Simply Sylvia : F.A.V.E- Fruits and Vegetables Evansville

Hello Everyone!

It's great to be blogging again. I have certainly missed it! I have been incredibly busy the past three weeks and have not been posting like I should. Today I wanted to share the new community project I have the opportunity to part-take in. I have the unique opportunity to work alongside the University of Southern Indiana, St. Mary's Hospital, Deaconess Hospital, and the Welborn Baptist Foundation to improve the accessibility, quality, and selection of fruits and vegetables for the city of Evansville. We arrive on campus every Friday at 8 am to unload our produce from the delivery trucks. We then head over to the food lab where we wash, weigh, and bag the produce. From there, we travel to three different community sites and sell the produce for the whole-sale cost it was purchased at. We had a wonderful turnout and even had people waiting in line to buy our food! Not only were we selling fruits and vegetables, but we also provided a nutrition education segment! This week, Brittany Smith, a dietetic student, demonstrated how to make caramelized bananas and banana muffins! The demonstration was a hit and people were thrilled to taste samples. It is a remarkable feeling to know we are able to make a difference in the community.

Kayla and I setting up the produce bins.

Check out our fresh fruits and vegetables!

Chelsea modeling our personalized apron and baskets!

The girls are eager to start work!

Brittany performing her nutrition education segment.

Caramelized Bananas. YUM YUM

Recipes! Courtesy of Brittany Smith

Banana Crumb Muffins

1.5 Cup Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

3 Large Bananas, Mashed

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Egg Lightly Beaten

1/3 Cup Butter

Topping

1/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1 T Flour

1/8 tsp. Cinnamon

1 T Cold Butter

Directions:

Combine bananas, sugar, egg, butter. Mixed well. Stir in dry ingredients until moistened. Grease Muffin pan. Fill pan 3/4 full. Combine first 3 topping ingredients. Cut up butter and add to mix until crumbly. Spread over muffin. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

Caramelized Honey Bananas

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, or substitute preferred cooking oil such as grapeseed oil or canola oil

2 Tbsp Honey

½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Using a sharp knife, start by cutting the bananas into ½ inch thick slices. Preheat your skillet to medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp unsalted butter or preferred cooking oil to the pan. Add in 2 Tbsp honey and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Let ingredients dissolve. Once melted and combined take banana slices and lay them flat in your pan. Once they are in, let them cook for 4-5 minutes until it starts to brown and caramelize on the bottom. Flip to the other side and let them cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Once they are brown and caramelized all over you can remove them from the heat and serve!

Great to eat as a snack or to use as an ingredient or topping!