I didn’t snap any weekend pictures but mine was pretty great. It ended last night with a dinner date with my parents, followed by The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Revenge, and Army Wives. I mean what a line up. Sunday night television has got it goin’ on.

I really hate wasting food. It makes me feel like a terrible person. So, I wanted to write a post based using up some food items that I always have excess of.

Bread

When I was in college, finishing a loaf of bread on my own before it went bad was a challenge for me. I would freeze it, but then it would somehow end up shoved in the back of the fridge behind ice cream and vodka . I would totally forget about it before I found it with freezer burn and such. Here are a couple of great ways to use up extra bread:

- Croutons: Cube up any type of bread and toss it in a little olive oil, along with your favorite herbs/spices. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until croutons are crisp and golden. Croutons are great to have to throw into salads and jazz things up.

- Bread crumbs: To make fresh bread crumbs, simply tear up the bread and throw it in the food processor. Give it a whirl and tada, bread crumbs! For dry bread crumbs, you can then place the fresh bread crumbs in a 300 degree oven until the moisture is released, stirring them occasionally.

Eggs

- Hard boiled eggs: Again, at college I would often find myself with a surplus of eggs some weeks; especially if my roommate and I both purchased eggs. Making a big batch of hard boiled eggs is great to have for a quick, protein filled snack or even to make egg salad.

- Frittatas: It takes a great amount of eggs to make a fluffy frittata. Frittatas are a great base to add all of your leftovers to!

Bananas

- Freeze ‘em and add them to a smoothie or make some banana soft serve in a Vitamix or a food processor.

- Banana Oatmeal Muffins 

- Banana Walnut Bread

Vegetables/Fruit

We’ve all come across some vegetables/fruit in our crisper drawer and said, “Oh crap, I totally forgot I bought that.”

- Juice them!

- Add to smoothies.

- Roast a big random batch to have as a side dish or add to salads throughout the week.

Yogurt

I always have yogurt on hand. It’s a go-to snack for me. I love to add nuts to really make it a filling snack. For some reason, I find myself using up the individual yogurt size containers rather than the big tubs. I tend to forget about them and they get pushed to the back of the fridge.

- Use to replace a fat (such as oil) in baked goods.

- Add to smoothies and freeze for a nutritious, frozen treat!

*****

The weather is less than stellar today. We may be getting 1-3 inches of snow turning to rain on this good ol’ island. Joy. I am going to walk Gunner before anything starts falling from the sky and then run some errands and get started on some school work. I am working at the gym for the first time later this evening. I’m excited!

Quesion: What are your tips for using up perishable food items?

Have a lovely day