One of my biggest pet peeves is when people waste food. I absolutely hate throwing food away.
I know it's not always possible to use every bit of food, but I definitely try.
I also hate it when my food goes bad and I have to throw it away. I have a compost bin I use to turn much of my food waste into nutrient-rich soil, but if I still feel bad if I buy food and then don’t eat it.
Lately, I've been finding ways to make use of food that hasn't necessarily gone completely bad but is passed the point where I want to eat it.
I usually eat plenty of bananas, but last week, I had five bananas slip through the cracks and turn brown before I ate them.
Instead of throwing them in the composter, I decided to look up recipes that I could use wrinkly brown bananas in.
I found quite a few recipes for variations of banana nut bread, including banana bread with zucchini, chocolate chips, pumpkin and blueberries. I also found a recipe for baking banana bread in a slow-cooker (Crockpot).
Beyond bread, there were recipes for banana oatmeal cookies, smoothies, pancakes and so much more. I could have tried making “sofesofe Fa’i,” which is baked ripe bananas in coconut milk. I could also have used the bananas as a substitute for whipped cream, which is a genius idea.
The recipe I ended up using was for banana bread in a crockpot. I was very excited about this for three reasons — I was going to be able to give my bananas a second life; I was going to make bread for the very first time; and I was going to be able to use my slow-cooker, which I had never used before (and which I am now addicted to).
The bread turned out really well and it was really easy to make. You can find the recipe I used from about.com here: http://bit.ly/Vcy61t.
I’m so excited about all my new recipes for old bananas that I might just buy extra bananas the next time I’m at the store and let them go soft so I can try another recipe out.
If you don't like any of these recipes you can always take an overripe banana, an avocado and a tablespoon of olive oil, and apply it to damp hair as a hair treatment.
No matter how you want to give a second chance to your overripe or old food, it’s important that they do not go to waste. Search the Internet for a recipe that uses the old or overripe food you have, or if it’s an item that has no recipe (like overripe lettuce), at least toss it in the compost bin. Either way, you’ll be creating less waste and helping the environment.
