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There is so much food wastage these days. Did you know the following items can be frozen? Maybe you can try out some of these tips and avoid wasting uneaten food, and reduce your grocery bill at the same time.

Leftover pizza slices - handy to have on hand for lunch when you don't feel like a sandwich, or pop a slice in your children's lunchboxes

Butter - as a bake-a-holic I like to keep a packet of butter in the freezer so I'm never too far from a homemade cake!

Tomato paste - if I put leftover tomato paste in the fridge it's always forgotten and goes mouldy, so now I keep it in the freezer

Ginger - did you know you can freeze ginger? Simply cut it into chunks and store in a ziplock bag then you can pull out a piece when you need it. And it's easier to peel and chop/grate the ginger while it's frozen.

Leftover wine - I don't know if you have any leftover wine at your place, but if you do then pour it into a ziplock bag and freeze it until you need wine in a recipe

Cooked rice - I like to fill the rice cooker to the max then I'll bag up the leftover rice and freeze it for another meal

Egg whites - whenever I use egg yolks I keep the white in the freezer and stockpile them until I have enough for a pavlova

Curry leaves and kaffir leaves - we rarely need all the curry/kaffir leaves that we buy from the greengrocer. Store the excess leaves in ziplock bags for your next curry

Meringues - did you know that meringues can be eaten straight from the freezer? They’re deliciously crunchy and a little bit cool. Actually, my husband prefers them from the freezer than eating them fresh

Smoked salmon - buy smoked salmon when it’s on sale and freeze for another day

Leftover fried rice - either make your own, or buy from the local Chinese restaurant. It's great for an easy kids' dinner, or put in their lunchbox with a plastic fork

Lemon/orange/lime juice - if you have too many citrus fruits you can freeze the juice in icecube trays then transfer to a ziplock bag and store in the freezer

Lemon/orange/lime zest - and don't waste the zest, simply grate it and store in small ziplock bags and freeze

For more freezer tips and lots of fabulous recipes, click HERE check out FROST BITE.

 “FROST BITE: Easy Cooking for Your Freezer” is written by Susan Austin and published by New Holland Publishers Australia. Hardcover, RRP A$35.00

If you’re crazy-busy like most of us and want to eat well it’s time to get serious about using your freezer to its full potential. A lot of people only freeze soups and bolognaise and are surprised to learn that there are tons of different foods that can be frozen. Did you know that most of the following freeze well:

• Curries, casseroles, soups
• Pasta bake, meatballs, meatloaf
• Bread, scones, muffins, homemade pizza
• Tarts, quiches, sweet or savoury pies and pastries
• Pancakes, waffles
• Cakes, biscuits, slices, brownies

• You sometimes need to do a little work up front, before you put food in the freezer. If you freeze a large casserole you won't be able to cut off a single portion once it is frozen, so plan ahead and freeze in small quantities if you know you'll need small servings.

By Nicky Arthur - Author, Yoga Teacher, Workshop Presenter

As a Mum you've got one of the worlds most demanding, rewarding and important roles to play in our society.

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Re-prioritising to put yourself first maybe one of the best things you do.

Ask yourself the question how important is your happiness and well being to you?

Learning to understand that your family wants you to be the real happy and healthy you. Taking time out to nurture yourself can be a start to a brand new productive and fulfilling year.