, etc) and/or what can/cant be frozen and any tips/tricks you've learned when it comes to freezing things? Love your videos!
I make eggroll bowls with ground chicken breast. A bag of coleslaw and a pack of chicken and a bit of soy sauce, pepper, and red pepper flakes. It makes for a hearty meal.
I love chicken/Turkey mince. I always mix it half and half with greater carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms and granny Smith apples. Then I do meatballs or something like Salisbury meatballs
I throw round steak (or a tough cut) in the crockpot with 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can tomato soup & a 1/2 a can of water. Depending on how much steak I have I will double the soup stuffs & water if needed. I make rice & a veggie side. We use the soup juice as a gravy over the meat & rice. So simple & always seems to be a hit. Everyone’s crock seems to cook differently, I cook this on high till it is done, depends on how much meat I have 4 or 5 hours. Or you can do it on the stove top for like 2 ish hours on a low setting.
I make a master list of what in the freezer or what I buy the most I make it on the pc and add a table around it, then I put it in one of the protective sleeve and with s dry erase marker i put 1 beside it for each items i have ei: ground beef 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 means I have 8 when I pull one out I remove one of the 1 I do this for everything, makes my life so much easier, plus I separate all my meats with compartments and use bins within these section 1 poultry 1 pork 1 beef and usually my basket Is for fish so I know what meat is where at anytime and makes it easy to tell the kids where to go and get a pkg of chicken breasts :)
I am with Jen I love swiss steak my mum used to make swiss steak with the bone and flated it out and she used to cook it in the microwave I just can't remember what ingredients she used
When I take inventory or clean out a freezer, I a;ways set up a card table or long table to help with sorting and do not have to bend over so much with heavy turkeys, etc. Much easier and faster. 🥰
I don't remember where I saw it but I implemented this in my new 7.0 freezer. White dish pans from the dollar tree. They fit 2 wide perfectly and then stack up from there. For me each one had a different item in it. However you organize is the best way to organize. I did it this way because I was starting fresh with a brand new freezer.
I was walking down the stairs getting ready to sit down and watch the you tube while planning my meals for this week. It's almost like you knew I needed this. Thank you
WHY have I never thought of putting the list on a magnet pad and crossing off as I use??? 🤦🏼♀️ I often take inventory and try to reorganize (shuffle things around) our freezer, but this tip will be really helpful! Thanks!
I love your meal preps, homemade white bread recipe (I substituted 1&2/3 Cups warm water so I could add 1T garlic powder 1T dried minced onion & 1T dried oregano; delicious with an Italian meal), food clearance hauls, and so much more! Thank you. Since it's just my hubby and myself; I take our bread out by the slices we are using and toast them from frozen or thaw them for what we use for sandwiches.
I am a lunchroom manager at an elementary school and as we are getting ready for summer break I have used your freezer clean our videos as inspiration to clean out and use what I have in my massive walk-in freezer, cooler, and dry storage room. I made a list of 8 meals to serve On the last 8 days of school and I think we will have an almost empty freezer for the summer!
Great job on being so efficient and organized with that huge volume of food!!!
This might sound crazy but I have a little notebook in my freezer and a pen magnet thing, so anytime I put anything in my freezer I take the pen and write it on the freezer notebook 😂😂😂 it works !
Not crazy, my hubby does our freezer chest inventory and we have it taped to the inside of our "pantry" just a white cabinet in the kitchen that got handed down to us for extra storage. 👍😁
@alena198318 that's not "crazy", it's genius!! :)
Genius!! Then no food goes to waste!
I AM so going to do that! 😃
I have a white board attached on the top of mine with velcro. I can take it off when I clean out the freezer but otherwise we leave it attached and update as we add/remove. It's so easy to stay on top of it.
Ground chicken is great for homemade wontons or rice bowls. Soy ginger garlic toasted sesame oil purple cabbage chopped pink lady apples purple onion BAM😎 over rice. . just mix it all in a bowl while the chicken is raw. You can cook it in a skillet, form meatballs, put it in wontons or my fav is to preheat an oven to 390 and spread it on parchment on a sheet pan and cook til gbd 😋 top with sliced green onion
That sounds delicious!
What a good idea! I always buy ground chicken and I’m always disappointed when I cook it. I’ll have to try this.
