Banana Ice Cream

Banana ice cream is my new healthy indulgence! Okay so you are thinking how any kind of ice cream can be healthy, well this one is. I am an ice cream lover it is one of my favorite comfort foods. When I decided to make better food choices, I thought I would have to give up ice cream. The average supermarket brands, even the low fat and sugar free varieties, have ingredients I am not happy with including corn syrup and MSG. They also have more fat and calories than I would like. Even the more healthy varieties, organic, soy, non-dairy, can still have a good amount of fat and calories. Then there is the debate over dairy, non-dairy and soy. It was becoming too much work to find ice cream that worked for me.

I was home one Saturday afternoon watching Food Network looking for some new healthy recipes and Claire Robinson from 5-Ingredient Fix solved my ice cream dilemma. This ice cream comes out smooth, creamy and custard like, just like I like it. The best part is that you get all of this with just one ingredient…BANANAS!

Before I give you the recipe let me give you a little information on bananas. Bananas, natures wonder food, is low in calories and fat yet high in fiber and vitamins. Here are some of the highlights – Bananas are high in iron good for anemia, potassium essential for lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of stroke; vitamin B6 for your blood; tryptophan a mood stabilizer (makes you happy); is a natural antacid; and has a low glycemic index slowly releasing the carbs into the body. What other ice cream can do all of this for you.

As promised, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2-3 ripe bananas

Optional ingredients: (will explain further)

¼ cup milk

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

1 to 2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Cut the bananas into approximately ½ -inch pieces and freeze at least 1-2 hours. Put the frozen bananas in a food processor (I use my Ninja blender) and puree, scraping down the sides periodically, until smooth. That’s it! For the optional ingredients, I sometimes use a little milk to help the bananas along. This is not a necessity this recipe works fine without it. You can also add peanut butter for an extra protein boost and honey for sweetness and flavor. I have also added frozen mangos, simply delicious. Play with this recipe, let me know what you come up with.