Written by Jessica Craigmile, Nutrition Intern

Does anyone else find that as they become busier in life, finding time to cook and eat gets put on the back burner? (Pun intended.) As the school year gets busier, I find that I have less and less time to prepare meals. When I don’t prepare, then it becomes all too easy to skip eating so I had to find a solution: frozen foods.

There have been common misconceptions about frozen foods- immediately images of small, gross, sodium-filled meals pop in our minds. YUCK. But thankfully, those aren’t our only options. If we browse our chilly, color-filled grocery aisles, we will see a variety of food options that we can nourish ourselves with!

Aren’t frozen foods less healthy?

Nope! In most cases, they can contain more nutrients than fresh foods. But how is that possible? Farmers raise their products to be either fresh or frozen. If they are raised to be frozen, the food will be picked at maximum ripeness and typically will be frozen within just a few hours. When foods are frozen, this slows the ripening process therefore retaining nutrients instead of losing them. Talk about a win!

Are there other benefits too?

Ohhh yeah! Frozen foods’ intention is to store food products for a longer amount of time than when they are fresh. Nothing irks me more than when I have to throw away food from my fridge because I didn’t eat it fast enough.

Anytime you throw out uneaten food from your fridge, it’s like throwing away money too! Instead of throwing that money away, put it into your frozen foods that can last long enough to be eaten. Let’s not forget, either, that fresh food is typically more expensive than frozen- I can buy a 2 lb bag of frozen strawberries for $4 instead of an 8 oz carton of fresh strawberries for the same price… I know the right choice here. SAVE THAT MONEY.

Frozen food is also a time saver. Running between classes, work, the dog park, etc. leaves little to no time for me to cook a proper meal. Grabbing something from the freezer that is basically ready-to-eat makes it A LOT easier for me to eat on the run ultimately saving me time!

So then what frozen foods should I be buying?

Well, that depends on what you like to eat! I loooooovvvveee a smoothie (because then I get my fruits/vegetables in, they are transportable, and taste so damn good!) So you can imagine what my freezer looks like. And if you can’t imagine it, here’s a photo of the bags on bags of fruit I have stuffed in there!

Not only is frozen fruit a great option, but also frozen vegetables, meat, meat alternatives, etc. One of the quickest meals I make often is throwing some frozen sweet potato fries in the oven while a frozen chicken breast bakes in my Ninja Foodie. Throw a side of frozen blueberries on top of some yogurt and you’ve got yourself a full meal. (Yes, I have this exact meal at least once a week.) And let’s not forget about the pre-made frozen meals out there- Trader Joes has a number of yummy options like eggplant parmesan, shrimp burgers, and cheese pizza! Pick up one of theirs or make a homemade meal, either way there are SO many uses for frozen foods I can’t even list them all but below you can find some ideas:

Stew
Stir fry
Fruit Pie Crumble
Fajitas
Smoothie
Or plain as itself!

All in all…

Frozen fruit is an amazing way to fill your grocery list! The food is likely more nutritious, can be stored longer, saves you time and money, is easy to prep, and can be used in SEVERAL recipes. Next time you go to the grocery, don’t shutter in avoidance of those chilly aisles but instead explore all of them! You’ll find delicious options that you will likely fall in love with just like I did!