by Rachel Paxton

Running out of ideas of what to do with your leftover summerfruit? While cleaning out my refrigerator today I came across a bowl of cut-up fruit (watermelon, canteloupe, honeydew melon, strawberries) that was left over from a family summer barbecue from several days ago. We'd had more of the fruit salad yesterday, and today the fruit was pretty soft and not as appetizing as it was when I first cut it up.

While looking over some other recipes I got the idea to make a fruit smoothee, just to see what it would taste like. I wasn't sure how the melons would taste all blended up. I put about a cup and a half of the fruit in the blender along with about a half a cup of rice milk, an aging banana, and a couple of tablespoons of honey, and the results (about 12 oz.) were really good! It tasted mostly like banana and strawberries. I have a refrigerator full of fruit that needs to be used soon, and now I have a great way to use it up.

Substitutions: You could use whatever kind of fruit you have on hand. Don't be afraid to experiment with different fruit combinations. You can also use regular milk or soy milk in place of the rice milk. You can leave the sweetener out or use an alternative sweetener in the place of the honey.

Copyright 2002.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of the Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club Cookbook, a cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, and frugal family fun, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.