Did you know that National Banana Day is April 15th? Bananas are the oldest cultivated fruit known to man. Farmers have been growing and harvesting bananas for over 10,000 years. There are more than 1000 different varieties of bananas, mostly found throughout Africa and Asia, but the one we commonly eat in the United States is Cavendish. Bananas are a nutritious and convenient snack and offer a boost of fiber, potassium and vitamins.
How can you celebrate National Banana Day? Celebrating National Banana Day calls for time to get creative and have fun (or Go Bananas!). Write a message on a banana and tuck it into a loved ones lunch, make a classic Banana Split, or maybe dress up a banana and celebrate. There are so many ways to enjoy bananas and with National Banana Day coming up, I wanted to give some different recipes my family loves to use those forgotten bananas.
Once I go grocery shopping, either we eat all the bananas within a matter of days or the bananas sit for a while and start to look a sad shade of brown. My quick go-to recipe for brown bananas is banana muffins, but recently I decided to try some new ideas for those brown bananas.
Banana Muffins (or Bread)
This is an easy and healthy-ish recipe that is quick and we love to make at my house.
- 1.5 cups self-rising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 tbsp. sugar (or sugar substitute)
- 3-4 ripe bananas
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine ingredients and gently stir in any mix-ins (chocolate chips, walnuts, etc)
Cook 20-30 minutes depending on size of muffins (longer if making in loaf pan).
Banana “Nice” Cream
What is Banana Nice Cream? It’s a spin on ice cream using only frozen bananas and a small amount of non-dairy milk. