​Healthy eating around the holidays is always a challenge.  Whether we are “eating to live” (consuming nutrient dense foods only necessary to maintain our bodies) or “living to eat” (making food a more central focus of our daily lives) has been in my thoughts this week.  My opinion: Everything is okay in moderation.   Indulgence is okay, in moderation.  Is filling up on empty calories of junk food worth the health consequences? No!  But there are too many foods that are absolutely delicious, that are treasured family traditions, that sharing them with loved ones makes memories and life worthwhile.  Whatever those foods are for your family, embrace them and indulge! 

Here are 4 of our family’s fast & favorite dip recipes – the perfect accompaniment to family game night or watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve!
Tomato Dip
8oz Morning Glory Original
1 quart canned tomatoes
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Allow cheese to come to room temperature.  Heat tomatoes to a simmer in saucepan or microwave.  Drain most of juice from tomatoes.  Place tomatoes, cheese & pepper in blender and pulse until smooth, scraping sides with a spatula as needed.  Refrigerate until serving.  Best with fresh veggies or potato chips.
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Bacon & Swiss Dip
8oz Morning Glory Original
½ C mayonnaise
4oz Butternut Baby Swiss, grated/cubed
2 tbsp chopped onion
8 slices of bacon, cooked & crumbled
Reserve a handful of bacon crumbles, then mix all other ingredients.  Place in a small greased loaf pan.  Top with remaining bacon.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until browned on top.  Serve hot/warm.  Best with bagel chips or crackers. 

Cheesy Crab (or Chicken) Dip
¼ C butter, softened
4 oz Morning Glory Original, softened
1 C shredded Goblin cheese (or NY cheddar)
1 C sour cream
½ Tbsp minced dry onion
8 oz crab meat or cooked chicken, shredded
Mix all ingredients in bowl, spread in casserole dish.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers, bread bowl, etc. Yield: 4 C
 
Glorious Fruit Dip
8oz Morning Glory Original
¾ C packed brown sugar
1 C sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
1 C cold milk
1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
Beat together cheese & sugar til creamy.  Add rest of ingredients & mix until smooth. Cover & chill.  Serve with fresh fruit!

When you open your freezer, are you met with an ice-covered abyss of unidentified objects? 
Does the thought of “stocking up” on anything scare you because you’ll have to make more space? 
Not sure what you should meal plan because you don’t know what’s left in there? 
Whether your freezer is just ½ of a typical fridge, or you have the largest chest you could find, keeping it under control will make your life better! 

This hit home last time we returned from the butcher with two truckloads of meat!  Our fleet is seven chest and upright freezers, plus the freezers of two extra refrigerators, and keeping track of what’s where, how much inventory we have left, and GETTING IT ALL IN is no easy feat! No lies, I consider myself something of a pro at freezer jenga. 

Here are 5 tips to make life with a freezer more enjoyable:

1. Find containers that fit efficiently.  We use the heavy duty cardboard boxes from our butcher because they fit in the freezer perfectly. (We always have tons of these boxes so let us know if you’d like some!) Heavy duty plastic bins are another option we like.  You lose a small amount of capacity by using boxes & bins, but the trade off in being able to pull them out to access what’s underneath or behind is worth it! 
2. Choose a strategy to organize: group all like items together, like all beef in a bin, all pork, all veggies.  Depending on space & volume, you might sort even further – all steaks together, all sausage, all roasts, each type of veggie.  This method makes it easy to see how much you have left of each item.
   OR    Mix items proportionately to the rate you’ll use them.  For instance, put a week’s worth of items in one container – maybe that’s 3 meats, 5 veggies and 2 fruits. Pack variety in each container, then each week, use the items in that box to meal plan.This method forces you to use everything up and makes weekly choices less overwhelming!
3. Label!  Label at least every box/bin, preferably every item with the date it went into your freezer, so you can use the oldest first!  Use magnetic clips or a dry erase board on the freezer to draw a chart of what’s where.  Sometimes we also write a note on the top box of what’s underneath it.  Do not assume that you’ll be able to tell the difference between frozen green beans & rhubarb a year from now!
4. Check your freezer!  Open it every 3 days to make sure it’s functioning!  If it’s not, items should still be cool with this time interval and safe to refreeze.   If you can’t check often, install a temp monitor with an alarm to protect your investment! You don’t want to find out your freezer failed when you smell it!
5. Defrost if & when you get more than ½” of ice buildup.  Easiest to do in cold weather – remove everything and set it outside (protected from animals!).  Turn the freezer off & block the lid/door open.  Within a few hours, you should be able to pull chunks of ice out of the freezer, which is faster & easier than waiting for it to melt completely.  Either open the drain and place a container under it, or use old towels to sop up any water in the bottom.  Now is a good time to give the freezer a thorough scrubbing!  Dry, remember to TURN BACK ON, and replace your neatly organized inventory! 

 
Hopefully these tips will help you keep the Abominable Freezer Monster under control – and make stocking up an easier option! 

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