banana | My Foodie Call

Tag: banana
- 3 C’s Smoothie- (chocolate, chia, and coffee)
  
  Posted at 9:12 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Feb 5th
  
  My go-to midmorning pick me up has been none other than this 3 C’s smoothie.
  
  The three C’s being: Chocolate, Chia, and Coffee. In smoothie form. Go me.
  
  For breakfast? For snack?? your call. This is my midmorning, post oatmeal, snack.
  
  Back to my drink. In typical My Foodie Call fashion, I had to amp up the health a tad by adding banana, and of course chia seeds. Seeds of energy. One of my top ten staples. This recipe also has this fantastic cold brew concentrate from Trader Joes that I discovered last summer. So, so good I was afraid that it was strictly a summer thing and would have to stockpile dozens of bottles in my garage but after speaking with management, it was confirmed it was here to stay. No hoarding necessary.
  
  For sure one of my favorite Trader Joes products. When using it for ice coffee, you mix it 2 parts water to 1 part coffee concentrate.
  
  And yes I realize that it is in fact, still winter and most people are craving warm, comforting drinks like chai’s and lattes. Not this cat. I have been craving cold and sweet lately. And although this drink is more of a “summer-y” one, it totally works for me midmorning. Maybe it’s the lack of sunshine that leaves me wanting to hibernate with sugar. Regardless, this is less evil than a pint of ice cream at 9:00 AM. Especially when I need a boost and my 6:00 AM coffee has worn off.
  
  The ingredients
  
  3 C’s Smoothie
  
  8 oz Trader Joe’s chocolate soy milk
  1-2 oz Trader Joe’s cold-brew coffee concentrate
  1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  1-2 Tbsp honey
  1 ripe banana (Usually I use a banana a lot more ripe than the one in the picture, but this was all I had on hand)
  1-2 tsps chia seeds
  large handful of ice
  
  Blend it all up and you’re in business.
  
  Can’t wait for 9:00 AM tomorrow.
  
  Posted in Breakfast, Snacks | Tagged banana
- Back in first grade…Healthy Soft Serve Sundaes
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  May 31st
  
  Nom nom.
  
  I make banana soft serves at home A LOT. So easy. It’s just frozen banana (sliced and peeled), then whipped down in a food processor. This dessert is so versatile and the internet is exploding with different yummy variations you’d be crazy to not give it a go if you haven’t already. My go to recipe is usually some sort of peanut butter and chocolate soft serve but I do make berry concoctions for the kids quite frequently. Here is this recipe from a while back, but seriously, the sky is the limit when you start with your basic frozen bananas.
  
  So….I headed back to first grade. If you remember, I have been there three times now. We have done pumpkin smoothies and chocolate pudding and green smoothies so far. This last treat Landon has been asking for all year. We did this in kindergarten as well and it was a big hit.
  
  Banana Soft Serve Sundaes
  
  Kindergarten Landon. Poor guy must get so sick of being my model all of the time.
  
  So here is what we do and why the kids like it. We start with our banana soft serve as our base and the kids get to pile it with healthy toppings. A healthy sundae bar if you will. Healthy topping choices were strawberries, blueberries, crushed peanuts and even crushed whole grain pretzels. woot woot! To make things even more tasty the kids made a raw chocolate sauce to drizzle over the top. So naturally Landon would be excited for this snack in first grade as well.
  
  As usual, we had a lesson on one nutrient that was in our snack.
  
  Bananas=potassium. We talked about overall heart health and potassium’s role .
  
  Then we got to work.
  
  The kids sliced their bananas…
  
  Popped them in a freezer bag.
  
  These bananas went into the cooler that I brought. I pulled out my “magic” bananas that were ready to go, pre-frozen.
  
  Frozen bananas, whirring in the food processor.
  
  Here the kids are watching them get whipped down.
  
  See how creamy and custardy it becomes?
  
  Kids chose their toppings…
  
  Vaughn, getting ready to go for it…
  
  Landon, killing it.
  
  This year was no different. Kids wanted seconds.
  
