Fruit Tray Smoothie … Great Way to Repurpose Your Party Fruit Platter
Have you ever turned leftovers from a fruit tray into a delightful smoothie? A Fruit Tray Smoothie. Hmmm, that name really doesn’t have much emotional appeal, but it is descriptive. You can call this fruit smoothie whatever you like to get yourself or your whole crew excited. Six-Fruit Smoothie. Seven-Fruit Smoothie. (Whatever is appropriate.) Every-Fruit-Under-Our-Roof Smoothie. Recycled Party Platter Fruit Smoothie. Let someone else in your house name it, but you’ll want to sample some, because it’s, again, delightful.
A little back story. Whenever I host parties at our house (with our biennial Valentine’s Day party being the most recent), there are always friends who contact me a day or two before the party (or even the day of the party), and ask what they can bring. I’ve learned that this occurrence will always happen. Now while some of these folks might be hoping I’ll say, “Well, not a thing, dear. Just bring yourself!” … uh, I rarely do that. Most of these friends do want to actually contribute, but they don’t want to make anything and I want the food served to be gluten free. Well, on the latter, I make an exception for Mr. GFE’s need for a deli platter with gluten-full rolls. I’m not judging or being sexist here, but this need for sandwich fixin’s largely seems to be a man thing. The men in attendance flock to that somewhat sequestered end of the table bypassing all kinds of other great food. The food is sequestered on purpose, of course (and I hate that I just used that word, but it’s applicable here although it’s not the same use as the other sequestering in the news). Hey, those sandwich fixin’s fill them up and they’re happy. Sometimes that’s all a girl really wants when she’s hosting. (Well, as long as the gluten stays away from the rest of the food, and it does.)
But back to the genuine “What Can I Bring?” question. Over the years, I’ve learned to have a few suggestions in my pocket … like fruit tray, veggie tray, wine, any specific liquor/liqueur that would make a nice addition to the bar, and so forth. Supplying a quick answer on a ready-made contribution works great. My friends get to help out and I feel comfortable with what they bring. Because as you probably already know, one really doesn’t want to get into a long dissertation on gluten-free food items, where you can find them, preparing food safely in a gluten-full kitchen, etc. Those conversations can be pretty frustrating on both sides and one usually still doesn’t feel safe eating such items brought. Fruit trays and veggie trays are pretty safe bets. (Note: Of course, verify that any accompanying dips are gluten free as well.)
The consumption of fruit and veggie—or lack thereof—from these ready-made trays can be a bit surprising though. Sometimes their contents disappear very quickly and other years the fruit and veggies will remain largely uneaten. I suppose it all depends on the appeal of the other offerings, how many attendees are dieting at the time, how warm or cold the outside temps are, etc. This year there was quite a bit of the fruit platter left and we were in the middle of a few very cold days. So when the party ended, I placed the remains of the fruit platter and all the other leftovers in our “porch refrigerator.” Two days after the party, I made this Fruit Tray Smoothie. It was a wonderful way to start my day and because it made a whole full Vitamix “pitcher’s worth,” I enjoyed the other half the next day. The next time you have a fruit tray left over, purchased or homemade, or just have a bounty of fruit on hand, use this recipe as inspiration to make your own version. Enjoy!
Fruit Tray Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup watermelon chunks
- ½ cup seedless grapes (ensure stems are removed)
- 1 cup honeydew melon chunks
- ½ cup cantaloupe chunks
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 1 cup coconut milk (use more if needed for proper consistency, I used full-fat canned coconut milk like this one)
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- 2 ripe bananas (I pulled my bananas out of the freezer)
Instructions
- Blend all in Vitamix or other blender for a minute or so until desired consistency. Serve.
Notes
Add ice cubes if needed. All my ingredients were already very cold or frozen, so my smoothie was fine without ice cubes.
Delightful Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Fruit Platter Smoothie to Start Your Day
Alyssa says
Looks tasty! Great idea!
Shirley says
Thanks, Alyssa! This smoothie was very tasty indeed! 🙂
Shirley
InTolerant Chef says
Now that’s a great idea- so much better than letting the fruit go limp and soggy and wasting it!
