Fruits & Veggies--Oh the Possibilities!

Wow--could a person ever fully come to know all of the possibilities that fruits and veggies offer? Do you ever have one of those weeks where suddenly no one eats the bananas? We had a week like that recently and as I watched that bunch of bananas begin to decay, I rushed through my virtual memory of recipe ideas to make sure they didn't go to waste. Here's the result:

Homemade banana creme pie; even the crust had to be homemade. Not only does it save a ton of money that way but it also is made with only natural, healthy ingredients. I didn't have one of those fancy pastry bags so I just used a zipper bag with the corner tip cut off. Not as professional looking but still yummy!

Next up on the menu is one of my all-time favorite lunches: veggie wraps. First, I mix creme cheese with garlic seasoning, a tablespoon of salsa, and lots of chopped, fresh spinach. After spreading it all over a whole-wheat tortilla (see picture above), I roll up whatever fresh, sliced veggies we have on hand in it. Usually it's cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded cabbage/carrots mix, and sliced red onions (onions for mom and dad only). We've used this lunch for picnics, lunches at the zoo, and lunch at our homeschool co-op group on Tuesdays. I just make the wraps the night before and they're ready to go in the morning! You can cut them into one-inch strips and make them into pinwheels for parties or easier finger food for kids.

Last year, my good friend borrowed me some of her cookbooks. I really enjoyed one of them; "Deceptive Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. I got it again from the library and went on a puree rampage.
In this picture we have broccoli puree, sweet potato puree on the right, and butternut squash puree in the baggies. The farm where we volunteer has had an excellent crop of butternut squash this year and we have enjoyed the fruits (or veggies) of that harvest! I made one of the muffin recipes in the book with butternut squash puree and everyone loved them! Pete said they kept him full at work all morning, which says a lot considering how many calories he burns at his job! Other than using the purees with the recipes in "Deceptively Delicious," I plan on using these purees for many other things. For example, any of these would work spread on tortillas with some cheese to make veggie quesadillas. Spinach puree can be hidden into italian dunkers for lunch or even a dab in smoothies. The possibilities are endless!

Finally, although it's not a fruit or veggie, here is the result of our cheese-making adventure. It was really fun and it went right along with our readings in Little House in the Big Woods. The kids learned about curds and whey and we all got to enjoy some delicious cheese. To be quite honest, I didn't expect it to taste that well. Boy, was I surprised! If you'd like to try this yourself, go to my homeschooling blog (link to the right). There you will find a step-by-step video that is really helpful. Have fun and let me know how it turns out!