Every week, I post a picture of the food that has gone bad over the last seven days. Why do I do this? Because in March of 2008, I finally got fed up with the amount of food I was wasting, and I thought that showing my waste to other people would motivate me to use up my food instead of wasting it. Because this often embarrassing practice was so helpful for me, I invited other bloggers to join me in posting their food waste photos, and Food Waste Friday was born. If you’re not a blogger but still want some food waste accountability, feel free to participate by leaving a comment.
I bought two avocados recently and only managed to use up one. And the remaining avocado is sort of mushy. I rarely use avocados, so I’m low on ideas. Will it still be good for guacamole? Or is there some other way I can use it? Can I throw it into a smoothie, or will that taste weird?
Help me!!
As far as other waste goes, I don’t have anything to take a picture of (my fridge is delightfully empty). But I feel quite certain that I composted some sort of produce earlier in the week, and I can’t for the life of me remember what it was!
So, I wouldn’t chalk this up as a zero-waste week, but it wasn’t a disastrous week either.
And hopefully you all can help me save my avocado from becoming a casualty!
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How did you do this week? If you blogged about your food waste, link us up by entering your info into the widget below. You’ll save money, reduce your trash output, and get a little publicity for your blog! And if you don’t blog, you can still share about your food waste by leaving a comment.
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I made Avocado Banana Chocolate Chip muffins and they were absolutely to die for!! Just google avocado muffins or bread and the recipe will come up. I think they called it Avocana.
My husband loves fried egg, avocado, and red onion sandwiches. He also adds mayo, salt and pepper all on sourdough bread. It’s very rich but sooo tasty!
Oh – you can make one of my favorite sandwiches…a BLA! Bacon, lettuce and avocado. Either slice it or mash it, using a little salt and pepper. Really good!
You can spread or cut up avocado to usein wraps or quesadillas and you canuse it in salads (ideas below)
http://www.soscuisine.com/en/recipes/view/quesadilla-with-peppers-avocado-and-turkey?sos_l=en
http://www.soscuisine.com/en/recipes/view/avocado-mango-and-grilled-chicken-salad?sos_l=en&sos_l=en
I make a vegetarian eggs benedict – the bottom is a home made bean burger instead of the english muffin, then avocado instead of ham, then the poached egg topped with hollandaise. I think it’s fantastic! I’m not sure how ‘pretty’ it would be with a slightly smushy avocado but it should still taste good.
Avocados freeze–there’s no reason you couldn’t slip this into zuchini bread later on.
Do you freeze them whole? I’ve tried freezing them pureed before (which I read was okay to do) and it didn’t work out so well.
I always put 1/2 an avacado in my fruit smoothy when I have one on hand. They make smoothies sooo much creamier. Delish. And I don’t ever really notice that it creates a bad or off taste. Just don’t put any avocado that’s turned brown in the middle in there.
You could use it to make “chocomole!” Lots of bloggers make it with tons of variations, but here’s a good one. http://www.choosingraw.com/rainy-day-chocomole/
A smushy avocado is PERFECT for guacamole! I also really enjoy a simple sandwich with smushed up avocado, some sort of lettuce (spinach or arugula are both excellent), sliced cheese and tomatoes. If you use mozarella cheese, it’s like a caprese salad + avocado on a sandwich– divine!
Mushy avocado will have some discolored areas that probably won’t taste very good; scoop those parts out and discard them. The rest should be fine, but it won’t last more than another day so you’d better eat it today!
I love avocado sliced in a salad, on a burger, or even just straight with some salt sprinkled on it! You can also make a mixed salad, with avocado chunks, corn, mozzarella cheese, and whatever dressing you like, and its delicious.
I doubt you have mango on hand, but on the offchance that you do, this is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/mango-and-avocado-salad-recipe/index.html
It can absolutely be used for a smoothie – I thought it would be very weird, but there is a thai place near me that sells avocado milkshakes and they are fantastic! Rich, creamy and sweet. They also sell watermelon milkshakes, and surprisingly, tomato milkshakes which are also really good.
Never, ever, ever, ever waste an avacado!!! A little bit mushy should be okay. I’d make guacamole with it. Avacado also makes a great salad garnish. Believe it or not, guacamole also makes a great relish for a chicken breast blackened or cooked in a little bit of oil with salt and pepper. You can also cut it up and toss in a little cilantro and salt for a yummy snack. Personally, I love to cut up an avacado and nibble on it while I make dinner. I have absolutely no self control when it comes to purchasing avacados. I rarely put them on my grocery list and they nearly always end up coming home with me.
