Friday, July 27, 2007

Frugal Friday Bananas




Okay, most of you probably know that you can freeze really ripe bananas to use later in breads, smoothies etc.

But did you know that you can freeze them in the peel?

I didn't know this until a couple of years ago. I had read that you had to peel the banana and then double wrap it in plastic wrap and then put it in a plastic bag, get the air out and seal the bag.

So even though we'd frequently have bananas that were just past the eating stage, I'd sometimes throw them out because I wouldn't have time (or the motivation to be honest) to do all that work.

Then I read somewhere that you could just throw the whole banana in the freezer. Peel and all.




Well, that was certainly easier than the other method. So I gave it a try. And was amazed that it worked perfectly.

We now have a whole drawer in our freezer devoted to bananas.




To make a smoothie, I take a couple out and run them under hot water just to knock the frost off and then use a knife to peel the skin off and in the blender they go.

To use in muffins or bread, simply thaw (in the fridge overnight is probably best, but I do it on the counter top for a couple of hours too), cut off one end, and squish the banana goo right out like toothpaste from a tube. It's the perfect banana mush.

My Family's Favorite Smoothie

2 frozen bananas, peeled
frozen strawberries, a big handful (probably a cup or two)
milk or oj (enough to make it milkshake texture)

All you do is throw it in a (good strong) blender and whirl it up.

For more Frugal Friday, be sure to check out Crystal's Blog.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, this does work. We just came back from vacation to find about four very ripe bananas in a basket in the kitchen. They are now in the freezer, peel and all and I plan on making some loaves of banana bread for a few family members when time permits next month!

Have a blessed day,
Carla

Anonymous said...

sounds like you adore 3 daughters and not the ones you homeschool!

My name is Michelle. said...

Carla, and it's so frugal when you have the bananas already! How sweet of you.

Anon...you're right! It did sound like that. LOL I've changed it. Thank you.

lizzykristine said...

I had never heard that you couldn't freeze them in-peel. :) We buy a big bunch of bananas, eat til they turn brown, then freeze them and continue to feast in smoothie form! I make smoothies almost exactly like the recipe you posted, only I throw in some yogurt for fun, too. Yum!

"My Little Wonders" said...

I am learning so much stuff from you. I love it!
I never knew this. I am gonna make the smoothy too, my kids just love them.
Blessings Lori

My name is Michelle. said...

lizzykristine, you are miles ahead of me. You should have seen how much work and effort it took before I found this out. I'm probably the only one that *didn't* know this! LOL

You're matting ideas are lovely. But then again, so is your whole blog! I plan to visit more when I have some time. :)

My name is Michelle. said...

Lori, you are too sweet. I'm just glad I'm not the only one that didn't know! LOL Hope your kids enjoy them.

Anonymous said...

Yes that does work, however we have found it much easier to simply peel the bananas and place them in a gallon-sized ziplock bag in the freezer. No indivudual-wrapping-in-plastic-wrap is necessary! :-) And we never squeeze out all the air, either. The bananas stick to each other a little bit, but they're quite easy to break apart when you are ready to use one. We use them all the time in smoothies.

Anonymous said...

Michelle,
It's me again! I wrote a note about the bananas, then about your girls. I never had a chance to finish it and somehow it got sent!! As I re-read the part I wrote, I felt it sounded kind of rude and off the wall!! I am sorry and hope it did not come across to you like it did to me after I wrote it. I was at least going to put a LOL or something! I was not criticizing you. I got distracted and sent it! Sorry again.
Have a blessed week-end,
Carla

My name is Michelle. said...

Katie, do you know if they keep as long if they're peeled? We may go a couple of months without eathing any and when I used to wrap them they'd turn all weird looking. Not that I know what they look like inside the peel after a couple of months, but I was just curious if they change over a certain amount of time once peeled?

Carla, not at all! You were absolutely right. But thank you for telling me it was you.

:)