Food Trends

Have you heard?

New food ideas come and go quickly. We wanted to introduce you to some food trends that are popular lately. Try them in your own home!

Green Smoothies:

It can be difficult to get all your vegetables in every day. Adding leafy greens to your smoothie can be a fast and yummy way to add greens into your day.  Even picky eaters will love these colorful drinks, since they taste like fruit instead of greens. You can use fresh, washed spinach, kale, collard greens, beet leaves, or others to any fruit smoothie. To save time and money, you can also use frozen greens! For the smoothest smoothie, blend the greens and liquid first. Then, add your other solid ingredients.

Try this recipe for your first green smoothie:

Tropical Smoothie

1-2 cups of greens, fresh or frozen (such as spinach)

1 can of pineapple in juice (with the juice)

1 banana, fresh or frozen

1 cup of orange juice, water, milk, or yogurt

1 cup of ice

Makes 4 servings. Try adding a kiwi, too!

“Nice” Cream:

You may have seen this trend on TV shows lately. “Nice” cream can be a great sweet treat that helps you get another serving of fruit. Bananas are the only ingredient! First, you freeze ripe bananas. Then, blend them in a blender or food processor until just smooth. The finished result is the texture of soft serve ice cream. You can try many types of mix-ins such as: frozen strawberries, vanilla extract, chocolate chips, peanut butter, or more!

Overnight Oats

Everyone knows that eating breakfast helps to give you the energy for the rest of the day.  Make your breakfast ahead of time so that you can easily grab it and go in the mornings.  Overnight oats are easy to make and you can add many different flavors to mix it up for a different breakfast every morning.

To make overnight oats:

Place ½ cup plain oats (old fashioned or quick oats) in a seal able container or jar.  Add ½ cup of milk and your favorite fruit topping like strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and bananas on top. Place the top on the container or jar and leave in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, just stir and your oatmeal is ready to eat! For added flavor, sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg.

Less Waste Cooking

Many chefs recently have been creating new recipes to lower how much food gets wasted. You can do this in your own home too!

Some ideas:

-       If you buy carrots with stems, try cooking the leafy greens with onions or garlic.

-       If you buy potatoes, leave the peel on. Just scrub them clean.

-       If you buy broccoli, chop up the stems and use them too! Lots of fiber.

-       If a fruit looks good but is a little soft, try adding it to a smoothie or yogurt.