The Best Frozen Foods to Keep in Your Freezer
Fresh food isn’t always accessible. Having our pantries and freezers filled with nutritious meals is beneficial when we are busy, or something unexpected throws our plans off track. Some frozen foods, on the other hand, are better than others.
If you’re looking down the frozen food aisle at the grocery store, frozen dinners might look tempting. But they’re not always the best for maintaining a healthy diet. Many frozen meals contain sodium and preservatives your body doesn’t need. So while frozen dinners can be convenient, try to skip them and target frozen fruits and vegetables instead.
Fresh Isn’t Necessarily Better
A fantastic approach to consuming nutrients is by eating frozen fruits and veggies. They can sometimes even be more nutrient-dense than fresh produce! Researchers discovered no discernible difference in the nutritional value of fresh and frozen foods in a study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. Fruit and vegetables that were frozen won when there was a contest. Flash-frozen at its highest point while fresh produce may lose some nutrients while sitting on a truck or in the produce stand.
Making Healthy Choices
When looking for frozen produce, you want to look at the ingredients. The best kind of frozen food only has one element on the label: fruit or vegetable. That means that if you look at frozen blueberries, sugar shouldn’t be added. And if you are looking at frozen broccoli, salt shouldn’t be counted.
We support you eating as many fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables as possible. But here are our top picks for the best-frozen fruits and vegetables to stock up on.
Frozen broccoli is an excellent method to increase your greens intake when fresh vegetables are unavailable. You can cook it in dishes or serve it steamed as a side dish. Frozen broccoli also works well in soups and casseroles when you need more vitamin C and fiber.
2. Spinach
Nearly as delicious as fresh spinach is frozen spinach. It is preshrunk and rich in potassium, calcium, and iron. Most recipes that call for cooked spinach can use it.
3. Peas
Frozen peas hold up well in the freezer. You can add them to fried rice and blend them into a puree. Please put them in chicken potpie for more color, or mix them with other pantry staples for creative side dishes with some extra fiber.
4. Cauliflower
Once cooked, frozen cauliflower is virtually as wonderful as fresh. You can steam it by itself, cook it and mash it, or make a soup. It is a good idea to buy frozen cauliflower rice as a low-carb alternative to regular rice. Regarding nutrients, cauliflower delivers 60% of your daily vitamin C needs and 14% of your daily dose of vitamin K.
5. Chopped Onions
If you can’t go to the market, it’s a relief to have frozen chopped onions. They are in many recipes that taste good. You won’t miss anything by using frozen onions when you cook them.
6. Corn
To taste summer all year long, you should buy frozen corn. You can use frozen corn in the same ways as fresh corn. Even though it’s frozen, it is still healthy because it has less sugar than beets.
7. Green Beans
Green beans are a good source of iron, calcium, and vitamins C and A. They keep their crunch and color well when cooked. You can add them to stir-fries, one-dish meals, and soups.
Frozen Fruit
1. Raspberries
Frozen raspberries are a good choice for your next shopping trip. They have cancer-fighting properties, and they’re delicious. They also stay fresh in the freezer and retain their shape when baked.
2. Peaches
You get fiber, magnesium, and potassium when you eat fresh or frozen peaches. Peaches freeze well to have perfect wedges of fruit with excellent flavor. They can be boiled down to compote or blended into smoothies, but flash freezing helps them maintain their structure for pies and cobblers. They function well in muffins as well.
3. Blueberries
Frozen blueberries are a great addition to smoothies because they are packed with antioxidants. They also work well in soufflés, crumble bars, frozen yogurt, and cobblers.
4. Pineapple
Eating frozen pineapple can get an immunity boost and a tropical flavor all year. One cup of pineapple contains all the vitamin C you need for the day. Desserts created with frozen pineapple can be baked, but it shines in ice cream and smoothies.
5. Mango
Frozen mango is an excellent food to buy. It has a lot of iron and vitamins A and C. You can put it in your cart when you are shopping. Mango salsa is an excellent food to eat. It is sweet and spicy. You can make it yourself or find it in stores.
Read more: Freezer Meals and Recipes to Cook for New