@@Anaphya just mix it all in a bowl while the chicken is raw. You can cook it in a skillet, form meatballs, put it in wontons or preheat an oven to 390 and spread it on parchment on a sheet pan and cook til gbd 😋
Clever ideas, thank you for sharing. Am so going to try this
Google PF Changs copycat chicken lettuce wraps. That's a great use for the ground chicken. I either put it on shredded lettuce or in tortillas. 😊
That sounds delicious 👍
I just recommended the same thing before reading down the comments!!! Love it!
@@sherilynalexnder897 I also add edamame to mine, so good!
@@juliecylkowski7281 it is delicious!
I love how NAAN is never just Naan, but CLEARANCE NAAN 😀
Freezer lid frustration tip -- mount a command hook (extra-strong hold version) on the front outer edge of the lid so that the 'hook' part is facing down. Mount another command hook (or nail/screw) on the wall above the height of where the freezer lid is when it's open. Use a shoe string, etc. and tie one end tightly to the wall hook/nail, and then measure the length to the command hook when the lid is open. Tie a loop/knot on the end of the string so that you can hook it over the command hook on the freezer lid. BAM!, your freezer lid will stay open!!
I was thinking something similar ♡
You know you are an adult when you see all that food and you are satisfied be not having to go to the store haha
Love your videos! Watching from Uruguay!
@Eva Frade-yes!! It's so satisfying to "shop" you own freezer. :) #adulting
Soy de Uruguay también! Que coincidencia
Every couple months I always take everything out of the freezers and make a list because you find some crazy things lurking in the bottom!
I recently found a large turkey and ham in bottom of my freezer,lol
Same here.
Me too!
I need to do an inventory for everything: freezer, fridge, and pantry
Ditto!
It always helps!!
I keep my inventory on my phone if I find a sale I check to see if I need some or pass.
@@alinewright1093 excellent idea.
I put my grocery list on my phone, when I remember to make one 🤦🏻♀️
@@alinewright1093 Wow I wish I was that organized
I inventory frequently and items/qty's go into a spreadsheet that is also my meal planner. I can see exactly what I have and meal ideas all in one shot. When I try new recipes and they get the 'keeper' status, they are added to my meal plan, the recipe is put into word and linked to the spreadsheet so I can get to them in a single click. When I buy something, it gets added, as the meals are consumed they get highlighted for purchase. This helps me to shop only sale items because I always know what I need.
“Ribeye” and “rib steak” are the same cut of meat. The term “ribeye” more often refers to a boneless rib steak, whereas calling it just “rib steak” usually means it’s bone-in.
Ground turkey or chicken make burgers with onions, peppers, red onion seasoning makes great burgers on the grill
When this started i laughted thinking of last years and the spilt blueberries and laughted again when i saw them lol
I did the same!
Same here.
I created an excel spreadsheet listing all the meats, veggies and freezer items I purchase. I laminated it and glued a magnet on the back and have it on my fridge. I keep inventory of my freezer this way so I can: 1) create a meal plan and 2) create a grocery list.
Use the ground chicken to make meatballs for Italian wedding soup.
Whenever I have bread it's either in the freezer or fridge and then toasted. We can NOT leave bread on the counter because our cat will literally gnaw his way into the bag. And he LOVES bread so he's got some sort of crazy radar that he just KNOWS when it's out.
Mine does this too! We have to keep any bread or baked goods in the microwave where he can’t get at them
So funny and true 🤣😂🤣.
mine does that too! I have to put it in the fridge asap otherwise he’ll nibble on every slice
This is my besties rescue boy kitties (litter brothers) I warned her getting kitties was a diffrent world from her pug/chihuahua mix rescue. LoL.
Oh my god my old cat used to do this. He also ate butter if he could get to it. He figured out how to open the butter container my stepmom had out and would eat the butter sticks. 😂
I did a freezer cleanout, defrost, and deep clean about a month ago and it's such a great feeling! My biggest accomplishment from the last year by far, LOL
I just did the same thing with my freezer.
Used bins to seperate like items.
I do like having an upright freezer.
The shelves make it much easier to see what you have.
No head diving involved! 😃
The downside of an upright is they are more expensive to run! Every time you open the door, the cold air tumbles out! You get more frost in them! . Had one, got rid of it!
Hint for dry ground chicken: make meatballs or meatloaf and include a panade (chopped up bread soaked in milk, or broth or water) this keeps moisture in the meat. 🥰🖖
For round steak. My mom used to cut the meat in bite size pieces. Lightly brown , then add peppers , onions, mushrooms (all fresh). Add 1 bottle ketchup, 1 bottle bbq sauce. Rinse both bottles to equal 1 full bottle of water. Cook on the stove until meat is tender. Serve over rice or noodles. Easy peasy. You can always use extra veggies. Good stuff. Does not work well in pressure cooker. Must cook slow.
