How to eat lots of fruit on a budget :)

Options
MOMvsFOOD
MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
in Recipes
My daily blog features some cupcakes that are in no way a health recipe, SOOOOOO I pulled this from a few months back. Great ways to have your favorite fruit available all year long without a second mortgage.... crazy how strawberries can cost $.99/quart in the summer and $5.99 in the winter ......

http://momvsfood.blogspot.com/2010/09/fruity-tutty-healthy-tip.html

Replies

  • etherah
    etherah Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    Wow! What great ideas!! Thanks!
  • teeley
    teeley Posts: 477 Member
    Options
    That is awesome, thanks. When food goes bad for me it is straight to the garbage, yet I buy frozen fruit??? it is funny how something so simple is over looked so easily. Granted the kitchen is completely foreign to me.
  • dragonfarie
    dragonfarie Posts: 84 Member
    Options
    What a great idea. I have never thought of freezing apples and bananas before.

    The watermelon idea was a bit weird though. What would you use watermelon ice cubes for? I would think that since watermelon really doesn't have a taste that it would be a lost cause to try to make a smoothie to taste like watermelon. Or would you just eat them like the home made fruit juice pops we always would make in the summer as kids? (fruit juice in a ice cube tray with tooth picks in the center and freeze ) That might be an idea...
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    Options
    What a great idea. I have never thought of freezing apples and bananas before.

    The watermelon idea was a bit weird though. What would you use watermelon ice cubes for? I would think that since watermelon really doesn't have a taste that it would be a lost cause to try to make a smoothie to taste like watermelon. Or would you just eat them like the home made fruit juice pops we always would make in the summer as kids? (fruit juice in a ice cube tray with tooth picks in the center and freeze ) That might be an idea...

    The watermelon was usually either eat in cubes like frozen grapes, OR I use them in frozen mojitos and margarits.

    Another idea with melons is to puree them first, then pour into a popsicle maker either alone or mixed with some yogurt.
  • jnchorn
    jnchorn Posts: 250 Member
    Options
    I would love to get more fruits in my diet. I love veggies but fruit... not so much. :) Thanks!
  • etherah
    etherah Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    Watermelon has no taste??!! I find it delicious!! I love the idea of freezing it into cubes.
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    Options
    I would love to get more fruits in my diet. I love veggies but fruit... not so much. :) Thanks!

    I hear people not like veggies all the time but like fruit- at least this way you favor the lower calorie produce :wink:
  • mapinkerton
    mapinkerton Posts: 147
    Options
    I have a dehydrator and when fruit is in season and cheap I buy tons of it and dehydrate it. That way I have my favorites fruits all season long. I use dried fruit in my crockpot steel cut oats, muffins, with cereal, snack on them, etc.
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    Options
    I have a dehydrator and when fruit is in season and cheap I buy tons of it and dehydrate it. That way I have my favorites fruits all season long. I use dried fruit in my crockpot steel cut oats, muffins, with cereal, snack on them, etc.

    Thats a great idea! My oven has a dehydrator, sounds like great options for snacks!!!
  • MemphisMarly
    MemphisMarly Posts: 215
    Options
    Or you could eat seasonal fruits :wink:
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    Options
    We do eat tons of seasonal fruits, but I like to be able to serve some things year round, even on our budget. I don't think we could limit our strawberry or blackberry consumption only to their season HAHA
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
    Options
    I eat raspberries year round and am tired of the $7 I think for a 600gram bag, so last year I went and bought a bunch of raspberry canes... put them in and IF they made the winter I'll have raspberries on site that should if not entirely replace my current purchases of them will seriously cut them down. Just a time investment, fresh canes don't produce in the year they're planted, should see the second year some crop though so it is a commitment of time.

    No way could I have them just when they're in season! I am of course looking for a dehydrator, wanting to make my own meat jerky as well as fruit leathers etc, been reading on them over the winter, getting closer to the point of actually doing something about it, in time for the first fruit coming in at least.
  • spaboleo
    spaboleo Posts: 172
    Options
    Here in Germany fruits are quite cheap (e.g. waaaay cheaper than in Australia as I had to learn during my stay).
    You can get 1kg of apples for about 2€ (~2.74$).
    A pack of frozen berries (unsweetend, including all the delicious stuff :wink:), about 350g for about 1,50€ (~2$).
    A banana costs about 0.25€ (~0.34$)

    Just to give you the drift :happy:


    The more expensive things like pomegranate (:heart:) or a pineapple or melons, which couldn't be eaten all at once go staight to the freezer, too :smile:
    It is a great way to store them preportioned.
  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
    Options
    What a great idea. I have never thought of freezing apples and bananas before.

    The watermelon idea was a bit weird though. What would you use watermelon ice cubes for?

    I tried this once to put in my smoothie the next morning but it was a disaster. Because they're made of so much water, they were rock solid ice cubes (unlike other fruits which stay a little less hard). I have a fabulous blender, but this is a perfect way to dull the blades, lol. So if you do this, defrost them slightly before blending!! :laugh:

    I buy fruits based on what's on sale that week at the grocery store!! Or I shop around and price compare. :bigsmile:
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    Options
    What a great idea. I have never thought of freezing apples and bananas before.

    The watermelon idea was a bit weird though. What would you use watermelon ice cubes for?

    I tried this once to put in my smoothie the next morning but it was a disaster. Because they're made of so much water, they were rock solid ice cubes (unlike other fruits which stay a little less hard). I have a fabulous blender, but this is a perfect way to dull the blades, lol. So if you do this, defrost them slightly before blending!! :laugh:

    I buy fruits based on what's on sale that week at the grocery store!! Or I shop around and price compare. :bigsmile:

    I invested in a good blender, solid enough for ice cubes because we love frozen margaritas in the summer (which are at least half ice). You can pick and choose what you freeze, or not freeze anything if you don't agree with the idea. I have a freezer full of natural fruit without preservatives ready at any time, so its something we do in my house.
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    Options
    FYI- frozen blueberries and cranberries are AWESOME in muffins. They stay together so you dont just end up with blue muffins :bigsmile:
  • susiewusie
    susiewusie Posts: 432 Member
    Options
    Why have I never thought to freeze fruit when I have tons of it ? I freeze nearly everything else lol ,thanks :)
  • ThundersCry
    ThundersCry Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    If you like to use your blender on the watermelon and don't have a great blender, let it sit in the blender for a little bit with some liquid/yogurt. I usually put what I want in the blender and take a quick shower... come out and blend. It is still thick and frothy but doesn't take that long to blend out the icy fruit.
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    Options
    If you like to use your blender on the watermelon and don't have a great blender, let it sit in the blender for a little bit with some liquid/yogurt. I usually put what I want in the blender and take a quick shower... come out and blend. It is still thick and frothy but doesn't take that long to blend out the icy fruit.

    Thats a great tip :)
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    Options
    I would love to get more fruits in my diet. I love veggies but fruit... not so much. :) Thanks!

    You're not alone in this! I'm not much of a fruit eater in the sense of picking up a piece of fruit and just eating it au naturel. I have to work my fruit into other foods for the most part (excepting melons). It's a texture issue for me, generally, rather than taste.

Categories