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Yes, you can cook frozen veggies that taste good!

May 9, 2020 By Elizabeth Davenport Leave a Comment

Did you buy some extra frozen vegetables recently?

If you’re anything like me, you have more frozen vegetables around than usual. I do keep some around all the time, but I bought a little extra during some of my initial COVID-19 grocery trips.

I definitely want to use what I’ve purchased and make room for leftovers and new purchases. Fresh vegetables are my personal preference, but I do really like frozen peas and I do like to keep frozen green beans, broccoli and cauliflower on hand for go-to meals.

How to use those frozen veggies, in something other than smoothies:

In general, it’s best to avoid boiling frozen vegetables in a pot of water, because this leaves them soggy. And, who wants to eat soggy vegetables?! We want to save you from throwing out those bags of frozen vegetables and give you some ideas for how to cook with them.

  • Frozen spinach: thaw and squeeze out as much liquid as you can and use in quesadillas or lasagne. 
  • Frozen broccoli or cauliflower: Preheat oven to 425 F. Toss frozen broccoli and/or cauliflower in plenty of olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the florets. It’s ok if they start to brown. The idea is that the water evaporates as they roast which leaves them pretty darn tasty with some crispy parts. (You can also roast them at 450 F which will just take less time and give you a more crispy veg). 
  • Frozen peas: Add to any soup, or make pea soup with them! I use them in my Black eyed pea, bacon and kale soup as well as in the NY Times Weeknight Fried Rice. You can add them frozen, or partially or fully thaw them in the microwave. Whichever way you choose to thaw, add small frozen veggies towards the end of the cooking process so as not to over cook them. 
  • Frozen green beans: I always keep a bag of green beans in the freezer for those times I need to rely on my go-to meals. I definitely prefer fresh to frozen, but steaming frozen green beans in a bowl with a few tablespoons of water or on the stove top prevents them from becoming water logged. My favorite way to season green beans is with Jane’s Krazy Mixed-up Salt and butter. I also like to toss them with mustard vinaigrette and serve room temp as a side or add them to a tossed salad. I also recently tried sautéing them in olive over medium high heat and they were quite good!
  • Frozen edamame: Keep these on hand in both in the pods and shelled. I like to cook edamame in the shell for a snack or a side. Use shelled, thawed edamame in dishes like Easy Weeknight Tofu Veggie Stir Fry.
  • Frozen garlic: Anna recently started using frozen garlic when she cooks. You use it just as you would fresh garlic. Have you tried it? I haven’t, but I’m going to give it a try! 
  • Frozen Brussels sprouts: I tried roasting them from the frozen state recently and they came out soggy. I’ll try again at some point! But a friend of mine said she recently successfully sautéd very small, frozen Brussels sprouts in olive oil.
  • Frozen mixed veggies like peas and carrots: add them frozen to soups or fried rice 
  • Frozen corn: add frozen to soups or stews. You can also roast it for a few minutes before adding it to a soup or stew.
  • Frozen asparagus: Honestly, I’ve never bought it and I couldn’t find any to try for this post. But I’m keeping an eye out for it. I’m going to assume it would be best thawed and added to something like a quiche, soup, or a one-pot meal/casserole. 
  • Frozen stir fry veggies: thaw on the counter or in the microwave and add to stir fry.
  • Frozen onions and peppers: they work well sautèd in olive oil from the frozen state and served with Italian sausages or in fajitas.
  • Frozen sweet potato fries and French fries: we’re fans of the Alexa brand sweet potato fries and French fries. Be sure to salt them before baking. I also bake them longer than the instructions for some added crispiness.

Frozen vegetables are as healthy as fresh.

Oftentimes we have clients ask us if frozen vegetables are as healthy as fresh. The answer is YES. They’re flash frozen just after being picked so they retain their freshness and nutrients.

We love hearing from our readers!

What’s your favorite way to cook with frozen veggies?