My favorite way to cook round steak is to cut it into single serve portions, season and lightly flour. Lightly brown, and put steak into a baking dish cover with a cream soup, (mushroom, celery, onion) add a can off water, cover and bake till steak becomes fall apart tender. Can also put in crockpot.
One of my favorite newly learned hacks is to use canvas bags for the deep freezer. Separate and tie the handles, easy peasy! ❤️.
You know, you probably could have defrosted the freezer in the time it took you to assess everything. Just unplug it and prop the lid open, then when you're ready to put things back and it has melted a bit, scrape off the frost and scoop out the ice and water using a clean dustpan. I help my parents do this several times a year; it doesn’t take very long and is so satisfying.
I didn't see any frost. I think it's a frost free freezer.
@@phyllisschapiro7894 it definitely looks like there's some on the long sides when she shows the "after" shot (not a ton, but some nonetheless) 👍
Edited to add: ...but also, it's a good tip she could use in the future, even if she doesn't need it now
There should be a plug with a hose going to the outside at the bottom...mine has one...
You can also add to your inventory if you add anything to your freezer by writing it a new color ink. I do this so I know what is newer just by looking.
Love this idea ♡
Deep Freezer Organizing Tip: buy stackable recycling bins with handles & organize by category. A cheaper option would be to put items in reusable shopping bags so you can stack and pull out.
I would slice the round steak very thin, put in pressure cooker then make a great stroganoff with mushrooms or once the beef is cooked use it for beef dip
It is so refreshing to have a fit mom making real meals! And someone that aligns with my frugalness ;)
Good idea for containers in the freezer.
Also, if the freeze was pulled away from the wall a few inches the lid would stay open depending on the hinges.
Thanks for making videos to help us out with daily life hacks.
I make beef stew out of round or sirloin steak. I braise the meat in the oven at 350 for 1.5 to 2 hours. Then I throw in my onion garlic and root vegetables and cook for another hour.
I love freezing bread. I’ve never had a problem with it, and I’m always surprised when people don’t know you can freeze bread. And it thaws so quickly. About 10min for sliced bread aaaand you can pop them in the toaster frozen if your needing it fast. Also I have spilt flower in my freezer, it’s been in there for awhile and I just haven’t felt like messing with it. I forget the miscommunication my husband and I had exactly, but he ended up thinking I said to put the ripped bag of flower in the deep freezer 🤷♀️
Use the vacuum cleaner with attachment to clean it up.
@@genxx2724 that’s a great idea! I just gotta dig all the stuff outa my freezer to do it 🤦♀️
I learned to use stackable bins in my freezer to keep everything separated and easy to get to 😅
To keep your chest freezer better organized. The dollar tree sells these xl bags in the section with hangers. Meant to use for storaging clothes and such to save space. They have handles. I zip lock/wrap my meat into meal size portions. Then put all of one kind in the big bags. Then when you are looking for lets say, chicken breast. You just pull a xl zip lock bag full of pre portion chicken breast without having to dig or mess up your organization of your other meats. As all meats are separated in thier own meat category xl bag. I hope that makes sense and helps someone. Bc chest freezers make it so hard not to loose things in....
I slice a pound or so of round steak in strips. Place in crockpot. Cover w can of condensed tomato soup (I rinse out w can of water), can of French cut green beans, can of corn(I've used 2 cans of green beans and no corn). I include liquid in cans. Packet of onion soup mix. Cook on low 6-8 hrs. Serve w mashed potatoes. *I've also added chopped potatoes w peel on. Just make sure everything is covered w liquid.
We called it round steak casserole.
Round steak works great for crockpot meals. Two of my favourites are Swiss steak (steak cut into serving size pieces, sliced onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomato/pasta sauce with any other seasonings you like and cook 6 - 8 hours on low) or Beef in Mushroom Gravy (steak cut into cubes, 1 - 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 1 - 2 pkgs onion soup mix, [depending on amount of steak] garlic powder, parsley flakes, ground pepper and 1/3 cup water per can of soup. Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or until meat is cooked through and tender). Both work well served with mashed potatoes or noodles.
I have a large stand up freezer, if you don't keep a list you lose track and don't know what you have. Do not feel too bad if you lose track of what is in there over time it happens, when you know you got way more in there than is on you list just pull it all out and start over.
