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The One Minute Banana Thaw

The One Minute Frozen Banana Thaw for Love Your Life Friday at KarenEhman.com

Have you ever thought, “there must be an easier way of doing this”? I had that feeling when our family went through a serious banana eating phase a couple years ago.  We were buying bananas by the box and making every kind of smoothie concoction to be made with these economical yellow gems.

Originally, we would wait until the bananas all got speckled/brown and then I’d ask my daughters to help peel them and lay them on racks we had set up in the freezer.  This didn’t work so well because the racks in our freezer got all gooey. The peels weigh a lot when you’re peeling a whole box. Plus, they start tasting freezer burn-ish after a week.

We tried putting them in ziplock bags, then they all stuck together and I kept spending money on ziplock bags because cleaning them out is just… blah.  So then someone told me the bananas stay fresher when you leave them in the skin and freeze them.

Well, that worked great until I asked how to peel them and she said with a hot, sharp knife.  As soon as I heard that, my mommy emergency room sensors were tingling. I like including my kids in the kitchen as much as I can, and who am I kidding, I can barely handle sharp knives myself.  This wasn’t going to work.

So, we discovered this simple and easy method.

All you have to do is turn on hot water, submerge the bananas and wait 45 seconds to 1 minute depending on how hot your water is and how many bananas you’re thawing.

Then pick up the banana and slide it out of the skin into the bowl or container you are about to use. Bring your trash can close and throw the skins into the trash in one glorious motion!

IT’S SO GREAT!

The peels weigh a lot less than the fresh peels. (Trust me, the person taking out the trash will thank you.)  Your kids can help. The bananas are fresher tasting than pre-peeling! I hope you enjoy this method with the whole family. Have fun, turn on some music and go bananas.

Recipes:

From Lindsey Feldpausch

My husband and I live in the Grand Rapids area.  Our favorite juice bar is Sip (The Eastown location is rad).  If you’re at all into raw or organic smoothies or that type of thing, this is your place.  They serve a smoothie called the “Over the Rainbow” which is creamy, rich and sweet. It has a lot of expensive/quality/superfood ingredients in it, but I have a simple recipe that will give you a similar flavor and texture, when you can’t get to Sip!

 Almost Over The Rainbow Smoothie – From Lindsey Feldpausch

Half an avocado (not smooshy, just ripe)

2 big frozen bananas or 3 smaller ones

3 big raw medjool dates or 6 smaller ones depending on how sweet you like things :)

Put everything in a blender and add just enough water* to get things blended.  It will probably be about 1 cup of water, depending on your desired creaminess and strength of blender.  I like it with as little water as possible for maximum creaminess!

*Instead of water you can use rice milk or coconut milk.

Serving size: Girl, this one’s for you! Drink it up and treat yourself to something all-natural, rich and sweet. Mmm!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – From Karen Ehman

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1¾ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)

1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (not imitation)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup butter (not margarine)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (you may also use peanut-butter chips or coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease and flour a 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pan. You may also use a cooking spray that is made specifically for baking that has flour in it. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients, mixing well. In a small saucepan, melt the butter thoroughly and then cool slightly but so not let it get solidified. Using a mixer on low speed, in a second medium-sized bowl, slowly mix the vanilla and eggs until they are well incorporated. Add in the mashed banana and mix until well combined. Then slowly drizzle in the melted, cooled butter until it is combined thoroughly. (Make sure the butter is not still hot or it will cook the raw eggs!) Then, gently add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until they are fully combined. It is very careful not to over-mix or the bread will not be moist. Finally, by hand, lightly stir the chocolate chips. Spoon into the prepared loaf pan and level out well. Bake for 45-55 minutes, watching carefully so as to not over-bake. Test with a cake tester or toothpick to make sure it is cooked all the way through. Remove and cool 15 minutes before turning onto a cooling rack. Allow bread to cool to room temperature. Wrap tightly in foil and let sit one day at room temperature before eating.

 

Lindsey Feldpausch at KarenEhman.comLindsey Feldpausch grew up in metro Detroit. She’s a creative writer, graphic design enthusiast, social media coordinator, and sinner saved by grace. She loves a good laugh. She loves a good cry. She loves a crack-of-dawn Bible study that blows her hair back and marinates her heart in Jesus juices. Her worship leader/youth pastor husband and four delightful kiddos fill life with unbelievably amusing quotes and sweet snuggles. She enjoys Christian rap music, mangoes, and Tim Hawkins. She celebrates not burning dinner. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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