Saturday, February 7, 2009

Surplus Bananas

And what to do with them.

I hit the grocery store a few times a week. I always pick up bananas, so sometimes we end up with surplus. Or everyone wants the pretty yellow ones and not the homely mottled ones.

So here is my "What to do with Surplus Bananas" post. I invite you to add your own ideas too - links are always appreciated if it involves a recipe.


Banana Pops

You Need:
~ Bananas
~ Orange Juice or other fruit juice. Pineapple juice from the pineapple tin works great.

How-To: Blend it and freeze it into pops.

Serve: While the kids are IN the bath. Use them as a treat for sitting still while you shampoo and there's no mess involved.

Banana Flowers

You need:
~ Bananas
~ Sprinkles

How-To: Cut bananas in 1/2" - 3/4" chunks and arrange as shown. Put the ends of the banana in the center of the flower.

Serve: As Dessert. I always play it up and the kids beg for them. Great way to get rid of slightly bruised fruit - the sprinkles disguise any banana blemishes.



Frozen Bananas

You need:
~ Bananas
~ Sharp knife, baking sheet or small tray, and wax paper

How To: Cut in 1/4" rounds - any thicker and it's too cold to eat. Optional - add sprinkles before freezing. Freeze your tray for a few hours and then pop them all into a sealed container.

Serve: In small Quantities - melted bananas are not so yummy. Try serving them with frozen grapes - another favorite here.

4 comments:

  1. Good ideas! I peel them and freeze them. Then I'll use them to make smoothies. I just add some yogurt, a little milk, and some frozen strawberries/blueberries/raspberries/whatever. The kids love them.

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  2. I like banana chips. Same prep as the frozen bananas, but baked at 250 for a few minutes until lightly browned and crispy.

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  3. I had more, but we had a little ER-worthy emergency today, so they can wait for another day.

    How long do the chips keep, Adie - a few days in a sealed container or eat immediately?

    The other obvious suggestion is to make baby food out of it, but Babybeast is having none of that - she wants absolutely no purees at all, only real food. In fact, the frozen pureed bananas I made for her around 7mos old, she completely refused so I fed the plop-style patties to the boys, still frozen. They were quite a hit.

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  4. I wish I knew how long they would keep... my DH usually finishes the batch in one sitting! If I had to guess though I'd say don't keep them around much longer than a couple of weeks in a sealed container.

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