Don’t Throw Out Your Ice Cube Trays!!

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A new year often brings about healthier eating for many, which generally means more cooking and preparing meals at home. Whether you enjoy cooking or not, making cooking easier and more efficient is always a plus! Here’s where the ice cube trays come in…

Why is it that so many recipes call for just a portion of an item – half an onion, half a carton of stock, a tablespoon of a canned item, etc.? It always feel so wasteful to, for instance, open a can of tomato paste, and simply use two tablespoons out of it. Of course, this always seems to happen with items I don’t use regularly or at least not multiple times a week. I know they will just sit in my refrigerator until they are no longer good, and I have to throw them away. SO wasteful and not cost-efficient.

Thankfully, I have found a solution that works well at our house. Enter the “ice cube” tray that never sees water since our freezer makes our ice. I portion as many leftover items as possible into the tray to freeze for later. Back to the tomato paste idea – after I use some of the can, I put the rest of the paste into the slots on an ice cube tray and put them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, I empty them from the tray into a freezer bag or glass container. By doing this, I waste so much less food, and it is easily accessible and portioned when needed. Plus, the “cube” size helps things thaw fairly quickly when I’m ready to use them again.

Be sure to label your items that could easily be confused for something else. My confusion is usually with tomato paste, tomato sauce, and pizza sauce in our freezer if they aren’t labeled! Also, it’s best not to leave the items in the ice cube tray for TOO long, or they start to get a little freezer burnt. I have never had a problem with a difference in taste (even when I’ve forgotten them overnight).

Just a few of the things I freeze in ice cube trays –

-broth/stock

-tomato paste

-tomato sauce

-pizza sauce

-canned coconut milk

-pumpkin puree

-leftover fresh herbs (with some olive oil added)

The same ice cube trays can also be used for –

-applesauce “popsicles” – Slightly freeze the applesauce in ice cube trays, add a stick/handle, fully freeze, and you have a healthy treat.

-smoothie “popsicles” – Do the same as above with leftover smoothie or pour the smoothie into popsicle molds. A perfect treat on a warm day or a fun way to get some extra nutrition into your kids’ day (perhaps next time you have a sick little one at home).

-chocolates/fudge – Have extra chocolate from a recipe OR just want some chocolates?? Pour melted chocolate into ice cube trays and freeze. Adding a little coconut oil will help the chocolate be softer to bite into when frozen. Let slightly soften before eating. It’s fun to used shaped ice cube trays for this too!

-chocolate-filled strawberries – A new take on the chocolate covered strawberry! Instead of dipping the strawberries, cut out a hole on the inside and place each strawberry upright in an ice cube tray so they will stand up. Add chocolate to a plastic bag, cut a small corner off, and squeeze chocolate into the strawberries. Pop the ice cube tray in the freezer for them to harden. Just be sure to thaw them before serving!

-fruit-flavored ice – Have fruit that is close to going bad, but you won’t eat it in time?? Just dice it up and add it to an ice cube tray. Top with water, and when frozen pop in a drink for an added boost of flavor. You can also get creative with this concept in other ways!

Does anyone still use ice cube trays to make ice?? I’m glad that I have saved ours even though our freezer does the ice-making because we have found them to be useful in so many ways! What do YOU use your ice cube trays for (or are they long gone)??

 

You may also like Anne’s post on meal planning: What’s for Dinner?!?  Meal Planning Tips

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Anne
Anne is a native of De Pere and graduate of St. Norbert College. After having three kids in under two years, her and her husband decided it was time to be near family and moved their family back to this area. She is a former first grade teacher turned stay-at-home mom and spends her days with her twin daughters (born January 2014) and son (November 2015). When she gets a moment to herself, she enjoys reading (things other than children’s books), organizing anything and everything, sharing about toxin free wellness, being outdoors, and sorting through all the photos she takes of her family.