freezer organization

my freezer - a before and after picture all in one. i used to think, why would i pour my bags of peas or frozen strawberries into a container? and then one day my freezer was so packed full of bags that when i opened the door, a bag of peas fell out and spilled all over my floor. now they're in a freezermate.

what's amazing to me how small some of the containers are in the freezermate collection yet they hold way more than you'd expect. if you know your modular mates, you know that tupperware gives each height a number ranging from shortest (1) to tallest (5). freezermates are also modular which is why they are the best for organizing your freezer.

in the starter set, there are two small 1s and two small 2s. they're tiny. but if you're living on your own or as a couple, they're a good size. the small 2s can hold a little over a pound of ground beef! the small 1s are the perfect size for two pieces of chicken. buy a package of 6 breasts and divide them into meal-sized portions in your freezer mates!

in the family set, there are two medium 1s and two medium 2s. in the above picture, there are 4 medium 2s in there but you can just see the fronts. these are a great size for most small bags of frozen fruit or veggies. I love these 1s (like i talked about above) for chicken or pork chops (or whatever kind of meat). I bought a costco sized pack of fresh chicken breasts the other day and divided them into 4s in my medium 1s. then i poured salad dressing on them. when they are thawing for dinner one day in the near future, they'll sit in their dressing and taste great!

obviously, the best value is the complete set. SO many freezermates AND this is the only way to get the large 2. (i often use this container to store baking on the counter and not in the freezer) i just need to splurge and finish off my freezer. i'm so sick of the mess in there. how's your freezer looking?

if you feel the same way but are thinking, "i can't afford that complete set", having a party is the way to go. why not get the set for free? hosting a party can be having some people over for coffee one morning (and getting your mom in winnipeg to join your party through TupperConnect) and you'll benefit from free host credit based on the amount purchased.

new years resolution: declutter

okay...so it's not my cupboard but mine pretty much looked like this until a little while ago. here's a cool product:

the place for seals! you hang this in your cupboard and all your lids (aka seals in tupperware) hang out in one spot so that all your containers can stack together, saving room! $18.75 in this month's flyer.

new years resolution: waste less food & money

i have a confession.

i'm one of those people who tosses almost full boxes of crackers because someone (cough...my husband...cough cough) didn't close up the bag tight enough and they got a little stale. i have wasted many a box of crackers in my day. it doesn't only waste food but what a waste of my money. (this kind of sounds like my fridgesmart post - wasting less food and money are two popular tupperware themes) so whenever i got around to eating tomato soup - there were never any fresh and crunchy saltines around. and when i had a craving for antipasto on crackers, there weren't any so my antipasto would go bad.

solution for my resolution? modular mates.

i use a #1 (that's the smallest size out of 4) mod. mate for all my crackers and i've had these ones in here for about a month. they're still crunchy enough for my tomato soup! oh the fewer crackers i will buy in 2010!

again - modular mates go on sale for FORTY percent off as of january 9th and this sale goes until feb.12th. but if you have your party between the 9th and 15th - not only are you getting a double flyer week, 40% off mod. mates, but you're also getting DOUBLE the host credits! double. that could be one wicked party.

rebeccashulba@gmail.com

tupperware classics

in the late 70s, my mom got herself a set of One Touch Cannisters to store her flour, sugar, and such. today, those cannisters are still her go to containers when she's baking. and they will be forever because tupperware has a lifetime guarantee. did you know this already? that if you ever have a piece of tupperware that breaks, cracks, or discolours even, you can give it to any consultant and they will get you a new one for free. not even any paperwork needs to be done. what a concept. this stuff is an investment that won't let your kitchen down.

but back to the topic at hand: One Touch Cannister Sets. get your two cups of flour out then set the lid on and seal it with "one touch" in the center of the seal. it's a great system. today, we don't have the yellow option like they did in the 70s but we have white with blue or red seals. and would you believe that from january 2nd - 8th, the One Touch Cannister set of 4 is going to be available for hosts for $12.50!!! yes, if your party sales add up to $550 or more (and an average party sells about $500), you can get these for $12.50! so gather some keeners and let them know that they too can purchase a One Touch Cannister set for 50% off - $29.50. and yes, while this is an awesome deal, you'll have to try to keep it under wraps that you have gotten an even better deal.

"i'd whip up some cookies but my sugar is a rock"

sure, i'm not a baker. but i am a wife. i'm a wife with a husband who has excited fits over other people's baking to the point of embarrassment. sometimes it's like the guy had never had a cookie ever in his life when my mom pulls out her homemade peanutbutter cookies. it's enough to make a non-baker try her hand at baking every once in a blue moon. like, how hard could it be?

when you rarely bake, you have to go out and buy all your ingredients every time. you bought that brown sugar a couple months ago, used a cup, then let it turn to stone in the bag you bought it in. sure, when i tell people this, they want to tell me a trick to softening brown sugar with bread or an apple but when baking inspiration hits, there's no time for such tricks.

well one evening, i had friends coming over in the evening. i thought to myself, "why don't i whip up a batch of cookies?" and i began to scour my one cookbook for a cookie recipe with ingredients i had. chocolate chip. because i had started many a recipe without checking first to see if i had everything, i eyeballed my pantry - bag of brown sugar? check. bag of chocolate chips? check. flour? check. i looked ready.

i started to mix. 1 cup of flour. i pulled out that bag of flour - it was whole wheat. shoot! where was the white flour? oh yeah, i now remember using that up a few months ago. oh well - it's still flour. add brown sugar. i picked up the bulk bag. stone. hmm... i tried shaving off chunks and after having no success i thought, "what's wrong with white sugar?" and added it to the bowl. things started going a little smoother until it was time for the chocolate chips. i reached for the bag in the pantry only to discover eight chips in it. my husband, desperate for sweets, had slowly eaten the entire bag handful by handful since the last time i'd attempted chocolate chip cookies a couple years earlier. i had some dried cranberries. they're sweet. into the bowl.

i pulled these albino cookies out of the oven as our friends were making their way in. the cookies looked terrible. after a test bite, turned out they didn't taste so great either. i put them on a plate and put them on the table anyways. my husband ate them, happy to see something resembling cookies. no one else did. and that was the last time i made cookies until i stocked my pantry with modular mates.

i now have soft brown sugar, lots of flour, and chocolate chips. i no longer have the bulk bags strewn around in my pantry either which makes it much more organized.

the modular mates are on sale beginning december 26th and on into january - 40% OFF! this is the time to begin your pantry organization. it can be your new years resolution. i bought my super oval modular mate sets with my host credit at my first tupperware party (yes, not on sale - haha.) hosting a party makes you money and from december 26 - january 15th, if you host a party, you get DOUBLE the host credits. that can buy you a lot of modular mates.