A mushy avocado is way better than an underripe avocado for guacamole! Our favorite guac is based off of the Gaucamole Autentico from avocado.org http://www.avocado.org/recipes/view/21961/Guacamole-Aut-ntico . We also enjoy some guacamole with our quesadillas as a topping.
This probably won’t help your current avocado, but I’ve heard you can freeze them if they are mushed up. That’s what I did when I was afraid mine was going to hit the compost before I could use it. Avocados are too expensive around here to throw away or even compost!
Squish it with some olive oil to make a face mask! My daughter and I do this as a treat sometimes – she loves playing at beauty salons!!
I put it in sandwiches. Any sandwich.
I also put it in tortillas. Just open a can of beans, mash half with salt and pepper. with some scrambled eggs, salsa and cubes of avocado, you’re golden. Sigh. Only thing missing is cilantro. And maybe some cheese.
I also put it on top of salads. One of my favorite salads. . .I think it’s a modified chef salad. chopped turkey bacon, chopped lettuce, shredded carrots (just a bit), boiled egg, olives, and avocadoooooo!
black olives by the way
sorry for the second post
Avocados seem to be a challenge for me, too – I love them but no one else in my family will touch one! They often go on sale for $2.50 for a bag of 5, so I’m always looking for ways to use them all up. I love the ideas others have shared. Recently I discovered that a sliced up avocado is delicious tucked into a cheese omelet (I’ve used fairly mushy ones for this). It never occurred to me to use it in breads or muffins – I’m definitely going to try that out!
I just discovered this site: http://www.theamazingavocado.com/ which has some pretty interesting looking recipes – including an avocado cheesecake!!
Also, just wanted to let everyone know I’m running a giveaway on my blog that’s good until tomorrow (Sat) 9 PM Eastern. So if you pop over to check out my food waste post, make sure to enter the giveaway, too
As lib said, they can go bad. Cut it up and give it a smell because it can go rotten. Also, any dark spots should be removed because they will not taste good. Be sure to also check where the avo attached to the stem because this is a prime place for mold growth to start. I am lucky and in the south. During the summer, we can usually find avo’s for 2/$1 to 4/$1. I love them and usually eat them with a little garlic salt and lime juice.
I think it is great in a smoothie. I will mix it with fruit and really it doesn’t have any taste. Also I put slices on burgers and sandwiches or in wraps….like with turkey and veggies. My husband likes it plain, just chunked up with salt and pepper
Filipino Avocado Shake – http://spice-o-life.blogspot.com/2008/07/avocado-shake-ingredients-1-ripe.html
I totally thought this would be weird (I’m used to savory avocado stuff, like guacamole), but it’s delicious! Be forewarned – the amount of fat in the condensed milk and avocado act as a laxative, so don’t drink it all yourself!
If they are still firm, they aren’t ready to eat. I put avocado on sandwiches, tacos, burritos, salads or just as a side dish. Cut it open and as long as it isn’t brown, it is still good. I typically find it tastes best when it is more mushy than you would think is right.
Avocados are GREAT for smoothies! Throw one in with frozen berries, a banana and some milk. I’ve heard that it’s important to eat one avocado every day and this is the perfect way to do it.
I haven’t read the other comments, so someone may have already suggested this, but what about some kind of Mexican dip for your avocado? I love them in dips, and there are a lot of good recipes out there that use them.
You have inspired me to pay more attention to the food I let go to waste…I don’t typically pay much attention to food waste sadly – I’m single, and I find cooking for one, stocking a fridge for one without waste to be a big challenge. This is my inaugural Food Waste Friday! It’s not pretty…
This week, I wasted…
1. About 4 oz. strawberries that went moldy before I could finish them off…SAD.
2. About 1/2 a tupperware container of leftover veggies from a pasta salad
3. 1/2 can of chicken broth
4. 2 eggs
That’s my waste this week. Pretty ugly. BUT, I managed to save 5 roma tomatoes, 3 zucchinis, a tiny bit of fresh basil, some baby carrots, and 1/2 head of cauliflower by finding some recipes I can make this weekend before they go bad.
So thanks, Frugal Girl!
We are avocado fiends around here- as long as that thing has not turned you can use it in almost any kind of sandwich, it’s great with cheese so a cheese and avo sandwich or the omelette, or on top of any type of quesadilla, burrito, or taco. I haven’t tried the smoothie.