I don't like chest type freezers because food gets "lost" in them and it's hard to keep food "rotated" in them. I have an upright freezer for those reasons. It's also frost free. :)
A tip for those with deep freezers. I picked up a small 8x11 white board from walmart for $2 i think. I have everything written on it and as we pull meat i can adjust qty or cross off easily. Once a month i go downstairs and make sure numbers correct and update as needed
You can also use big bags for like $1.99 or so. They have handles and will be easier to lift out when you need it.
Round steak... always tenderize it! Even if it says tenderized, pound it again! I love it cut into strips for breaded steak strips (not the healthiest), in the crock pot with mushrooms and cream of mushroom soup over mashed potatoes, or Swiss steak... sliced, with green peppers onions and big stewed tomatoes, liquid aminos or soy sauce... great over rice!
Add a quarter teaspoon of baking soda per pound of ground chicken to make it more moister. It worked on all ground meats.
I also have this kind of freezer!
Maybe I'm a little extreme, but I write everything on a list in my cabnet (on date) when I buy it.
So first in, first out of the freezer ( I also use bins, love them!) New items go to the bottom bin and the old once slowly go to the top when I take something out. Plus I write the freezer date on the items so that I always know what is new and what is old.
When I want to know what to cook for dinner I just look at my list in my cabnet and I can see everything I have :)
i said it before color coded baskets are the way to go. When I had a chest freezer I had blue bins for fish, red for beef, green for veggies, browns for bread and such, you can do other groups too like purple for fruit, pink for desserts, I dunno what you have. Also on the outside of the fridge I had little magnetic writable labels you can write on with a Sharpie when you put something in, and then when you pull it out you can remove magnetic label and stick it on the other side, also makes a great shopping list cos you knwo what's gone but also what's still there. you can "erase"sharpie with some rubbing alcohol
yeah, a rib steak is a ribeye with the bone on. I like to make beef rice bowls with round steak. It isn't super tough...it responds well to being cubed, seasoned with some salt, pepper, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce and being seared in a pan with some onions. I put that on top of rice with avocado, salsa, cheese, beans, sour cream, etc. Yum!
Ground chicken will work well with my twist on a Kraft Food recipe for Quesadillas. It calls for 2 cups shredded chicken (I used ground once because it was what we had) turned out great. So 2 cups cooked chicken- dice it, shred it, ground it. 1 cup taco blend shredded cheese, 1/2 cup black beans- drained and rinsed if canned, 1/2 corn - drained if canned. 1 cup chunky salsa, and a pack of taco size soft tortillas. The recipe calls to layer ingredients on one side fold together then cook in a skillet over medium heat 2 mins each side. I mix everything in a bowl, stuff a folded tortilla place two at a time in the biggest skillet I have and heat each side of each tortilla until golden or browned. My twist is it called for green onions that I don’t use. The salsa has enough onions for our liking. It’s a crowd pleaser and you can substitute items if needed. Also if you don’t have the chunky salsa you will have a runny mess of a still tasty meal.
That's what I need to do is take stock of what's in the freezer downstairs and use it all up so we can defrost it. Especially with the weather starting to warm up here, now is the perfect time to get it done!
Ground chicken: 10 minute Thai Basil Chicken. Literally 10 minutes from (thawed) chicken to meal, including chopping. Very flavorful and easy to add extra vegetables, and Very Quick.
Suggest-- dry eraser board above freezer list in large print to keep up on Inventory.
With ground chicken I do meatballs. I use the cheap box stuffing mix as breadcrumbs because of the seasoning in it and the regular meatball ingredients. Then there are Swedish meatballs or spaghetti or many more things to use the meatballs in. I even refreeze them after I make them up.
I had the same problem with forgetting what's in the freezer. I went thru and listed everything. Now I use what I have on top of my list and any new items added are at the bottom. Makes meal planning easier.
It did not look like that much food when we looked in it! Lol
I love making chicken lettuce wraps with ground chicken and bunch of leftover veggies. I use a sweet chili garlic sauce with sesame oil and extra red pepper flakes for some spice.
Take pics of the contents with your cell phone as you pull them out. Then inventory that way or make a list and delete pics as needed. So faster and easier🙂
That’s a great tip! 😀
Great idea! My hubby is always rushing through the inventory because he doesn't want anything to thaw out.
Use reusuable grocery bags for containing like items in deep freezers! Works great! They can stack easily on each other and easy to pull out. I got this idea for freezer organization from A Peek Inside. She has a great system for inventory as well!
