Freeze Your Fruit! -Anti Chef

"Second Hand Smoothies"
If most of you, like me, with small children are always finding your selves with stuff in the refrigerator going bad, because the kid loved it last week, but this week has turned up his or her nose to it, there are ways to still get a good bit of value and use from some would be refuse. My daughter loves fruit, but only when she chooses to. This is a measure I have taken after watching too many half or three quarter bananas go into the garbage. It seems my little girl of 21 months is just confident enough to tell us what she wants, but not so willing to eat once she gets it. The same goes for blueberries, peaches, pears, etc. I have begun freezing the fruit she doesn't eat to make smoothies with. You could also use the frozen blueberries in pancakes(pancake recipe to come). Whenever she takes a bite or two of the banana, and then wanders off, wanting nothing to do with it, I take the banana and cut off the sliver of the end she has chewed on...it's not gross, she is my kid. I cut it up into half inch width slices and freeze them in little baggies, which i will reuse for the next banana. ( i keep perfectly good baggies in the freezer, keeps any would be germs from forming) There are many different combinations when it comes to smoothies, but they almost always involve frozen fruit. There are even "smoothie kits" in most grocers' freezer sections nowadays, but these are pre cut, pre packaged items that you wind up paying way too much for considering you can spend less money and a little of your time to achieve the same product for yourself. Here is my favorite smoothie recipe:

ingredients
- one frozen banana ( or "most of" one_
- frozen peach slices ( about 3/4 a peach, usually)
- one frozen strawberry
- 5 frozen blueberries
- 4 ounces of yogurt ( i use Stoneyfield, plain)
- enough apple juice to make blending necessary, i usually just measure to the 16 ounce line on my blender for a proper pint of smoothie

method

-pretty simple really, throw all of this in, and let the machine do the work. most people have a blender, although there are plenty of "smoothie makers" on the market. the good thing about them is they usually have a wider bowl thingy, and some even come with little "stirrers" which you can use to stir with as the thing blends, keep the lumps out. if you choose to buy one, go online, you can usually find a good one there and can bypass the local "large mart" stores in town and keep those evil doers from getting your money, and shipping out of your town. I mentioned earlier that there are many different combinations and flavors that work in smoothies, peanut butter/banana is good, pomegranate is a nice flavor....and i even like to put protein powder in mine, although, it can be a big "up front" cost, at a tablespoon shot per smoothie, one of those oatmeal can sized packages goes a long way. whatever the case, a smoothie can be a quick and healthy snack, or start to the day, and a good way to sneak some of the fruit the munchkin didn't eat the first time back into their little tummy. you have to trick kids some time. or at least i do.