If the avocado is still good, it’s delicious sliced on toast with salt and pepper. That’s one of my favorite snacks- just had that yesterday.
I second what Mandy said! I love them in smoothies, they are really creamy!
I’ve only just caught up with your site, but I love avocados mashed into boiled rice. It’s delicious, quick and healthy.
Hello I am from Mexico and avocado is one of the better things we have in there..we use it in everything, salty or sweet. If its mushy just check it doesnt have dark spots or some roots that grow inside when its already a little old. If its still good use it for guacamole, smoothie, a trick to conserve avocado from turning black after open or in the guacamole is to add some green lime juice, or to keep the seed inside the mix.
If the avocado is too old to eat, then use it as a face or hair mask, its one of the most miracle beauty aids that we have.
Avocado have good fat that help the heart, and to clean cholesterol. Never again let another avocado without use!!
I use mushy avocados like butter – spread on french bread, sprinkle with salt – yum!!!
Make avocado chocolate pudding! (Yes, really…it’s good!) Mash up a very ripe avocado w/ about 2 tbsp cocoa powder, a splash of vanilla extract and a little agave nectar or other sweetener. You can whirl it in the food processor w/ a tsp or two of water, or mash by hand. Then serve it to your kids for dessert and they’ll never know. Even my uber-picky 4 yr old will eat this!
another say for smoothies! just throw it in with fruit, you can’t taste it and it makes the smoothie so creamy
As several have said, avocados are a match made in heaven with eggs! Tossed in at the last minute with scrambled, beside fried, in egg-salad sandwiches, etc. They are also fantastic on just about any sandwich you can name: burgers, turkey, tomato — just slice them up and put them on. Or how about on salads? One fantastic salad among many: leaf lettuce, fresh pineapple tidbits, green onion, avocado; top it all with toasted almonds. A creamy dressing is obligatory with this one. They’re good alongside beans of all kinds from just mounds of beans on the plate to bean soups. Or how about tortilla soup with avocado, cheese and a small spoon of sour cream in the bottom of the bowl before adding the soup and tortillas on top. Yum.
Just serve them, Kristen. There is no bad way to do it.
I used to buy frozen avacado with salsa from Scwhan’s but discovered I could do it myself for way less. Just cut them in half, remove the outer shell and pit, put in plastic baggie with enough salsa to fill the hole from the pit. Freeze. You can then use it later as guacamole whenever the urge strikes. Just thaw in frig overnight and it is ready to go. I love this stuff on salads.
you could moosh it further with some sour cream or a creamy dressing and turn it into diy green goddess dressing.
Whenever I have leftover avocados I love to mash them up with some salt & pepper and spread them over toast, delicious and certainly uses them up fast
i have been hooked on them recently. i just mash it ( take off any dark spots) add salsa. & coarse salt. DELISH! in a salad it makes it like the salad is from a restaurant. yum! yum! yum! LOVE “EM
Mash up with some icing sugar, chocolate and a little bit of lemon juice for a delicious chocolate buttercream frosting!
I’ve used them in chicken salad too in lieu of mayo.
What a super idea for a link party! I’m in the process of learning not to waste food. If I can remember to do so, I may just join you next time.
Sorry can’t help with the avocado. Not a fan of them so I don’t waste money on buying them.
Only food waste this week was the very last of the green and yellow bell peppers I had.
I used as much up of them as I could before but with growing tired of peppers it was hard.
blender up the avocado with some chicken broth (a cup maybe? – more if its too thick) and lime or lemon juice, add a little cumin (to taste) and maybe some salt and pepper. A wonderful cold summer soup. top with a few croutons (from your stale bread!) and for real decadence a little crabmeat or chopped shrimp.
What a great idea! I’ll have to check back on Friday.
I too adore Avocados and make the mistake of buying more than I can use up before they turn mushy and brown :[ but luckily there still is a use for the overripe fruit . . .
they grow into spectacular houseplants. I have been doing this for over 25 years and currently have 6 sprouting or beginning to sprout seeds in recycled yogurt containers.
Here are directions from the California Avocado Commission: http://www.avocado.org/grow-your-own-tree
and directions with a video: http://www.wikihow.com/Plant-an-Avocado-Tree
It’s perfect for avocado smoothie or fruit shake. This is great if you’re from some tropical countries like me