Round steak cut up in the crock pot with green bell peppers and onions, add a can or 2 Of golden mushroom soup salt pepper , cook on low 8 hours serve with rice or mashed potatoes!
Growing up my Mom had "restaurant night" once a week. It was the leftovers from the week, there was not enough of each meal for everyone in our family of 6 to have again, so on Friday night, we got to pick what we wanted. It was always a lot of fun!
I keep a meat inventory and frozen veggie/fruit/misc list (on white boards) on my kitchen fridge. I can see what I have or what I need ar a glance. I have 2 extra freezers. It's a real game changer
I just bought $260 in groceries. Everything is full(because I keep buying!ugh!) Freezer, cans, pantry. I'm hoping to live off of what we have and clean it all out!!
Tough cuts of beef- stew and fry bread night.
Thanks for the inspiration to use what we have.
you can use ground chicken in spaghetti sauce, or stuffed peppers. I recently did Chefs Plate meal box and we had Mediterranean burgers....Ground chicken or turkey mixed with bread crumbs and garlic powder , S & P...make patties. Then in a bowl put mayo and (clubhouse) greek seasoning or mediterranean seasoning and mix ...spread on toasted buns top and bottom ....then add roasted shallots and red pepper slices (1/2 inch thick) on top of burger...............it tastes amazing
Boneless skinless chicken breast and crockpots were made for each other.
chickn mince is good in spring rolls using heaps of herbs and hoisin or teriaki sauce or asian meatballs
Ground chicken makes great lettuce wraps add soy sauce peanut butter and red pepper flakes....and some quick pickled cucumbers.. so good
Reusable grocery shopping bags make really good storage for reach in deep freeze since they’re not hard and and easy to stack and remove easily to reach what is underneath.
Round steak I do with tomatoes onions and green peppers cooked in crockpot and place over rice or noodles. Bbq chicken pizza with ground chicken or chicken bacon ranch pizza
I update my list every month. I cross things off as I need it and add in that month things I buy. And then go back and make sure I didn’t forget to add/subtract anything.
I just did a massive inventory of my freezers a couple of days ago too. I was surprised to find almost no ground turkey and zero ground beef. But I had four italian sausage. I need to do a pantry shelf inventory.
For the ground chicken breast I love to make buffalo chicken burgers. Add an egg, some bread crumbs, franks red hot, and blue cheese or feta cheese crumbles. I don't like blue cheese so I use the feta. They don't end up super spicy so I usually top with more Franks. They are soft before you cook them but the egg helps hold together and firm up.
I use ground chicken to make Gyros. Add Greek seasonings and an egg as a binder, put in food processer so it's very well blended, then bake in loaf pan like you would with a meatloaf. Let cool. Slice for perfect pub style Gyros meat!
Ground Chicken --- Buffalo Chicken bites --- wonton wrappers in cupcake pan, fill with cooked ground chicken seasoned with your favorite buffalo sauce and a bit of butter, top with cheese (mozz or mexican blend), bake. Yum!!
Ground chicken breast is great for meatballs! Try giving it an Asian twist by adding green onions, carrot, ginger, and soy sauce.
Just a loving tip: Next time thaw that freezer while you are at it, it will save you on your electricity bill. That ice crust costs extra energy. You probably know that, but I couldn't ignore it. :)
I’ve never seen so much meat ever except in the grocery store. What a blessing! Thank you for the fun video. Stay safe everyone and Happy almost Spring 🌸 🌺 🐝
You could use the ground chicken for the pot pies, and cook up some of your chicken breast, shred it and use for chicken salad for some quick and easy lunches as well.
I use cut-up round steak as stew meat. Perfect in the slow cooker. Or do a beef ragu. Round steak is London broil thinner cousin.
Because I've watched channels like yours I got a stand up freezer to help me stay organized and find what I need, doing a clean out soon myself
Last year when you cleaned out your freezer I had just had my son and started watching you. Glad to see an update of that freezer. 😉
Ground chicken is great for Asian lettuce wraps! Cook it up with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, green onions, water chestnuts and eat it in lettuce cups! 🤤
I usually make oven shawarma when I have a ton of chicken breast since it marinates in oil and makes everything super moist and delicious (also a good way to use up naan or pita bread). I have a whiteboard on my fridge that keeps track of all the meat I have. When I buy more I just add to it or erase it when it's used up.
Love this. How do you make the chicken for this?😌
Inventory is a great tool not to waste food you already have. And I always put honey when I make my homemade bread. Tastes so good.
