Cooking and baking for multiple food allergies and a type 1 diabetic is so time consuming. I have come across a few time savers, and quick tips that I have found invaluable these last two years. This isn't rocket science and you have probably seen or have done most of these ideas before. This will either be a reminder or give you another technique to try.
FREEZE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT PUREE
I cooked a few butternut squash and pureed them in the blender then poured the puree into some icecube trays. I did this with some raw pureed beets and carrots too! These are great additions to a fruit smoothie, pasta sauce, muffin mixes, and applesauce.
FREEZE APPLE PIE FILLING
I used about 5-6 Granny Smith apples for this recipe. It makes a medium size pie. The best thing about freezing the apples is that it breaks them down and they cook better in the pie. To make the pie simply defrost the apple filling and add to your crust. Bake as you would normally! You can add vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean powder. I personally think the powder tastes better.
I have a couple of these mixes in my freezer now, you will be amazed at how many more pies you will make if you get the work of the filling out of the way! I did a review on a great pie crust by Gluten Free Mama
CLICK HERE to see that. I am going to try and make the whole pie up and freeze it before I bake it. That would be AMAZING, pull it out of the freezer, thaw, and bake.....ahhhh what would I do with my time?
YES!!! The whole pie made up and frozen totally works. If you want to go this route simply prepare everything as if you were making a fresh pie without baking it. Wrap it tightly in some sort of covering (I vacuum sealed mine) and pop it into the freezer. On baking day simply take your pie out of the freezer and let it defrost then bake it up as normal. I LOVE IT. It is like a present to myself. I made up 6 pies at once using dollar store pie tins. Then I froze them! These would make great gifts to that new mom, or a working mother who doesn't have time for all the steps.
MAKE BAGS OF SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS
This has been WONDERFUL, I have each bag full of measured portions of frozen fruit. Everything is carb counted for a fast diabetic snack/meal. YES YOU CAN FREEZE BANANAS, peel them first. The key is not to let the frozen fruit defrost while you are making up the bags, you want everything loose so it blends well when you make your smoothie later. I have frozen fresh fruit ahead of time on trays then made up the bags. Nothing says disaster like a huge chunk of frozen pineapple sticking to the bag.
FREEZE LEMON JUICE
This is such an easy one. Buy lots and lots of lemons when they are cheep. Juice all of them and freeze them in icecube trays. Anytime you want some fresh squeezed lemon juice simply defrost a cube or two. Check out my lemon soda recipe CLICK HERE and my lemon ice recipe, it is carb free.....CLICK HERE Frozen Black Beans
Make up a crock-pot of black beans. Then freeze the beans in individual bags or containers. Whenever you need some beans for a side-dish or to make black bean brownies simply defrost and use. I froze my beans in an ice-cube tray to make defrosting them easier. I did a post earlier about making dry black beans in your crock pot
CLICK HERE to see that. The frozen beans are so easy to heat up in a microwave or in a pot with a little bit of water. It is like the convenience of a can of beans without all the worries of the BPA can lining.
Quick Frozen Waffles
Make extra waffles and freeze them. They are sooooo easy to defrost in the toaster. I have a great low carb waffle recipe that I double so I can freeze half. My kids enjoy P.B & J waffle sandwiches for lunch sometimes.
You can also apply this technique to muffins. Simply make a double recipe and freeze half. It is nice to pop one or two muffins out of the freezer for a little snack or last minute breakfast.
