Spring Freezer Cleanout-UGH

Simple Life Home | Homestead Kitchen Series

When You'd Rather Do Literally Anything Else

I stood in front of the freezer (in the bottom of my fridge) this morning in my slippers, coffee in hand, staring into the white abyss as if it had personally offended me.

 It kind of has.

 There's a bag of something in there from what I'm pretty sure was last October. There's a half-empty box of hash browns wedged behind what appears to be a wall of mystery vacuum bags. A lone bag of sweet peas has somehow migrated to the very bottom corner and probably feels very judged.

 I have been putting this off for 5 months (Going through chemo left me unable to do any of my normal deep clean routine).

 Here's the honest truth: I'm still in early post-chemo recovery. My energy is not what it was. My stamina is about a quarter tank on a good day, and "spring cleaning the freezer" sounds like a task for a person with functioning knees and the strength that a normal person typically has. Today, I am neither of those people.

  But it had to happen. Because if I open that freezer one more time and the bag avalanche nearly takes out my foot again, I will sit on the kitchen floor and have a moment. So here was the game plan. Do what I can for 5 minutes, sit down, and rest. Rinse, Repeat.   And that is exactly what I did. That was my one task for the day or the next three days because I am exhausted now.

 So, here we are.

 I made another cup of coffee, pulled up a stool to sit on while I sorted, gave myself full permission to rest between rounds, and committed to one rule only: nothing goes to waste if I can help it.

 What came out of that freezer was actually... pretty good? Vegan Italian sausage, vegan bacon, vegan hot dogs, vegan sausages, pre-cooked shrimp, mashed potatoes, hash browns, whole baby onions, brussels sprouts, sweet peas — plus the usual pantry suspects like olive oil, garlic, broth, and a few dried herbs.

 Four meals will come out of this freezer haul. Four real meals, costing practically nothing, made by a tired woman in her PJs.  Recipes are ready; they just have to be cooked now. 

 You can do this too.

PS: Image #2: I finally got the shelf liner installed (It only took 5 years).

Before We Cook: The Low-Energy Freezer Cleanout Strategy

Because we need to talk about the actual act of cleaning it out first.

 Standard Method: Pull everything out onto the counter, wipe down the inside, organize by category (proteins, veggies, prepared foods), label anything that isn't labeled, toss anything truly unidentifiable, and repack in an intentional, organized manner.

Low-Energy Method (what I actually did): Pull out one shelf or section at a time. Sit down. Sort while seated. Toss the obvious garbage. Group things loosely. Don't toss anything if you're not sure — put it in a "use this week" bag on the counter instead. Wipe down only the section you can reach without twisting. Declare victory.

 Perfection is not the goal. Knowing what you have is the goal.