IF you’re fed up with spending hours thinking up and cooking new dishes for your kids, look no further.
A mum has revealed her clever technique to ensure she never wastes time on prep – and all you have to do is keep your freezer stocked with five seemingly random food items that rustle up great meals.
TikTok account Yummy Toddler Food (@yummytoddlerfood) shares children-friendly recipes for families.
In one of her latest posts, she introduced them to what she described as “five totally genius but random foods that I always have in my freezer to make it easier to feed my family.”
She then went through each item one by one and how they would transform meal times in different ways and save you from throwing food away and wasting money.
Yummy Toddler Food explained: “Vegetable broth, which I freeze in an ice cube tray and transfer to a bag to keep it fresh.”
She then showed her trick in action as she added a few of the broth cubes to a pan of hot pasta or grain and watched them melt.
The social media user promised that not only would it add “a little extra flavour” but also some much-needed nutrients for little ones.
The second item Yummy Toddler Food stashes in her freezer drawers is some fresh baby spinach.
She explained: “I crush up the leaves when they’re frozen and then you can measure it out.
“Then you never have to worry about the greens going bad.”
The mum then shared how she likes to use her spinach in different dishes, including to liven up grilled cheese sandwiches, make spinach pesto or add them to eggs.
The third item on the must-have list was a packet of cauliflower rice.
She continued: “You can add this to a smoothie – it blends right in and you can’t taste it.”
But that’s not all, as it can also be a secret ingredient in a family favourite recipe of hers.
The TikToker added: “It’s also really great added to cheesy rice.”
Her penultimate suggestion was to have a batch of fresh ginger in the kitchen appliance.
She explained that she never has to “worry about it getting mouldy” and it also makes it easier to grate and add to whichever recipe you are rustling up.
Finally, she said she had started to freeze leftover pesto – and never looked back.
She concluded: “I freeze leftover pesto in a bag and press it flat so it’s easy to break off a small piece or thaw really fast and then add to pizza rolls, to add flavour to soup or to pesto pasta.”
Speaking about the tips she has come to swear by, she wrote: “Less waste and easier cooking FTW.
“I use these foods all the time and love to have them on hand… and freezing them helps me ensure they don’t go bad before I get to them.”
