Bananas are like candy in our house. Well, maybe not quite, but they usually go quickly. I've started buying bigger bunches to keep up with demand, but I'm a banana snob and if a banana passes through that brief 1-day window of not-too-green-but-no-brown-splotches, I'm looking for other ways to use up the rejects.
1) Frozen Banana Slices
Slice the banana into 1/2 inch rounds and then freeze on waxed paper. Freezing the bananas disguises the mush and can be eaten straight from the freezer as a snack.
2) Banana Pops
This is the frozen banana slice's more glamorous older sister. Cut a banana in half and insert a popsicle stick into each half. Freeze overnight (or at least a few hours). Melt 1/4 cup chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave, checking at 30 second intervals. Roll the frozen banana in the melted chocolate and sprinkle with toppings if desired, working quickly before the chocolate hardens.
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| Gavin's s'mores banana pop with mini marshallows and graham cracker crumbs |
3) Waffles
We like this recipe because it is easy to whip up on weekday mornings before school. Be sure to grease the waffle iron generously because they tend to stick. They are delicious eaten with butter and real maple syrup!
4) Smoothies
If you plan ahead, you can freeze the bananas first, room temperature bananas work, too. These are some of our favorite varieties of smoothie:
- banana oatmeal smoothie (1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup yogurt, and 1/4 cup oats, blended well)
- green smoothie
- banana drinks
- sugar-free orange-banana smoothie
5) Banana Oatmeal
Make a pot of oatmeal and stir in 1-2 mashed bananas before serving. You can eat it as-is or spice it up with pecans and chocolate chips.
6) Muffins
You can use whatever recipe you use for banana bread but divided it into muffins cups instead...or you can use this delectable recipe for banana crumb muffins!
What do you do with leftover bananas?
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We go through A LOT of bananas in our home. I buy at least 40 bananas every week to use in green smoothies and to snack on. All of our bananas go straight into the fridge. The skins turn brown but the banana on the inside stays firm much longer, of course, that isn't as important when they're going into smoothies anyway.
ReplyDeleteSometime I refrigerate bananas, but I've not noticed a difference in how long they last. Maybe I'll try again and pay better attention!
DeleteI don't like bananas much but some of these ideas sound quite yummy!
ReplyDeleteWe don't eat many bananas here. Hubby isn't a fan and I have a mild allergy to them. But boy do those waffles look good!
ReplyDeleteKristin, have you tried the frozen banana "ice cream?" I cut them in chunks, freeze them, and then whir the frozen chunks in the blender with some cocoa, a little milk, and sometimes some peanut butter. You gave to coak them along in the blender (hence, the milk) but it's pretty yummy!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the one-day-window of banana ripeness... No brown spots for me!
:-D
Kim :-)
I've heard of it, but I've never tried to make it. I need to change that!
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