No More Freezer Burn

When I go shopping, I always check the meat case to see if there are any markdowns.  When an item is getting close to it's Sell By date, the store will usually mark it down to encourage customers to buy it.  Walmart makes them really easy to spot with bright yellow stickers.

Buying this marked-down meat is a good way to save money.  The key is to use it or freeze it by the date on the package.  I usually buy several packages when I can get a good deal - whether it's chicken breasts, steaks, hamburger, or anything else I normally use.  Then the next day I break the large packages down and freeze them in single-use packages, usually in zipper bags, like in this post - Freezing Hamburger.

It wasn't until recently that I found a great way to avoid freezer burn - which happens when you freeze a lot of stuff and don't use it in a timely manner.  It's so simple, I can't believe I didn't think of it myself!  I was thinking maybe I needed one of those Vacuum-Sealing Systems - and one of these would be nice.  But, I was talking to the man who works in the meat department, and he suggested wrapping individual pieces of meat in plastic wrap and then putting them into the zipper bags.

Individually wrapped steaks in my freezer

Wrapping serves two purposes - the plastic wrap protects the steaks from freezer burn, should I not use them right away, and it's so easy to pull out just the number of steaks I need - even though they're all in the same zipper bag.  You know those individually frozen chicken breasts you can buy in the store?  Yes, I buy those too, but if I find a great deal on chicken breasts in the meat department, I can individually freeze my own now!

Also, a note: the best plastic wrap I have ever tried is the Great Value Premium Wrap - Professional Strength you can buy at Walmart.  I never even liked plastic wrap before I tried this stuff.  Seriously, it's great!

Lemonade Yogurt Popsicles

I found this recipe for Lemonade Yogurt Popsicles on Baking Bites, and I just had to try them. They're in the freezer now.

Lemonade Yogurt Popsicles

• 1-1/3 cups lowfat yogurt, plain or vanilla
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 5 tbsp sugar

1. In a small, microwave safe bowl, heat up the lemon juice and dissolve all the sugar into it.
2. Pour lemon mixture into a medium bowl with the yogurt and whisk until smooth.
3. Divide into popsicle molds and freeze, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Dip popsicle molds in hot water to release the pops before serving.

I used my Tupperware popsicle molds - the ones I used to use all the time when the kids were younger - and got 6 full ones and a partial.  Next time (see, I'm already assuming there's gonna be a next time) I'll add just a touch more yogurt so I can fill them all up.
 

Related articles (more popsicles I just must try)

• Summer Popsicles (kidsincowtown.wordpress.com)
• Homemade Pops - Melt my Heart! (toppedwithsprinkles.wordpress.com)
• This might just be the best thing ever! (thelemonandlime.com)
• Endless Poptails: Cherry Apple Whiskey Sour (nolagirlsocial.wordpress.com)
• Healthy & Delicious (vakkermom.wordpress.com)
• Summertime Treat: Popsicles (atouchoflovely.wordpress.com)
• Popsicle o'clock (secret-agent-josephine.com)

Freezing Hamburger

It's almost always cheaper to buy your ground beef in packages of 3 lbs. or more.  Then, when you get it home, you can divide it up into smaller packages.  A kitchen scale is really handy for this, but you can divide it up into fairly even packages without one.  For most recipes it's not going to matter if you're off a little one way or the other.  I've only recently started using a scale. 

A pound of hamburger fits nicely into a quart-size zipper bag.  I've found that it works best to flatten each package before placing them into the freezer.  The hamburger will freeze faster that way, and the packages stack neatly in the freezer.  Additionally, when you're ready to use some of the hamburger, it will thaw faster, too.

I've started putting my hamburger into 1/2 lb. packages, since it's just my husband and me most of the time these days.  If I need to cook for more people or make a larger recipe, I can easily take two packages out of the freezer at once.  I bought two 3-lb. rolls of Ground Chuck at Walmart this week - because they'd marked it down to $5.94 (~$2/lb.) to sell it quickly, so I put 12 1/2 lb. packages in the freezer yesterday.  That ought to do us for a while.