got bananas?

If you’re like me, you wonder what to do with bananas past their prime. I am a big fan of bananas…but only for a short window…not too green, not too brown. I like them slightly firm, just a hint of green without any spots. A few spots starts the questionable period for me. So what to do?

Sure, you can make banana bread, but a girl can only eat so many loaves of banana bread or banana muffins.

Then I came across this post at Badass Fitness. And I was intrigued.

Then I tried it. And I was hooked.

Soft Serve Banana ice cream. Yep, it rocks. Not the hugest fan of pure banana flavor? Just you wait and see what I add…it becomes like chocolate soft serve…oh yah!

You can click on the link to read her recipe…or here is mine, adapted from hers.

1. Get out the food processor. I haven’t tried the blender for this…but I’m not sure it would work since you aren’t really making a smoothie but something with thicker consistency.

2. Grab a frozen banana. She talks about freezing them in little slices. I freeze mine in halves. Bananas never really freeze totally solid, so I just chop them in slices before tossing them in the food processor. (Just helps the initial processing go a bit smoother, but it works just throwing in the frozen bananas and pushing start, too.)

3. Seal it up and turn it on. You could literally walk away from the processor for at least 5 minutes…the longer the better. Whipping the air in is what gives it the ice cream texture.

4. I stop it every so often to scrape down the sides and add stuff in. My favorite add ins are: a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder, a splash of milk, a splash of vanilla and a tablespoon or two of almond butter. Yum. I tried chocolate protein powder last night and it was good too…and added protein in it, but I’m going to have to experiment with it since it wasn’t as chocolatey as the cocoa powder.

5. The longer you let it go, the creamier, softier ‘ice cream’ you get. :)

6. Pour it (well, I usually have to use a spatula to help it) into a small cup and enjoy.

Because you are adding the air and whipping it up, one banana is a good serving…but when I’m feeling extra sassy or have a real bad sweet tooth, I do 1 1/2 bananas. Yum.

It’s a fun way to carbo load for a long run, too.

The Badass Foodie doesn’t suggest freezing it as it will collapse and not hold…but a commenter mentioned adding egg white powder to stabilize it. I don’t see a reason to freeze any…I enjoy eating it right away…but still good to know.

The Nutrition of 1 medium banana
Total Fat:  0 g
Cholesterol : 0 g
Calories: 108
Potassium: 400 mg
Dietary Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 1 g (2% of daily recommended value)

(::source)

Looks to me like quite a guilt free ‘ice cream’ treat. I’ll be making it again tonight, I’m sure. I’ll probably have to back off since I could see myself overdosing on them!

Kristen