5 Tips To Use Up Milk and Bananas Before Vacation

These tips were also featured in a live TV segment on ABC Action News in Tampa. Scroll to the bottom of this post to watch the video.

I know you shouldn’t cry over spilled milk.

But actually, I think you toooootally should. Because you are wasting food. And that is straight wrong in my book!

Many of us are headed out-of-town in some way this summer, or maybe your house is like ours and you just bought a gallon of milk to come home and find that the hubby did the same.

5 Tips For How to Use Up Milk & Bananas Before You Go on Vacation

1. Freeze them. So easy it’s stupid. Seriously, admit it. I know you didn’t think of that, or you wouldn’t have clicked on this post. For milk, just make sure you’ve poured enough out of the carton and you can totally freeze it to use when you come back home. For bananas, take them out of the peel, slice them and put them into individual freezer baggies. I like to do 1 banana per sandwich bag in the freezer, so it’s ready-to-go for a Stay Sexy Summer green smoothie, or one of my other fave green smoothies. So basically, that means you’re making life easier for yourself when you get home with 7 loads of laundry, a dirty house and kids who haven’t bathed in 4 days. You’re welcome.

2. Make homemade ricotta cheese. This is super easy and uses a whole gallon of milk. All you need is vinegar (or lemon juice) and salt. And it is delicious! I used this recipe, and it was a hit. (I didn’t even have citric acid, a thermometer or cheesecloth, and it was tooootally fine.) I added the ricotta to my favorite 4th of July party dish, and then added the rest to some lasagna which I froze before we left for our trip. Delicious, real food. And again, something in the freezer for when you get home. (*She pats herself on the back.*)

3. Make 3-ingredient clean-eating energy bites. This is one of my favorite recipes, and it’s a great way to use up your bananas, as well as eggs and applesauce so they don’t spoil while you’re gone. Make these up, then bring them on your trip for a healthy snack, or freeze them to eat later. (Just take them out of the freezer, put on a plate and microwave for about 45 seconds.) I legit get asked for this recipe every time I make it.

4. Make pancakes! You love them, the kids loooooove them… Hollaaaaaaaaa! This pancake recipe uses up a lot of milk, so when I’m in a bind to get rid of milk, I’ll double or triple it, make up a bunch of pancakes and then put them in a huge resealable freezer bag. Then, when both kids are up at 6:17am and screaming for food, I’m Mom of the Year. Done. (If you have lots of ripe bananas, you can mash those up and add ’em in too.)

5. Make chia pudding. This is the most awesome, healthy alternative to yogurt. Just follow my recipe, and it’s super simple. All you need is a bunch of milk (any kind will do: almond, coconut and regular dairy milk), some chia seeds and a sweetener. And, don’t be afraid of the chia seeds! They are in regular grocery stores now, not just the natural foods stores.