I love frozen vegetables! Don't get me wrong, fresh vegetables rock - especially those grown at a nearby farm. But my pocket book definitely prefers frozen vegetables.
Obviously, I'm not completely thrilled to admit this as it requires me to admit I don't buy locally nearly enough. However, if I'm going to feed my family organic vegetables, I can't risk throwing away any unused food. It's just too expensive.
When I menu plan, I try my best to eat the perishables early in the shopping week to prevent them from going bad. Sometimes life gets in the way, though. A friend invites you over for dinner. Work doesn't get you home early enough. A grumpy child won't let you stand at the stove. Hence, my love of frozen vegetables! When I can. I use frozen vegetables in my recipes.
Frozen vegetables are often picked at the peak of ripeness (as opposed to ripening in a truck), and their nutritional benefits are not lost in the back of trucks on the way to the grocery store. When you need them, you pop them in the microwave and have tasty vegetables in no time flat. For the basic child, sprinkle them with salt and pepper. For the picky eater without dairy allergies, throw on some grated cheese. There's no monetary waste as they won't go bad so you won't have to throw them away (this statement assumes you're not keeping them in the freezer for forever!).
Some links discussing fresh, frozen, and canned vegetable nutrition:
Wisegeek
Eating Well
NIH
UK Telegraph
(Keywords: freezer foods, allergies, organic vegetables, fresh vegetables)
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