This is my newest obsession.
Banana smoothies.
Frozen bananas, blended, taste basically like ice cream. But they’re bananas. Which means I feel like I’m eating ice cream for breakfast. Which makes me happy.
This has made me go a little crazy on the banana-buying lately, hoping they’ll start looking like this before we eat them all:
I just peel them, break them in two, and freeze flat so they don’t stick together.
For a smoothie for me, I put one banana (two of those pieces), a few frozen blueberries or 3 strawberries or a spoonful of peanut butter, and blend it in my food processor. I also add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk. I have done it with water when I was out of milk, so it could be dairy free.
Here’s an affiliate link to another Kitchenaid food processor that’s newer than my 15 year old one.
I’m not the first to post about the wonders of blending frozen bananas, but I couldn’t help sharing my joy.
Andrea from The Greenbacks Gal adds oatmeal to hers.
Connie from Smockity Frocks adds chocolate to hers and serves it like ice cream.
And my very favorite new way is to eat mine in a bowl topped with homemade granola (which is SO incredibly easy to make) from Amy at The Finer Things in Life.
--Nony
Question: I hate the taste of bananas. Do these still have a huge banana-y flavor? If so, any thoughts on how to disguise it? Otherwise this is a great idea!
Hmmm. They do taste banana-ey. I have another smoothie recipe that uses yogurt for the creaminess. http://www.aslobcomesclean.com/2010/03/re-creating-those-frozen-smoothie-mixes/
I’ll have to try that one. I vaguely remember reading it… 🙂
While I haven’t frozen my bananas first (gotta try that!), I do make mine with heaping spoonful of orange juice concentrate, 5-6 frozen strawberries, and about a cup of cold water. The orange juice hides a lot of the banana flavor. And in case you’re wondering, I do the frozen concentrate because I think it helps keep the smoothie colder than just orange juice. With the frozen bananas, I wouldn’t really have to worry about that anymore. 😀
Great idea Kristy! I’ll have to try that one too. I like to buy the frozen bagged fruit mix at the store with peaches, mangos, and strawberries. I usually put in about 10 oz of orange juice, 1/4 c vanilla icecream (the 1/2 sugar, 1/2 fat variety) with about 1/2 c of fruit. If its too thick, I add a little more OJ. I just really hate bananas. I only eat them when I’m having mucles spasms or cramps…
I like adding chocolate protein powder (I use pea protein) and sometimes peanut butter too. So good! Also, I like using almond milk instead of cow milk.
Thanks for the link! We LOVE banana smoothies/ice cream here. I try to stock up on all of the “reduced” bananas at the store. Peeling and laying them out to freeze is a great kid chore. 🙂
Do you put anything on your bananas? Mine got kind of brown after a few days in the freezer.
Sometimes they do get brown but when they’re in the smoothies I don’t notice at all. And I don’t eat fresh bananas with ANY brown whatsoever.
A great healthy meal for breakfast. I might try this and just freeze the fruit separately by what I’ll use daily. Thanks for the idea.