Monday, July 29, 2013

Guilt-Free Summertime

When the summer heat gets intense (and in Florida, when is it ever not intense?), I find myself craving something cold. And something sweet -- but that's not really limited to summer! However, I don't want to indulge in refined sugars too often.

Banana ice cream to the rescue! It has the consistency of soft serve, it's sweet and creamy, and it has only two ingredients -- neither of which are sugar. Yes, I realize that bananas are sugary fruits, but I really don't mind that.

I've been raving about it to friends and family, but they've all seemed unimpressed -- until they try it! Little Man asks for it frequently, and I love having a nutritious "treat" to serve him. Even Rosa has seemed pleased with the little nibbles she's gotten (when I'm feeling generous enough to share with her!). 


Fresh banana ice cream topped with cream and sprinkles --


You can find various versions of this on the web, but here's how I do it:

Ingredients:
  • Bananas
  • Milk

Insructions:
  1. Cut a ripe banana into slices and lay on a baking sheet (I line mine with wax paper for easy cleanup).
  2. Pop into the freezer for a few hours -- they store well for several weeks, so there's no need to use them right away (though I'd recommend transferring them to a closed container if you plan to store them)
  3. Place banana "coins" into a food processor (or blender) and add a dash of milk -- we use whole raw milk, but any milk should do. You might even be able to use water if you need it to be dairy free, but I'm not sure what that would do to the consistency and taste.
  4. Pulse your food processor until the banana starts to break up. Add more milk as needed until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Adding too much milk will make it soupy, though, so be conservative!
  5. Serve with desired toppings. I usually add just a dash of Reddi Whip and a few jimmies (yes, I realize that both of those contain sugar! *wink*), but I've also tried chocolate chips, pecans, shredded coconut -- the sky's the limit!

Notes:
  • The texture is quite thick, so I use my food processor -- I've done it in a blender, but it involved lots of stopping to smash banana chunks down into the blade area.  
  • You could combine other fruits with the banana if you want to add other flavors -- strawberries and raspberries are both good candidates, but I wouldn't recommend watery fruits like watermelon or citrus.

6 comments:

  1. So scrumptious looking! I've been wanting to try this...thank you for the tip about the blender. :) And yes, fantastic that it's a nice "healthy" summer treat to serve family and friends!

    ~Rachel~

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    1. I hope you enjoy it! I was skeptical at first, but the combination of healthy, easy, and no-ice-cream-maker-required prompted me to try it.

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  2. We've been indulging in this, too, Shannon. So tasty! And we love a little peanut butter in there for a non-fruity treat.

    Hmm... Now I might have to go make myself some. ;-)

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    Replies
    1. Ooh, peanut butter! That sounds like a great add-in! I'll be keeping that one in mind...

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  3. Sounds delicious! I will have to make that soon. It is always great to find an idea that is both tasty and healthy. Thank you for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. My pleasure, and I hope you enjoy! And congratulations on your recent wedding -- may you and your husband have a long and blessed marriage!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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