Filed Under: Family Feeding, Featured Posts, Sunny Side Up, Weeknight Meals

14 Favorite Kitchen Essentials That Make Great Gifts

December 6, 2019 By Elizabeth Davenport 4 Comments

We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. The holidays are officially ON. The fun has begun! With Thanksgiving being late this year, you might be feeling a little rushed. (I know I do). Gift guides to the rescue! Earlier this week, Anna shared her guide to our favorite books for kids and caregivers on building healthy relationships with food. Click here to read the post and order some wonderful books!

Over the coming weeks, we’ll share 2 more gift guides with our favorite cookbooks and more of the best books for supporting healthy relationships with food and body image. 

Are you looking for great gifts for both new and seasoned cooks?

I love kitchen essentials.  Many of these items were actually given to me as gifts over the years, so I can attest they make great gifts!

The links in this post link to items at Amazon.com.  We are members of the Amazon Affiliate program which means we receive payment from Amazon when our readers purchase items from links in this post.

French Butter Dish

If you like to keep butter at room temperature and don’t go through it quickly, this little French butter dish is the answer! Fill the bottom of the dish about 1/3 full with cold water and your butter will stay soft and room temperature. No more having to microwave your butter to soften it. This holds 1 stick of butter.

Stainless Steel Cookie Spatula

I love this stainless steel cookie spatula. It’s great for baking. And it’s great for young kids to use because it’s easy for small hands to manage.

Ceramic Paring Knife

This paring knife makes just the right gift. While I was at my mom’s last year over Thanksgiving, I used her ceramic paring knife.  I loved it! Guess what she gave me for Christmas last year?! It’s my go-to paring knife.

 Kitchen Shears

I use them for so many tasks. They’re great for making peeling shrimp easier, cutting herbs, opening bags and boxes of food – like those beans that come in boxes? I can’t open those without scissors despite the perforrated top!

Microplane Grater/Zester

I’m not sure what I used before I owned this!  I have two of these. One I use for grating parmesan cheese and the other I use for zesting citrus peel.

Oxo Y Vegetable Peeler 

This peeler rocks! It is by far the best peeler I’ve owned. You want this in your kitchen!  You can even peel butternut squash with it.

Flat Whisk

A friend gave me this many years ago and it’s one of my most used utensils.  It can reach the bottom edges of pans, so when you’re cooking and whisking (like making mac and cheese) bits don’t get stuck in the pan. 
Silicone Spatulas 

These spatulas are nice to have in a number of sizes.  The small one is great for scraping out the last of the peanut butter out of the jar.  The benefit to silicone spatulas is because they can withstand heat, you can cook with them.

Silicone Pastry Brush

Silicone pastry brushes are nice because they’re easy to clean and they don’t shed bristles.

Fish Turner

Use this when you’re cooking fish on your stove top and need to turn it over before moving it to the oven. It’s a very thin spatula so it’s easy to get underneath the fish.  

Cherry Pitter 

A cherry pitter isn’t essential, but you’ll have fun pitting cherries.  Kids will especially enjoy using this tool!

Copper Pepper Mill

A really good pepper mill makes such a nice gift. Chad’s aunt gave us this one a few years ago and we love it! Add a jar of whole peppercorns to the package to complete the gift.

Silicone Microwave Safe Dish Covers

These silicone covers come in a variety of sizes and fun designs.  I use these when I reheat food in the microwave or to keep bowls covered in the refrigerator.  No waste!  I also love the bottle stoppers they make.

 Cutting Boards

Anna’s husband Dan has a cutting board similar to this one that Anna’s sister gave him.  I love these animal shaped cutting boards.  There’s a cow, a pig and a rooster-shaped board too. In addition to being a cutting board, these work well for small cheese or charcuterie boards. I’m going to put this chicken-shaped board on my list this year. Maybe one of my family members will get it for me?!

Are you looking for tips for navigating the holidays?

Just before Thanksgiving I shared a post with 3 Things You Can Do Today to Keep Your Holidays Free From Diet Culture. 

Last year we wrote this post on self care during the holidays. We can get so busy, we forget to make time to do the things that help us manage stress! How do you manage stress this time of year?

What gifts are you hoping to get this year?!  We’d love to hear from you!

Filed Under: Family Feeding, Sunny Side Up

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Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

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