WHY FROZEN FOODS MAKE US WARM & FUZZY

- C&J Nutrition, Contributing Writers

Our clients are often surprised when we suggest they stock their freezers with frozen fruits, veggies, and lean protein (fish, chicken, veggie burgers).  They’re always happy to learn that frozen foods make eating healthfully a whole lot easier for the whole family – and we use them ourselves at home!

Why do we LOVE high-quality frozen foods so much?  Let us count the ways:

      1.      Capturing peak ripeness: Ideally, we would all have kitchens full of seasonal, local

produce.  But let’s face it, this isn’t always possible.  Sometimes there isn’t time to hit the farmer’s market – and other times you just have to have berries in the winter!  But by the time most produce reaches your grocery store, it has likely spent a good chunk of time (making its carbon footprint) in transit.   Add the time that it sits on the shelves (being touched by hundreds of passers-by…but that’s a different issue) and your fruits and veggies have had ample time to suffer nutrient depletion.  But not so with flash frozen fruits and veggies – they’re blanched and then frozen immediately after being picked when they are at perfect ripeness, which allows the nutrients to fully develop and preserves them until it is time to eat!

    2.     Homemade babyfood…that you don’t have to actually have to make:  In terms of feeding your baby and toddler, it used to be that jarred baby food  was your only alternative to slaving over a stove and food fill.  But the jarred stuff, which often has a diluted nutrient content  due to the addition of water, sugars, and starchy fillers doesn’t quite make the mark in comparison to fresh.   Then enter Tastybaby, with quality blast frozen baby foods, changing the world of baby-feeding as we know it.  Blast freezing means that fresh, organic food is instantly frozen – preserving it at its absolute best point.  Blast freezing does such a great job at preserving the food exactly as it is that even when thawed, it’s just like homemade.  But that’s not all – in  terms of food safety blast freezing is optimal.  Cooking foods and then chilling them in the refrigerator creates a pocket of time when the food is in the “danger zone” – 140 to 41 degrees F – the temperature at which dangerous bacteria grow best.  With blast-freezing, the food moves through this temperature range so quickly that  rapid bacteria growth is not an issue!

    3.     Never an excuse to go produce-less:  Ever tempted to give in to the kids’

hamburgers and fries requests because the fridge looks less than stocked?  If you’ve got frozen fruits, veggies, and fish or poultry in the freezer, you can whip up something healthy, delicious, and fast even if it seems like the last time you bought groceries was pre-children!  [See our easy meal ideas below]

        4.     Not a preservative in sight:  Some companies do add weird stuff to frozen fruits, veggies, and meals, so we skip those products.  Check out our frozen food guide below to see what to look for and what to skip.  Companies like Tastybaby, who only use the best ingredients minus crazy additives, are the ones we stock our freezers with.

        5.     Fit for one, two, or three…. Don’t you just love those nights when it seems like your meal is divided into foods for people who have more than four teeth and ones for those who don’t.  Sometimes the whole family cannot agree and frozen foods come in handy since you can thaw and cook only what you need.

        6.     Compact character:  Imagine cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries in your refrigerator.  They take up a lot of space!  But, a bag of frozen organic mixed berries fit tucked away in your freezer so compactly!

        7.     Waste-less:  Ever grab a bag of what you thought was spinach, only to find that it is now unidentifiable goo?  Or you open up that package of blueberries and find a lovely fuzzy blanket over them all?  Well, this doesn’t happen with frozen fruits and veggies.  Go on vacation for a week and they’re still in the same perfect form you left them.

A few of our favorite ways to use frozen foods:

These are basic ideas – so feel free to make these dishes your very own by adding herbs and

spices you like or any other random ingredients you have around the house!

Hearty veggie stew:  Combine tomato soup (we love Imagine Organics or Trader Joe’s roasted red pepper and tomato) with mixed frozen veggies and crumbled veggie burgers.  Simmer until piping hot and top with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Maple mustard salmon:  Place thawed wild salmon fillets in a glass baking dish rubbed lightly with olive oil.  Spread each fillet with coarsely ground mustard mixed with maple syrup.  Broil for 15-20 minutes (or until fully cooked).

Fruit and yogurt madness:  Microwave mixed frozen berries until slushy (but not warm).  Spoon low-fat plain yogurt into a bowl and stir in a spoonful of raw oats (trust us on this one, it thickens up the yogurt).  Top with berries, whole grain cereal, crushed walnuts, dried fruit, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  Let kids build this one themselves… and if they want a little sugar on top, that’s ok since even with a sprinkling of sugar this dish has far less sugar than sweetened yogurts do!

Guide: Choosing the best frozen foods – what to look for by category:

Fruit:  Avoid varieties that are packed in syrup or contain added sugar.  The only ingredient that should be listed is fruit.

Vegetables: Again, look for just one ingredient, the vegetable.  Watch out for those that have sauces, most add artificial ingredients and contain more saturated fat, sodium, and even trans

fat.

Veggie burgers: Look for the first or second ingredient to be soy.  If using a veggie burger as a meal’s protein source try to aim for at least 10 grams of protein per burger.   Morning Star Farms tomato-basil pizza burgers and Amy’s Organic are two that we love.

Frozen chicken, turkey burgers:  Choose organic if possible and look for around 97% lean.   Applegate Farms and Trader Joe’s make juicy, lean turkey burgers.  One more time, look for products that don’t have much in the ingredient list except the meat.

Fish: Make sure the flesh is solid and there is no discoloration or freezer burn on the surface.  The packaging should be moisture and vapor proof and fit closely around the fish (vacuum packed is best).  One brand we love is Eco-fish www.ecofish.com.  They list the mercury and PCB content of the fish right on the package and tell you how many times a month it's safe to eat that particular fish according to the national guidelines.  Their products include individual frozen fish steaks and filets, some of which have seasoning packets.  They also have a line of healthy kid’s foods!

Frozen packaged meals: Watch for sodium and added ingredients like MSG.  Aim for meals with at least 1 cup of veggies, 3-4 ounces of lean meat or beans, and a starch (preferably a whole grain like wild rice or starchy veggie like squash or sweet potato.)  Kashi has a new line of frozen meals that are delicious and definitely fit the bill in terms of nutrition!