Waste Less Wednesday: Bananas

It seems like bananas go from green to brown on my way home from the grocery store. They never last as long as I would like them to. Instead of getting upset that they are browning early, I've started freezing them as soon as they start to turn. I learned the hard way, don't freeze them with the peel on. The first time I did this I spent about 30 minutes trying to peel it.

I keep whole frozen bananas to use in banana bread and banana cake. Thaw out about 3o minutes before you want to bake and they will be fine. I keep the little bits my son doesn't finish in a separate and labeled bag for smoothies. He is pretty picky about fruits and veggies but he will eat anything in a smoothie as long as there is some banana in it. My basic recipe is frozen banana, milk, a little sugar or honey if the fruit isn't very sweet, and any other fruit on the verge of going bad. I usually make this in my mini food processor so the cleanup is easy and the portion is just right. On warm summer days he thinks he is getting a treat and I am happy because he is eating fruit.