Frugal Tip: Portion Size

I struggle with portion size. It's a common problem so maybe this idea helps you too. It's a muffin tin measuring system. See how much volume your tins hold (usually around 1/4 - 1/2 cup). You can measure portions to eat into the tins and freeze them for later use. When you pull them out, you know what a portion is. Besides, if you have a whole cake/cheesecake/ice cream bucket/pie you will be tempted to keep eating it until it's gone.

This summer I'm looking for muffin tins at garage sales and thrift stores. Some items you can take out after freezing, others work better left in. Stock up on muffin cup liners when they are on sale or clearance after a holiday (for holiday prints). I don't care if I eat something out of a holly print cup in July.

USE IT:

• Fruit - by freezing in individual portions you can grab just what you need for smoothies, cereal, muffins, etc
• Desserts - cheesecake, cupcakes, mini pies, ice cream pie, ice cream, etc
• Meat - small diced cooked meat for recipes like soups, fried rice, etc - works well for cooked bacon, chicken, ham, ground meats, etc. If likely to dry out... add a bit of the broth or juices to keep moist in the reheating process
• Breads - zucchini/blueberry/banana/apple/pumpkin/cinnamon breads can be made into muffins and stored in mixed varieties is a zipper bag. When you thaw them you have a sampler bag rather than a whole bunch of one thing that you grow tired of.
• Broth - I've started making my own broths. They have a lot more flavor and much better for you, not to mention exceedingly cheep. I'm gonna freeze them into 7 oz portions so that I can grab 2 to equal a can.