Have you ever bought that HUGE bag of carrots from Cost-Co or Sam’s Club, arrived home and suddenly be come overwhelmed with what to actually DO with all those carrots? That sinking feeling of doubt sets in telling you that even though you got such an awesome deal on organic carrots it might not have been such a great deal because you probably won’t use them all before half the bag goes bad. Well, here are some great ideas that might overcome the notion that it would take a village to finish all those carrots! These are the six ideas I put to use with my most recent monster bag of carrots I purchased. I saved the best for last so if you make it to that final and delicious option I’d love to hear what you think!

 

1. Carrot sticks: Healthy snacks are so important. It is time consuming to chop carrot sticks for snacks if you cut them up separately each time you need them. When I do a bunch of them (skinned and tiny for my preschooler too) then they are done and ready for afternoon snacks and they keep for a long time when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. My preschooler likes to dip the raw carrots in sunflower butter and raisins.
2. Baby carrot sticks: I also steam carrot sticks for my one-year-old because she loves to dip her carrots along with her sister, but carrots right out of the bag are a bit difficult for her to bite into. I skin and cut the carrot sticks, place them in my steamer and turn up the heat for twenty minutes. They end up being soft enough for her to bite but still crisp enough to dip in nut butter.
3. Salad topping: I find salads are much easier to eat regularly when the “toppings” are already set to go. I shredded a whole bunch of carrots in the VitaMix and have it all set to top salads for the rest of the week.

 

4. Morning Glory Muffins: I also use shredded carrots for two batches of one of our favorite muffin recipes.
   
5. Soup stock: I save all the ends from the carrots that I would otherwise toss in the garbage for soup stock. It was one of Alysa’s great money-saving ideas she shared!
6. Carrot Fries: With the last bunch of carrots I created a new side dish that went over well with the whole family. I skinned and chopped the carrots into small sticks, tossed them in olive oil, garlic powder, and a little sea salt. I cooked them at 350 for about 45 minutes. I served them with a great dinner of “breaded” zucchini, grilled chicken, and sautéed mushrooms (the last two prepared by my hubby).

 

 

Do you have any other great ideas for carrots?

 

Don’t forget to wash your carrots before you start cooking!