Hello!

It is summer where I live (I live in a town in the outskirts of Lisbon, Portugal). The weather has been incredibly warm. If you are going through a heat wave, too, I bet you are craving something fresh like I am.

Let me introduce you to Banana & Cinnamon Ice Cream. This is the first time I am sharing a sweet recipe on this blog. I hope you enjoy it!

This delicious recipe opens the opportunity to talk about an important but often uncomfortable topic: food waste.

Food waste occurs at the consumer and retailer level. Food that is unserved, uneaten, and disposed of consciously even though it is still fit for consumption, is labelled “Food waste.”

The facts around this issue are daunting. In plain English, food waste is bad for the planet.

• It wastes billions of dollars in lost revenue.
• It taxes natural and human resources like water, land, labour, and energy.
• It contributes to global warming and climate change (food waste in landfills produces greenhouse gas methane).

Reducing food waste is a modern-day necessity. One can often feel daunted. However, there are ways we can limit our food waste on an individual level. In fact, why not make it a family affair to control the amount of food waste your household experiences?

Here are some ideas to help you:

• Plan: If you plan what you are cooking for the week, you can choose menu items that use the same ingredients reducing leftover food; and you will not overprepare.
• Make a list: Then you get just what you need without overbuying.
• Eat before you shop: or you will end up impulse buying what you do not need!
• Be realistic: buy only as many fresh fruits and vegetable  that your family will eat in the next few days.
• Shop small: Avoid waste by avoiding buying the enormous size containers of food stores sell.
• Freeze and label leftovers: Make sure you eat them!
• Take only what you need from a buffet in a hotel or restaurant.
• Take leftovers home: Be the example!
• Ask supermarkets and restaurants if they have food donation programs.
• Do not toss food before it spoils: Be resourceful with remaining food items (see our recipe).
• Compost your food scraps: this is a fantastic way to recycle nutrients that will be used to grow more delicious food.

You can also search for mobile apps. Too good to go and Refood, are two good examples.

Now, I promised you a dessert – and a fresh one!

Banana & Cinnamon Ice Cream

If you have overripe bananas you are thinking to toss in the garbage, not so fast. I have just the thing for you.

This is the most delicious way to use up those overripe bananas! Let us give them a sweet opportunity and avoid wasting any food. Plus, we get a tasty, refreshing summertime treat to beat the heat for ourselves.

Here is what you need:

• 2 (overripe) bananas
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp plant-based milk

Here is what you need to do:

• Cut the bananas into chunks and freeze them.
• Once frozen, blend them with the other ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Enjoy it right away; if you save it for later in the freezer, it will harden considerably!

You can play around with this simple recipe. Change the flavour according to your liking. If you are a chocolate lover like me, Chocolate & Banana Ice Cream sounds like the way to go.

I can share that recipe, too. (Here is a sneak peek!)  Let me know in the comment section down below if that sounds like a nummy idea!

Or let me know if there is another plant-based food topic that interests you.

What hacks do you use at home to avoid wasting food? Please, share. It would be great if we could learn together.

See you next time!

Download your printable recipe card here:
Food for thought: Banana & Cinnamon Ice Cream

If you want to read more:

• https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/food_practice/food_loss_and_waste/
• https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/world-hunger-facts-statistics