When I was thinking about how to kick off the week leading up to Earth Day, banana bread popped into my mind. Why banana bread you might ask? Well, when I think of living an eco-friendly life I think about all the food that goes to waste in my fridge. How many times have I thrown out uneaten and expired food…many. How is it that I went to the grocery store, spent money on a food item, brought that food home only to see it rot in my crisper. Not very eco-friendly. There has to be a better way, a way to waste less food. We have decided to enlist these three steps in our house in attempt to eat ALL the food we purchase.
Make a weekly meal plan – With a plan in hand, we will purchase only the foods that we require for that week.
Use the freezer – Freezing left overs is a great way to extend their life. If I know we are not going to eat the end of the chilli this week, why not freeze it for another day.
Have a weekly “clean out the fridge” meal – I am not advocating eating rotten food…no food poisoning here. Rather, I have found that I can clean out the fridge with a good curry dish or stir fry. These dishes can use up cooked meats, rice, pasta and veggies in a healthy way.
So, where does banana bread fit in? It uses older bananas that would otherwise go into the compost! Here is my favourite recipe from Canadian Living.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips together in a small bowl.
Combine mashed bananas, butter, milk and eggs in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir until completely combined.
Pour into a buttered loaf pan. Bake in 325°F oven for 1 hour. Until skewer inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.
This banana bread is easy to make and is so yummy! Who doesn’t love banana bread. And what a great way to use up those old bananas. Having less food waste means being a conscious eater. It is important to be aware of what we purchase and what we do and do not consume.
Are you a conscious consumer of food? Do you have any tips for ways to use up food in your fridge? How do you keep your food waste down?
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I think this is a perfect Earth Day food. One way our family tries to be green is to make more food from scratch because it reduces the amount of package waste. Bananas go so quickly in our house that we never seem to have black ones. Another way to preserve bananas is when they start go to a little black, you can cut them up and freeze them.
Awesome ideas Rebekah! Thanks!
Gorgeous post ..am gonna try this soon