As part of @apdo_uk ‘s #NOWorganise week, I’m sharing a series of tips on how to reduce food week. Today’s tip is LOVE YOUR FREEZER!

As well as freezing leftover soups, stews and curries, leftover ingredients can be frozen too. And if you’re time poor or food prep is not your bag then ready prepared veg are a brilliant way of reducing waste (I am totally converted to chopped frozen onions), but make sure you recycle the bags!

Here are a few things I regularly have in my freezer:

🥥 Coconut milk - some recipes only require 1/2 a can, I put the rest in a tupperware tub and freeze
🥕 Veg that’s still fresh but I know I’m not going to get a chance to use it before it ‘turns’. I usually steam it lightly in the microwave, drain and bag it, or in the case of spinach I freeze it in the bag it comes in
🍲 Stock - made using leftovers from a roast chicken
🍍 Fruit juice - I buy pineapple & apple juice for a couple of recipes but rarely use the whole carton
🍞 Bread - nearly all bread lives in the freezer in our house. We slice it beforehand if necessary and just get out what we need and defrost it in the toaster or microwave.

Many ingredients can be frozen, if you’re not sure how to go about it or whether it’s appropriate then ask Google. And remember to label everything before you freeze it!

What frozen ingredients do you regularly use??

It's day 2 of APDO's National Organising Week. This week we're focusing on reducing food waste and loving your leftovers.

My 2nd tip this week is being a smarter shopper. How many of us just wing it once they get to the supermarket? Or make a list and then fail to stick to it or remember to take it with us when we go to the supermarket?! My biggest fail here is not actually checking in the cupboard or freezer before I make the list, and I then find out that I already have a bag or tin of what I need already...

My top tips for smarter food shopping are:

*Make a list...and stick to it! I use a very handy list app called Wunderlist for this - I can share list with my other half (guess which items he added in the photo below)
*Check your store cupboard, fridge and freezer before you shop to check what you actually need
*Don't be tempted by special offers unless you know you can make use of them before the BBE date and you have room to store them

I find the easiest way to grocery shop is online as I'm less tempted by stuff that's not on the list; the time and energy saved is well worth the delivery fee. Most of the major supermarkets offer this and some will also unpack your shopping in your kitchen (I love the Sainsbury's delivery guys!). I limit the amount of fresh produce I buy online however, especially the short date coded stuff. Meal planning can help prioritise what gets eaten first - see yesterday's post! 😉