Banana Ice Cream with Peanuts

Who knew that  bananas, when frozen, could be turned into a creamy,sweet, delicious dessert that closely resembles ice cream?

I discovered this about a year ago and since then keep a large stock of bananas in my freezer. Not only are they perfect to grab for a quick ice cream fix, but they’re also great to thicken up smoothies, while sweetening them naturally!

And while this Banana Ice Cream with Peanuts is one of our favorites, the best thing about these frozen bananas is that you can add essentially any flavor to them and they somehow soak it in, more-or-less abandoning their traditional flavor.

I’ve added dark chocolate chips with cocoa to make a rich, chocolate ice cream, as well as used shredded carrots, pecans and vanilla for an instant carrot cake ice cream.

So, while I love ice cream, and definitely eat my fair share of it, it is often full of unwanted additives, chemicals, preservatives and other ingredients our bodies are not meant to process. This clone is so great because it uses simple, clean ingredients that you are likely to already have in your pantry. And the best part? It does not need an ice cream maker!

Although this is a healthier alternative to ice cream, as with anything, you still want to eat it in moderation. So you can make a serving to satisfy your sweet tooth without leaving gobs of it in the freezer calling your name late at night. Or am I the only one who seems to hear voices from the freezer when Ben and Jerry’s is involved?!?

I don’t know about you, but when we get ice cream, that whole 1/2 cup serving thing goes out the window! At least if I eat more than 1/2 cup of this, I know the sugar is natural, the ingredients are whole and the peanut and Greek yogurt provide protein!

I was out of dark chocolate chips when I made this, but I would have happily thrown those on top with the crushed peanuts. Always up for some antioxidants!

If you don’t have peanuts, you can easily swap them out for peanut butter. In truth, while I pretty much always have peanut butter in the house, I rarely actually buy peanuts. {These were left over from Christmas baking, stored in the freezer}. When I buy nuts to add to our lunches or keep on hand for snacks, I typically go with almonds or walnuts. I think those are the two we often hear about having so many health benefits to add to our diet, but peanuts have a lot of positive attributes as well.

They are a good sources of vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese. Not to mention, research has shown that the combination of monounsaturated fats with these heart healthy vitamins and minerals can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. Hmmm, maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to pass on the peanuts!

So. Now that I’ve shared with you this quick, healthy dessert, I should also confess that I’ve eaten on Rum cake (for the past two days!) that my parents brought home for Josh from their recent cruise to the Grand Cayman Islands. So don’t let me fool you into thinking that I don’t splurge or cheat! I told myself Saturday when I tried the cake that I’d just eat a little piece and let Josh have the rest.

Ha. So much for that, it was a nice thought.