As I spend my college life post-veganism, I’ve found one habit that has yet to die hard: lifting produce. When you’re vegan, free fruit in the dining hall is a god-send, and taking a couple for the road is a habit vegans and non-vegans alike are guilty of.
Perhaps you’re a long time produce kleptomaniac, or maybe you’re just trying to make the most out of your meal plan. Either way, here are some useful recipes for how to use up all the extra fruit that’s been crowding your counters. One banana per person be damned.
1. Baked Apples
Give this easy and healthy hack a whirl. All you need is an apple, a microwave, and a few miscellaneous ingredients to make a delicious breakfast or quick snack. It’s an excellent way to spruce (or spice) up apples, and helps you get in that apple a day in when things get boring.
2. Fruit Salad
An oldie, but a goodie. Try a dorm spin-off on a classic or one with a boozy twist. The Wiggles got it right, fruit salad is yummy (yummy). Simple, easy, delicious. And a great way to quickly use up produce when their ripeness turns south.
3. Apples and CYO Butter
Apples and peanut butter are a long time snack stable. But why limit yourself to only peanut butter? Nutella, almond butter, chocolate spread—the options are endless. Get some ideas here.
4. Banana Pancakes
If you’re feeling fancy, try this mug pancake recipe. It comes in handy when you have some extra time in the morning to #treatyoself. The cakey banana-y pancake goes perfectly with a handful of fresh fruit, or add it right into the batter.
5. Oatmeal
Vamp up your usual oatmeal recipe or try this recipe for overnight oats that uses an almost-empty peanut butter jar. Throwing fruit into your regular oatmeal recipe is an easy way to use up produce quickly, and a great way to add variety in your oatmeal game.
6. Boozy Berries
If you were lucky enough to snag some berries, try this recipe for a boozy treat. Getting tipsy + getting in your daily serving of fruit + finally using up all your berries before they go bad = success.
8. Fruit Salsa
This recipe is SO. GOOD. And, it’s SO EASY. If you’re over eating a whole meal’s worth of calories in one snack, this fruit hack is an excellent alternative to desserts that leave you feeling guiltier. Fresh, sweet, and fun. What’s not to love? That’s right, nothing.
If the savory route is more your thing, try this sweet and spicy salsa with apples as the main star.
9. #Trendy Water
Even if drinking out of mason jars isn’t your #thing, give this simple hack a go to help you get in your eight glasses a day. Let’s be honest, water can be (is) boring. Chucking some fruit in a water bottle is easy as heck. So why not hop on the fruit water trend?
Here are seven fruits and veggies you should be adding to your H2O.
10. Krazy Kabobs
This sweet and saucy snack is definitely not your average kabob. But it is still a total drool-worthy one nonetheless. If you’re in the mood for something a little fancier, try these strawberry shortcake kabobs.
No matter what you do with your fruit, what matters is that you successfully stole them, and that’s what counts! Now you’re fully equipped to enhance your go-to fruity foods. And, you even have a few new recipes to turn to when things get monotonous. Use these ideas to rev up your fruit game. Life’s too short for boring (stolen) produce.