Shirley says
InTolerant Chef–Yes, I hate it when that happens and it has definitely happened to me in the past. No more! 😉
Thanks,
Shirley
Ina Gawne says
Shirley – yummm, any fruit smoothie has my name on it! This one sounds delicious and what a great way to use up extra fruit!
Shirley says
Ina–Fruit smoothies are pretty irrestible, aren’t they? I opt for green smoothies most of the time, but this was a special treat and it solved a “problem,” too. 🙂
Shirley
Kendra Thornton says
Hi Shirley,
I have a quick question about your blog. Could you please email me when you have a chance? Thanks so much 🙂
Shirley says
Kendra–Feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. 🙂
Shirley
amber says
Hi Shirley,
That smoothie looks lovely! Look at all those great flavors in there. What a great idea using leftovers to make a smoothie! I do noticed there is always a few handfuls of this and that after a party. 🙂
Hope you’re having a great Thursday so far. 🙂
Shirley says
Thanks, Amber! This is my kind of smoothie anyway … a little of “this and that” as you say. 😉 This time I mostly focused on what was in that fruit tray though as there was plenty left. 🙂
Happy Weekend! xo,
Shirley
Sarah || Celiac in the City says
These are my favorite kind of smoothies — “empty out the freezer” style! In the warm months, when things ripen too fast for me and my over-buying self, I start a tupperware container of fruit and keep adding to it. Then when it’s smoothie time, I’ve collected all kinds of goodies to toss in there. (Oh, a Vitamix… someday!!) Great idea to have some go-to ideas for guests and save on sending them a five page email on “safe” foods!
Have a great weekend, Shirley!
Shirley says
Sarah–You are so very smart! Love that idea. I do that for ingredients for soups and chili, but have not done it for smoothies. I will from now on!! 🙂
Yes, I finally learned to not put some things on my “to do” list so that I could offer them up to friends as options. It’s worked wonderfully well!
Hope you’re having a great weekend, too, dear!
Shirley
Angela says
Great ideas for when you get the question on what to bring! Love it! I lean toward having people bring fruit trays, veggie patters and fixings for salads, also. Sparkling juices for the kids (my kids go crazy over whoever brings those-LOL) and a nut mix (everyone here can eat nuts- whew!) or olives/pickles are also on my list. We always have roasted asparagus at Easter, so I can have someone bring a bunch fresh and we can roast it here right before the meal as it is so quick and easy to prepare.
The smoothie idea is brilliant! I am keeping that in mind for our leftovers. 🙂 Thanks, Shirley!
Shirley says
Thanks, Angela! Those are great suggestions, too, especially just letting someone bring fresh veggies that can then be immediately prepared. That would work great for small dinner parties and family gatherings. One thing I didn’t mention in my post is that I also give party attendees options that the function can go on without. In other words, if the attendee doesn’t make the party, the party can still go on without skipping a beat. I learned that lesson the hard way when folks got ill or just decided not to show. 😉 Oh, and I love the sparkling juice idea (I often tell “newbie” support group members to bring beverages). That is a great way to have them go crazy over the bearer. Could come in handy at times!
Somehow we can only eat so much fresh fruit when it’s sitting out and we’re eating it piece by piece, but when it’s in a smoothie, it goes quickly! Would have also made great ice cream/sherbet. 🙂
Shirley
Heather @Gluten-Free Cat says
Your smoothie sounds like most of my juices. What needs to be used up in the fridge? Juice it! Some of my best creations have been those happy accidents.
I still haven’t used full fat coconut milk in a smoothie. It sounds so rich and divine. (I love that top picture, by the way.) Thanks for linking up to Raw Foods Thursdays!
xoxo,
Heather
Shirley says
Wow, Heather, I can’t believe that you haven’t used full-fat coconut milk in a smoothie! It doesn’t take much to make the smoothie taste heavenly. 😉 And, yes, I love those happy, heavenly accidents. 🙂 My pleasure to link up, of course. Thank you so much regarding the photo!
xoxo,
Shirley
D Marie says
Do I have to use coconut milk?
My fruit tray leftovers are a few pieces of watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, red grapes and pineapple
Shirley Braden says
D Marie–You can use any milk you like. I personally love coconut milk in smoothies for its thickness and flavor but any milk will work. If you’re using a “thinner” milk, you may need to add more ice for thickness. Enjoy!!
Shirley