One of my secrets to saving money on my grocery bill is this list of 5 freeze-dried food items. I have other ways as well, but these are my five favorite go-to-foods in my pantry. The awesome thing about these is that they come in a can already pre-washed, chopped, diced, or sliced. You gotta love that!
You will never run out of these items you normally pick up at the grocery store if you store some freeze-dried food items like these. If you have a garden, of course, you will use the items you harvest during your growing season.
What I’m talking about is going to the grocery store to pick up some fresh vegetables for that favorite recipe you want to prepare. The more I stay away from shopping, the more money I save. If you see a lady with gray hair walking fast down each aisle to grab and stash stuff in her shopping basket, it may just be me. I’m on a mission when I hit that store with my list, yes, I always have a list. I call it “get in and get out.” Grocery shopping is not my favorite thing to do.
Grocery Shopping
Sometimes people ask me, “how much do you spend on groceries every month?” Here’s the deal, I live 10-12 miles from the nearest grocery store, so I have to take into account gas money, my time, and the amount of money I will spend if I drive there. My secret is going to my pantry instead of the local grocery store. I stock my pantry when the freeze-dried food items go on sale.
What Is Freeze-Dried Food
Let me explain what freeze-dried food is in a nutshell. The first step to freeze-dried food begins with freezing. The second step is the frozen food is placed in a vacuum chamber under low heat. Then the third step starts when the frozen water crystals evaporate directly from ice to vapor which is a process called sublimation.
What’s really nice about freeze-dried food is the fact that it generally lasts longer in your storage stash, depending on the manufacturer. Please always look at the cans and see the shelf-life. You can eat the food directly out of the can, and therefore, it uses a whole lot less fuel, if any, when it comes to meal preparation.
Freeze-dried foods usually have an open shelf-life of 1-2 years. Here again, please look at the #10 can or on the website of the said company for details.
Pros: Lasts 20-25 years, depending on the company where you purchase the food. You can also eat the food directly out of the can. You do not need to slice, chop, or cut the food into bite-size pieces.
Cons: it is more expensive, in most cases. Remember, you do use less fuel to prepare meals using freeze-dried foods.
5 Freeze-Dried Food Items
I’m only spotlighting Thrive Life freeze-dried food today. If you are wondering if I sell it, I do not. My goal is to educate on my website and to learn from my readers as well. So, let’s get started today.
1. Onions/Chopped & Sliced
How Can I Use These
- 1 cup freeze-dried equals 1 cup fresh
- Sliced onions are great on Homemade Pizza
- Stir fry dishes
- Add to hamburger for tacos
- Add to hamburger for spaghetti
- Add to a pot of soup
- Egg omelets
- Creamy Sausage Potato Soup
- These are great for White Chili
- They are fabulous in Breakfast Casseroles
- These are perfect in Homemade Sloppy Joes
- These are perfect to put in Meals In A Jar (short-term storage only)
Thrive Life says, “Add 1/3 cup of water to 1 cup Chopped Onions; let sit covered for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Fresh equivalent, 1 cup dry = 1 cup fresh (nearly one 4 oz. package). “
Shelf-Life
25 years unopened in optimal storage conditions (please do not store them in a hot garage)
2 years when opened (please remove the oxygen absorber and throw it out)
2. Celery
How Can I Use These
- Minestrone/Vegetable Beef Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Baked Egg Foo Young
- Any casserole that has celery
- Any soup that calls for celery
- Chicken Salad Sandwiches
- Egg Salad
Thrive Life says, “Add ⅓ cup of water to 1 cup of THRIVE
Celery. Let sit for 5–10 minutes, then drain any excess water. Fresh equivalent, 1 cup dry = about 2 stalks.”
Shelf-Life
25 years unopened in optimal storage conditions (please do not store them in a hot garage)
2 years when opened (please remove the oxygen absorber and throw it out)
3. Red, Yellow, & Green Bell Peppers
How Can I Use These
- Casseroles
- Omelets, yay!! We always have bell peppers ready to go now!!
- Soups
- Homemade Vegetarian Chili
- Chili
- Stir fry
- Pizza
- Rice dishes
- Bean burritos
Thrive Life says, “Add 1/3 cup of water to 1 cup peppers; let sit covered for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Fresh equivalent, 1/3 cup dry = about 1 bell pepper; about 2 green chili peppers.”
Shelf-Life
25 years unopened in optimal storage conditions (please do not store them in a hot garage)
1 year when opened (please remove the oxygen absorber and throw it out)
4. Potato Dices
How Can I Use These
- Mashed potatoes
- Potato Salad
- Creamy soups
- Creamy chowders
Thrive Life says, “Add 4 cups of hot water to 1 cup of potatoes and let sit until tender. Let potatoes soak for 3-5 minutes until tender. Drain water. Fresh equivalent: 1 cup dry = about 1/2 large potato.”
Shelf-Life
25 years unopened in optimal storage conditions (please do not store them in a hot garage)
2 years when opened (please remove the oxygen absorber and throw it out)
5. Green Onions
How Can I Use These
- Add to steamed rice
- Add to steamed brown rice
- These are great with cooked quinoa
- Just sprinkle on top of soups right out of the can
- Sprinkle on top of your 7-layer bean dip (layer beans, sour cream, guacamole, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped black olives, and green onions right out of the can)
Thrive Life says, “Add 1/4 cup of lukewarm water to 1 cup Green Onions and let sit for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Fresh equivalent: 1 cup dry = 6 1/2 cup stalks.”
Please note, I rarely hydrate them, I use them dry more often than not.
Shelf-Life
25 years unopened in optimal storage conditions (please do not store them in a hot garage)
1 year when opened (please remove the oxygen absorber and throw it out)
Final Word
Here’s the deal, there are many freeze-dried food items we can store, but these are my top 5 that I use almost every day. I never have an onion go bad, moldy bell peppers, green onions never go slimy, and I always have some potatoes ready to use in any recipe. It’s all about cooking from scratch and using food from our pantry. You will love it, I promise. Thanks for prepping, we need to stay on it, my friends. May God bless this world, Linda
How To Survive On Freeze-Dried Food
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