Standard freezer cleanout routine:
Turn bread heels into breadcrumbs
Make stock from the bags of veggie and meat trimmings that I save when cooking
Check for any open bags of veggies or fruit that are getting freezer burned; if there are any open bags that are getting freezer burned, make plans to turn the veggies into soup and fruit into pie. (Basically any vegetable can be a 'cream of' soup no matter what has happened to the texture and any nearly any fruit can become a compote - for fruits that aren't good for compotes, like bananas, I consider whether I want to make them into ice cream or use them in a smoothie or thaw them and make quickbreads)
Check for any meats that have been in the freezer a long time, if so rotate them so that the newest frozen meats are toward the back and the oldest are towards the front and *write on a calendar on the fridge* when I will cook them and what I will use them for. If any are getting freezer burned, they become soup.
Easy things to make from your freezer findings:
Cream-of-Whatever soup - good for veggies and chicken. Thaw your freezer-burned ingredient and chop into small pieces (unless it's chicken, in which case you'll shred it after it's cooked in the broth). Sautee some onions and garlic with oil in a large pot (and celery if you want to). Add your freezer-burned veggie (this is good for one type of vegetable, like green beans or spinach or squash, at a time rather than a mix of vegetables) and sautee for a few minutes, then add seasoning to taste (different seasonings work with different veggies but I find that salt, pepper, paprika, bay, and parsley will go well in most freezerburn soups) and heat for a couple more minutes. Add broth or stock if you have it, water if you don't, and bring to a boil. Let boil for thirty minutes then check for flavor and add seasoning/salt as needed. You can use tamari or soy sauce instead of table salt for a stronger umami flavor. Let boil for thirty minutes and check again for flavor. Once you're close to the flavor profile you're aiming for, add half a cup of heavy cream, then reduce by about 25%. If you want to, you can add sour cream for a tarter flavor profile, or you can make a vegetable starch slurry to add for a thicker soup. Check seasoning one last time, serve on its own, use as a casserole ingredient, or serve over rice. If you find cream-of-whatever soups boring, play with the seasonings - adding curry spices to a cream of spinach soup rules. Soup is, literally, what you make of it. Do whatever.
Chili - good for freezer burned meat. Thaw your meat and dice it into approximately half-inch cubes. Coarsely chop two large onions and sautee in oil in a large pot. Add as much minced garlic as your heart desires, and a can or two of diced chilies (or fresh chilies if you've got them) if you want a spicier chili, and heat with the onions until the onions are starting to be translucent. Add your diced or ground meat and brown in the pot with the onions and garlic. Add your chili seasoning if you're using a packaged mix; if you're using your own spices use chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper, white pepper, and cumin, then whatever else sounds good to you (I like to add mushroom powder and I'm heavy-handed with the cayenne and cumin). Add two cans of kidney beans and two cans of pinto beans (unrinsed, keep the fluid), a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of diced tomatoes, and half a can of tomato paste to the pot. Stir until incorporated and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer, test for flavor and adjust seasonings - at this point I usually add tamari or salt (because you're retaining the liquid from the canned beans do NOT add salt before tasting). Allow to simmer for up to an hour to allow the flavors to blend, serve with chopped raw onions and shredded cheese; this will rule if you put it over pasta.
Compote (liquidy, for serving over ice cream or mixing into yogurt) - put frozen fruit into a pot on the stove and add enough water to just cover the fruit, add one to two tablespoons of sugar per cup of frozen fruit. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn heat to low and reduce volume of the mixture while stirring frequently.
Pie filling (thick, should set with a gel-like consistency after it cools) - put frozen fruit in a pot and add set a low heat; as fruit thaws, add 3/4 cup of sugar a quarter cup at a time, stirring into the fruit. Add up to a half cup of water as needed to thin the mixture to a stirrable/pourable consistency. Add 1/4 lemon juice - or more for flavor - and bring the contents of a pot to a low boil then remove from heat. If the mixture is too liquidy, you can add a couple teaspoons of a starch slurry to thicken it. Bake in your pie shell and allow to set for a minimum of 4 hours before cutting. (Stir gently at all parts of the process; the fruit will dissolve if stirred too vigorously).
Remember that you can also portion out soups and chilies into individual portions and freeze them for easy future meals that you will then get to rediscover as tasty treats during future freezer cleans.
