Thursday, June 20, 2013

Ditch Those Frozen Fruit Plastic Bags – How To Make Waste-Free Smoothies

WHY plastic Bags SUCK-IT! 
Okay, we all know plastic bags are terrible.  I hate them (and I don’t use that word lightly).  So come smoothie time of year I really, really, REALLY try to NOT purchase any frozen fruit in plastic bags.  I mean, yes, it’s difficult during the off season when fresh fruit (err, organic fresh fruit) is not in season.  But during the summer it’s everywhere. So no excuses.

The easiest way to avoid packaged frozen fruit is to purchase loose fruit and freeze it.  When I say loose fruit I am talking about fruit that is not packaged in any plastic.  This is how fruit is sold at my local Natural Foods Coops here in Northern California.  Sometimes you can find a Farmer’s Market that is really good about selling loose fruit.  I use these Care Bags for my produce/loose fruit, again, NO plastic bags are used at any point in my purchasing process.  Listen, I don’t have a panic attack if I have to purchase fruit in plastic.  For example, Costco has great deals on blueberries and raspberries.  But at least those plastic containers ARE able to be recycled.  Frozen fruit plastic bags are not – they go right into the landfill.  So think about what will do less harm.  

See below for some other suggestions on how to make a fabulous smoothie without the use of bagged frozen fruit.  
*

Here is how I freeze fruit.  I wash, dry, and freeze on silicone mats.  Then I store the fruit in air-tight glass containers in the freezer (not in plastic bags). 

Here we have mango and bananas

Bananas, apple and strawberries… 
Bananas, blueberries, raspberries
Strawberries are everywhere this time of year 
Fresh, loose picked, frozen strawberries for a fraction of what the packaged frozen strawberries cost! 

Okay, moving along
See HERE for my bulk green drink.  
I like to freeze little cubes of this green drink and use in smoothies.  For the smoothie, add in the frozen green drink cubes, some nut milk (or coconut milk), fresh fruit, your choice protein powder, and blend.  What a fabulous way to start the day.
I still have my old BPA/toxic free baby food containers (yes, I made all my kid’s baby food from scratch).  I knew these would be put to good use and below I have them full of homemade walnut milk for smoothies. 

Homemade nut/seed milks from The Tasty Alternative: 
We are surrounded by citrus here in California   So when harvest time comes, I like to freeze lemon and orange juice for smoothies (or for like a million other uses). 
These silicone (BPA free) ice cube trays are awesome.  They make small portions of frozen nut milk or coconut milk. 

Here I have some banana puree.  I had four bananas that were ready for something (super ripe)so I pureed them with a little water and made little frozen banana cubes for smoothies.  With the banana you can also add in a handful of spinach or fresh fruit  (such as an avocado or strawberries).  Just make sure you add in some water so you can pour the mixture into the trays.  

It is possible to create low-waste or no-waste smoothies.  It depends on where you live and what you like, but it is possible.  The point here is to become more mindful of the waste-free options and get creative. 
*

~Smoothie/Milkshake Recipes by The Tasty Alternative~

Top of post bags of fruit Image Source 
___________________________________________________________________________________
Shared on: Allergy-Free WednesdaysWellness Weekend 
Print Friendly
Posted by Amber at

Labels: green living, green living tips organization, smoothie, summer cuisine.

10 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *