An "Appeeling" Way to Boost Nutrition

I love texture in my cooking and enjoy experimenting with different techniques. On a whim, I tried adding a browning banana, peel and all, to my smoothie and I was surprised to find how smooth and frothy it became! And there was no trace of grittiness. I thought, I’m onto something! Plus there’s over 30% more nutrients in the peel than in the fruit alone so double bonus. It saves time when you don’t have to peel all your fruit and veggies first. Even if you have to cut or peel, there are still lots of uses for them.

The impact on the environment is extraordinary. Over 1 billion pounds of banana peels alone end up in landfills every year – in the US alone. When any organic matter starts to break down, it creates methane gas, which contributes to greenhouse emissions. We can do our part to preventing that waste from ever getting into a landfill.

Save the Peels is an initiative – we call it the ‘Sustainapeelity Movement’ – we created to encourage people to take action to reduce food waste by starting in their own kitchens in an effort to keep over 20 million pounds of organic waste out of landfills. You might be surprised to know food waste is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. We’ve created a great, free guide in order to give people handy household and culinary uses for how to incorporate the peels into your every day.

When I created our eatCleaner® line of products, I had the sustainability message top of mind because our products are all about eating clean and living green. Because eatCleaner® helps encourage a plant-centric approach to eating, and helps your produce last up to 5 times longer, I knew this would be a helpful way for people to adopt a small habit to make collective change happen. The guide include 8 yummy recipes, too. My favorite is the protein chocolate chip walnut banana bread!

You can download the free handbook HERE and WATCH how I use the whole banana – peel and all – in my smoothies!