Frozen Vegetables

Frozen vegetables are a mom's best friend! They are picked when ripe and frozen immediately so they are super fresh and nutritious. They also go on sale often and last a while. Plus they help me get through the cold New England winter when there are not a lot of fresh local vegetables available.

I make sure to keep plenty of frozen veggies on hand to make quick healthy meals. Since broccoli and peppers are two of my favorites, I buy them in huge packages from BJ's once a month. I also stock up on others when they are on sale at the grocery store.

Here are two ways I used them recently:

I added tons of frozen broccoli and peppers/onions to a package of Trader Joe's frozen Orange Chicken to make a very quick and yummy Asian-inspired dinner. I just heated them through in the microwave while the chicken was baking, then combined everything with the sauce provided. We paired this with brown rice and everyone loved it!

I've been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and am excited to see him encouraging families to ditch high-fat processed foods. Even if we don't live in the least healthy city in the country, we can all eat healthier! Last week's episode featured a musical flash mob scene where a yummy-looking stir fry was made. This triggered a massive stir fry craving, but I couldn't find the recipe so I improvised and made my own. I stir fried (using a skillet over high heat) thinly sliced beef in a bit of olive oil. Once they were cooked I moved them to the sides and added TONS of thawed, frozen veggies – sugar snap peas, carrots, water chestnuts, peppers, onions, and broccoli. I kept stirring to heat everything, then added a sauce I made by throwing together some water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch. I added whole grain thin spaghetti and my beef-noodle stir fry was ready!!!

Today's tip: Stock up on frozen vegetables.