I'm a Food Writer & I Swear By These 7 Freezer-Aisle Finds at Hy-Vee

Growing up in Iowa, when my parents said, “Let’s go to the grocery store,” that store was always a Hy-Vee. The employee-owned supermarket is a mainstay across many Midwestern states, and one of the more than 280 locations was 1 mile away from where I grew up. 

My mom and I became so familiar with the flow of the store that we crafted our family’s shopping list according to the path of walking through the aisles. We’d start in the produce section, wander through the canned goods, baking staples, cereals and snacks, then end by the freezers so frozen items would melt as little as possible. We also memorized which generic brands were Dad-approved (milk and bread) and which brands were absolutely nonnegotiables (Ritz and Planters). 

I’m now a 36-year-old food writer, and I live on my own about three hours away from where I was raised. Today, I have a Hy-Vee about half a mile from my home, and you’ll still find me frequenting the freezer aisles. Since I live alone, I swear by all things frozen to keep food waste to a minimum. Here are my seven favorite freezer-aisle finds, including national brands and ones that are exclusive to Hy-Vee.

Related: I'm a Dietitian & This Is the One Frozen Food I Never Leave the Store Without

7 Best Frozen Foods at Hy-Vee

Tru Fru Natures Raspberries Frozen Fresh in White & Dark Chocolate

Since I report so often on the wide-ranging effects of our microbiome on health and longevity, I seek out as many occasions as possible to sneak in a little more fiber. I love to mix up my sources of fiber; however, one of my all-time favorites is raspberries. In addition to promoting heart health and helping to tame inflammation, raspberries are the most fiber-rich berries of all. A fresh pint of the delicate berries doesn’t last all that long, though, and it’s not dunked in white and dark chocolate like these beauties are. A day doesn’t pass that I don’t eat dessert of some kind, and a handful of these frozen-at-their-peak chocolate-covered berries satisfy my sweet tooth and offer a decent amount of nutrition all at once.

Simek's Original Meatballs

While I’m not a vegetarian, I tend to reserve eating meat and seafood for when I’m dining out, and stick to a mainly plant-based diet—plus eggs and dairy—when I’m at home. One of the few exceptions are these pre-=cooked beef meatballs, which deliver 13 grams of protein per 6-meatball serving. I’ll let you in on one of my party-hosting secrets: Combine a bag of these meatballs with a 24-ounce jar of marinara in a saucepan. Stir to coat the meatballs in sauce, warm over medium heat, then turn down to a simmer. Serve next to toasted baguette slices and you have an almost-instant party appetizer that looks and tastes like you put far more effort into it than you did. For quick-fix meals, I like to toss these meatballs with kohlrabi noodles or whole-wheat pasta, roasted vegetables and olive oil. I’ve also diced them to use in frittatas and hoagie sandwiches and to top pizza.

Dr. Praeger's Gluten-Free Broccoli Littles

You might be thinking “36 going on 6?” Fair, but once you taste these garlic-spiked crispy vegetable bites, you’ll want to channel your inner kid again, too. The recipe sneaks in broccoli, potatoes and onions. Egg whites offer a small protein boost and help bind the simple (just nine!) ingredients together. They remind me of tater tots, just with a bonus produce glow-up. Each five-piece serving of the star-shaped snacks has so many veggies, it actually counts as a full serving of vegetables.

Related: 10 Freezer Mistakes You're Probably Making

That's Smart Brussels Sprouts

If there are Brussels sprouts on the appetizer menu at a restaurant I’m dining at, there’s at least a 90% chance they will get ordered. I despised the cruciferous vegetable as a kid, but I’ve grown to see the light and am now on a quest to find the best. In addition to eating them when I dine out, I like to add shaved, fresh whole sprouts and frozen ones to my meal plan at home. I used to rely on frozen ones for soups, stews and casseroles, since the texture tends to change quite a bit during the freezing and reheating process. But as soon as I discovered how to make frozen vegetables taste just as good as fresh, I started roasting these frozen Brussels sprouts, too.

Hy-Vee Du Jour Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

Three dishes instantly remind me of home: homemade honey whole-wheat bread, snickerdoodle cookies and chicken noodle soup. She might have a few other nominations for the list, but I’d award these as my mom’s signature recipes. As far as her staple soup goes, the canned stuff simply can’t hold a candle to her cozy homemade version. With its chewy egg noodles, diced carrots and herb-scented broth, this store-brand homestyle version gets pretty close, though. On days when I feel a cold coming on or I could just use a “food hug,” I head to my freezer and heat up a serving. The optional—but practically essential—garnish? A handful of oyster crackers.

Wyman's of Maine Frozen Wild Blueberries

Nearly every day for breakfast or a snack, I try to blitz up a smoothie or smoothie bowl to add to my fruit and protein tally (I add a scoop of Greek yogurt, too). Frozen peaches, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, pomegranate seeds and mangoes have been known to join the party. No matter how the rest of the recipe adapts to my current cravings and freezer stock, I’m always sure to toss in ½ cup of wild blueberries. Wild blueberries are about twice as concentrated in antioxidants as regular blueberries, plus they may help support brain health. Besides featuring them in smoothies, I frequently fold frozen wild blueberries into the batter for pancakes, muffins and cakes.

Related: 15 Lemon-Blueberry Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever

Whitey's Ice Cream Mint Chocolate Chip

Step aside, Dairy Queen. The Midwestern micro-chain of ice cream parlors (its eight locations are scattered throughout Eastern Iowa) is the king of all things cone, if you ask me. Whitey’s has been scooping up dozens of flavors ranging from the classics—French vanilla, monster cookie, praline pecan—to the creative—peanut butter pretzel bark, banana graham, gummy bear—since 1933, and I can proudly verify that I’ve sampled nearly all of them. My parents used to call their creations “magic ice cream,” and would take me for a scoop when my anxiety reared its head and made my stomach ache. These days, I have other self-care strategies to calm my frazzled nerves, but I still swear by a scoop every so often for a treat. Mint Chocolate Chip is my most frequent investment, while Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is a close runner up.

Related: 10 Best Frozen Foods at Trader Joe's, According to Our Editors