  Posted in Desserts, Snacks | Tagged banana, berries, peanuts
- Green Smoothies for skeptics. Back in first grade.
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Mar 16th
  It’s that time of year again. If you have known me for a while, you know that my “thing” for the last several years is to force my way into my kid’s’ class and bust out my basic green smoothie recipe for them.
  
  Making spinach drinks for a bunch of first graders? Can’t think of a better way to spend my Friday morning.
  
  Green smoothies have been around for years and really there are 1000 variations, but spinach seems to be the most versatile green to throw in so as not to alter the taste too much. The recipe here that I use seems to be the least “scary” recipe for some of the biggest skeptics, KIDS.
  
  Although there are plenty of closed-minded adults out there too. 🙂
  
  I began using this recipe years ago when I did the Green Smoothie Taste for the My Foodie Call family.Check it out how we decided on this basic recipe.
  
  Gearing up.
  
  I explained about spinach and its nutritional components. Every time that I have come in to class, I have picked a specific nutrient to focus on. For the green smoothie lesson, I focused on spinach and fiber. I told that it was nature’s toothbrush for their intestines. They think I’m weird.
  
  We got to work.
  
  We peeled, measured, and poured.
  
  Although some kids were horrified, one boy had no problem stuffing in extra piles of spinach.
  
  Where the magic happens.
  
  Love when a blender gets 1st grade encouragement. These kids did not disappoint.
  
  Such a vibrant green. Love it.
  
  Empty. The Green Smoothie test yields excellent results.
  
  Lots of cheers and thumbs ups. Can we keep them this age?
  
  Green smoothies are important for pretty obvious reasons. A veggie in your drink? Duh, healthy. But what’s more important is that when put in a blender, the spinach leaves are just flat-out pulverized. This action really helps break down the cell walls of the spinach and makes these micronutrients more available to your body. I guarantee none of us are chewing our spinach near as much as we should.
  
  Get blending.
  
  Super Basic Green Smoothie
  
  (perfect for those that either fear spinach or are convinced that it doesn’t belong in their orange juice)
  - 3 cups organic spinach
  - 12-16 oz orange juice
  - 1 banana
  - 2 cups frozen peaches (or frozen pineapple)
  Blend until smooth. Add a fancy straw. Or at least a bendy one.
  Posted in Snacks | Tagged banana, spinach
- Feeling the tropics. A pineapple smoothie for whoever is craving the sun.
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Jan 16th
  Banana, pineapple, and chia in my smoothie? Yes, fab.
  
  Banana, Pineapple and Chia Smoothie
  - 3 cups cut pineapple chunks
  - 1 1/2 cups almond milk
  - 1 1/2 frozen bananas
  - 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional, but chia is so good for you, just buy it and use it already)
  - 1/2 tsp vanilla
  - 1 tablespoon honey
  - 1/2 cup ice cubes
  1. In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth.
  
  Extra pineapple? Make a pretty garnish for the side.
  Posted in Snacks | Tagged banana, chia, fruit, smoothie
- “Green” Berry Soft Serve
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Oct 2nd
  Do you keep frozen, sliced bananas in your freezer? You really should. Smoothies and banana soft serve require a tad bit of prep work. Not a ton, but yes if you want to be that “healthy family”, frozen pre-sliced bananas is a required freezer staple.
  
  On that note, here is a healthy dessert for when that craving hits.
  
  Not a green smoothie. Not banana soft serve. Somewhere in between.
  
  A satisfying dessert with spinach? Yes.
  - 1/2 of a fresh banana
  - 2 Frozen ripe bananas (peel, and slice into 1-2 inch chunks, frozen prior)
  - 1/2 Cup frozen berries (I used organic mixed berries)
  - 1 Handful organic spinach (conventional greens are nasty, go organic!!!)
  - 1 Tablespoon honey
  Pile into your food processor. Process until broken down and it develops a creamy consistency. You may need to scrape it down in between so that things can move freely.
  
  Bananas and berries.
  
  Add honey and spinach.
  
  Spinach? Nah.
  
  Note: Don’t get busted by the family. Be sure to hurry and put the package back into your fridge before the family spies it. 🙂
  Posted in Desserts | Tagged banana, berries, dessert
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