Upsides to the Down Economy/ Freeze your Fruit!

   If your family is anything like mine, there are always bananas that are turning black, strawberries that get moldy and mangoes that have turned to mush. I've found a great solution to this ever-occuring problem and that is to freeze the fruit before it reaches the point of no return and use it in smoothies and other dishes. When a banana has one hint of black to it, the kids refuse to eat them. Now, they get tossed into the freezer (in a bag so the black slime doesn't drip all over) and turned into: banana bread, banana cake (Silver Palate), or into a smoothie, which is especially good with peanut butter and milk. Elvis, eat your heart out! The other night, I threw the bananas, in their skins, on the grill, until they were heated through, then squeezed them out, poured a little rum and brown sugar over them and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Yummy! Cool Whip, with chopped nuts, is another alternative. As soon as my strawberries start to go south, I slice them up and throw them in the freezer, making them perfect add-ins for my vanilla protein shakes (along with flax seeds and glucosamine). Grapes never seem to get eaten, so I pop them in the freezer and they make the best little mini-popcycles ever! Mangoes help me make my favorite smoothie- a copy of Aveena Appeal at Sun Juice Smoothies. I blend oatmeal and protein powder in the blender, add ice cubes, skim milk, frozen, chopped mangoes, a dollop of vanilla yogurt and a squirt of honey to make one delicious frozen concoction. Mangoes can also be used to make mango bread, mango cookies, mango cheesecake and mango cupcakes. Mangoes can be chopped up and frozen, or made into a puree in the blender. Here's the recipe for the cupcakes which is especially good.

Strawberry Smoothie

Mango Cupcakes

1 1/4 cup self rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
2 eggs
2 tbsp. milk (if mixture is dry)
2/3 cup diced mangoes or mango puree

Mango Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
2/3 cup mango puree
1/3 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line your muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Cream the butter and slowly add the sugar until it's dissolved.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time into the mixture and beat well.
4. In another bowl, measure the flour and baking powder. Blend together.
5. Slowly, pour flour mixture into egg mixture and mix together. Add the diced mangoes.
6. Pour into the cupcake liner and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
Mango Whipped Cream
7. Beat whipping cream on medium speed for five minutes, until soft peaks form.
8. Add sugar.
9. Add mango puree into the whipped cream.
10. Decorate cooled cupcakes with whipped cream frosting.

An alternative which would keep longer (once the cupcakes have the whipped cream frosting they are extremely perishable) would be to use cream cheese frosting with mango puree added.

Frozen grapes, strawberries and bananas