Two Easy Ways to Use Produce Before It Goes Bad

Every Sunday, I go shopping at our local farmer’s market or grocery store and come home with a wide array of colorful produce that I am so excited to cook or snack on over the course of the week.  But sure enough, come mid-week the produce starts to look a bit less vibrant and maybe on the verge of turning bad and I am left thinking about all the money going down the drain, and the waste of perfectly good produce. Out of necessity, I have come up with a few ways to use produce to make it last longer and to be more convenient for my family to use.

If you are finding yourself in the same situation, give one of these ideas a try!

Veggie Ice Cubes

When I know I do not have much time left to eat the produce before it goes bad, I like to toss the items in the blender with a cup full of water and make ice cubes.  These ice cubes are perfect for tossing in a fruit smoothie, and are an easy way to get extra nutrients and fiber without affecting the taste of your smoothie.  Some of my favorite items to do this with are greens, avocados, beets and cucumbers..the sky is the limit really!

Fruit Ice Cream

Have some bananas that are about to turn?  Toss them in the blender and make one ingredient banana ice cream.  It is as simple as chopping the fruit and blending and freezing, and it becomes creamy like a custard ice cream. You don't need to add additional ingredients but you can add nuts, peanut butter, honey, chocolate chips or another favorite topping.  

This can also be done with frozen berries, but to get the same effect as the bananas you will need to add almond milk, coconut milk, or your favorite type of milk to achieve the same creaminess found naturally in the bananas.

Do you have any other smart ways to save produce before it goes bad?  If so share your favorite tips and tricks below! 

This is a guest post by Heather Statzer, First Bites Intern.