Melon & Other Rinds
We are environmentally conscious more than ever and readily add leftover fruit and vegetable parts from food preparation to the compost bin. But wait. There is still life before composting.
When you entertain guests, scooped out honeydew, watermelon and cantaloupe make attractive serving bowls for salads, and scooped out acorn squash is perfect to serve the delicious squash soup you made for the occasion. When the party is over, everyone will talk about your clever serving dishes, which you can take directly to the compost bin so you spend less time cleaning up and more time enjoying good company.
Also use scooped-out avocado shells as biodegradable pots to start seedlings before you plant them in the garden. You can even plant the pot along!
Smoothies on Demand
Salad kits are making their appearance in office lunch rooms, but how about a smoothie kit? Sounds so delicious, let’s jump right to it. You will need:
A muffin tin, cutting board, knife, baking sheet and food storage baggies or containers of your choice, plain or flavored yogurt (I like to use vanilla) and 3 to 4 fruits of choice. I like to include bananas because they are a good source of protein and potassium and because they provide a very smooth texture.
You will need a bit of room in your freezer to work this out, but it is well worth it.
Cut enough fruit to fill about 12 cups. Lay it out on a baking sheet in rows so that each fruit has its own row and so that they are not all clumped up together. Pop this into the freezer. Meanwhile, fill each muffin tin with yogurt. Freeze this as well.
After a few hours, select assortments of fruit from the baking sheet (about 2 cups per assortment) and pop into individual servings containers or baggies with at least 2 yogurt discs per mix. The yogurt will pop out of the muffin tin easily if you let it sit for a few moments first.
Store the mixes in the freezer. When the urge to savor a hearty smoothie surfaces, pop a mix in the blender with your choice of juice. Though the juice is cold, it is warmer than the frozen yogurt and thus will help soften it.
I thought I was done here, but another idea pops to mind: Make frozen fruit mixes without the frozen yogurt. Mix into a yogurt of your choice and serve in an emptied-out cantaloupe half.
#1 by Just A Smidgen on 05/29/2012 - 12:01 pm
I love the frozen yogurt idea.. To go with frozen fruit! I think this is another nutritious quick snack for us!
#2 by Granny on 05/29/2012 - 12:05 pm
Thank you and good morning! I love the idea as well. I think that we often skip the healthy snack option mainly because it is not readily available. Stocking up on ready, wholesome choices provides a shortcut that makes reaching for the healthy alternative much more immediate and appealing. Actually, I like the “prepare once – enjoy many servings” approach for just about as many food options as possible. Have a good day. Thank you for stopping by.
#3 by ceciliag on 05/29/2012 - 12:43 pm
have you changed things over here? everything seems bigger all of a sudden.. That smoothie idea would work very well with teenagers.. And me.. I have decided that when i start to milk i will be having a smoothie every morning with spinach and banana, the freshest raw milk on the planet and some kind of frozen fruit! Your idea is perfect for this! As i am going to be moving fast.. . I don’t suppose your company has a reasonably priced cheese press? i think I need a proper one now.. c
#4 by Granny on 05/29/2012 - 7:56 pm
Good afternoon Cecilia. Good to hear from you. Yes, I have changed the Blog theme. Let me ask about the cheese press. The company owner is currently looking at adding to her line and cheese making is definitely an area she is investigating. She is very careful about her items selection, especially about quality construction, so she takes all the necessary time to do her homework before she’ll take on a new item, but I’ll let her know you are wondering about a cheese press and get back to you. Thank you for asking. This is much appreciated.
#5 by Granny on 06/01/2012 - 9:34 am
Hello again, Cecilia. As promised, I have asked Kathy Pyorala, owner of All Seasons Homestead Helpers, when cheese presses might be available. First, she thanks you for asking. She recommends Homesteader’s Supply for this, adding that we may be carrying cheese presses in the future, but it will be a while to find all the vendors. Kathy likes to do her homework. Quality is priority one. The company she recommends shares this value. I hope this is helpful. Happy cheese making. I look forward to reading all about it on your blog!