I sort our upright freezers using baskets too! I still need to label my bins so things get put in where they belong. This also helps me keep the older stuff to the front of the bin since I can pull it out place the new stuff to the back. Keeping inventory let’s me know what we need to restock.
I take ground chicken add my own spices make nuggets and bread and freeze on sheet pans so the kids can grab a few and throw them in the AirFryer when they are making lunches or snacks.
comment on the frozen bread: sometimes my loaves get soggy pulling it out of the freezer, I have found that if I have it thaw in the fridge first and then move it to the counter it never gets soggy.
Love this type of videos. Thanks for sharing. I find it interesting what folks have in their freezer.
For the ground chicken. I make a French onion meatball. Found it on Pinterest. Yum!!
Brown your round steak cover with stewed tomatoes cook until tender and serve over rice. That’s how my family eats it.
Can I request a video of how you store things to last longer (veggies, etc) and/or what can/cant be frozen and any tips/tricks you've learned when it comes to freezing things? Love your videos!
I like to put a paper towel in the bread bag when I freeze it. It helps absorb any extra moisture when you defrost it.
I make eggroll bowls with ground chicken breast. A bag of coleslaw and a pack of chicken and a bit of soy sauce, pepper, and red pepper flakes. It makes for a hearty meal.
I love chicken/Turkey mince. I always mix it half and half with greater carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms and granny Smith apples. Then I do meatballs or something like Salisbury meatballs
I throw round steak (or a tough cut) in the crockpot with 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can tomato soup & a 1/2 a can of water. Depending on how much steak I have I will double the soup stuffs & water if needed. I make rice & a veggie side. We use the soup juice as a gravy over the meat & rice. So simple & always seems to be a hit. Everyone’s crock seems to cook differently, I cook this on high till it is done, depends on how much meat I have 4 or 5 hours. Or you can do it on the stove top for like 2 ish hours on a low setting.
I make a master list of what in the freezer or what I buy the most I make it on the pc and add a table around it, then I put it in one of the protective sleeve and with s dry erase marker i put 1 beside it for each items i have ei: ground beef 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 means I have 8 when I pull one out I remove one of the 1 I do this for everything, makes my life so much easier, plus I separate all my meats with compartments and use bins within these section 1 poultry 1 pork 1 beef and usually my basket Is for fish so I know what meat is where at anytime and makes it easy to tell the kids where to go and get a pkg of chicken breasts :)
Your videos are so helpful to me as someone who is new to meal planning!
With the round steak you should definitely tenderize it and make Swiss steak :)
I am with Jen I love swiss steak my mum used to make swiss steak with the bone and flated it out and she used to cook it in the microwave I just can't remember what ingredients she used
When I take inventory or clean out a freezer, I a;ways set up a card table or long table to help with sorting and do not have to bend over so much with heavy turkeys, etc. Much easier and faster. 🥰
next time you can pull the freezer a few inches away from the wall, then you can leave the lid slanted towards the wall
I don't remember where I saw it but I implemented this in my new 7.0 freezer. White dish pans from the dollar tree. They fit 2 wide perfectly and then stack up from there. For me each one had a different item in it. However you organize is the best way to organize. I did it this way because I was starting fresh with a brand new freezer.
I was walking down the stairs getting ready to sit down and watch the you tube while planning my meals for this week. It's almost like you knew I needed this.
Thank you
WHY have I never thought of putting the list on a magnet pad and crossing off as I use??? 🤦🏼♀️
I often take inventory and try to reorganize (shuffle things around) our freezer, but this tip will be really helpful! Thanks!
A hook in the ceiling and a string with a hoop connecting to the handle.
Voila- you have a lid holding device.
Ask me how I know😉
Thats smart. I'll steal that idea.
I like it. I always wedge something in the back gaskets between the hinges.
I love your meal preps, homemade white bread recipe (I substituted 1&2/3 Cups warm water so I could add 1T garlic powder 1T dried minced onion & 1T dried oregano; delicious with an Italian meal), food clearance hauls, and so much more! Thank you. Since it's just my hubby and myself; I take our bread out by the slices we are using and toast them from frozen or thaw them for what we use for sandwiches.
I grate veggies into ground chicken include the juice. Ive even done cucumbers.
Racheal ray chicken caesar burgers are the BEST!!! Google the recipe... they are the ONLY way we eat ground chicken
Love her. Also love ground chicken for taco meat.