Saving "bad" apples

It's always disappointing when you've spent your hard earned money on some nice healthy apples, only to find out that they are mealy or don't have a very good flavor or something else that doesn't make them so desireable for snacking even though they aren't "bad." And heaven forbid you spent the extra money for organic apples and you find them to be less-than-tasty.

When this happens to me, I can't bear wasting them, but I can't stomach eating them all up either. I cut the apples and core them, then I "chop" them in the food processor. (I generally leave the skin on.) I then take my choppy appley stuff and put into ice cube trays then put it in the freezer. Once they are frozen, I pop out the apple cubes, put them in a resealable bag and then back into the freezer.

My favorite way to use the frozen apple is to throw a cube or two into my morning oatmeal pot to make a delicious apple cinamon raisin oatmeal. They could also be used in other recipes like pancakes, muffins, breads or smoothies. I consider this a win-win situation since the apples are not going to waste, I am still profiting from their nutritional benefits and they adding delicious apple flavor to a recipe where they weren't so good all on their own.

For more insights into best practices for families, check out the weekly Works-For-Me Wednesday post at Rocks in my Dryer.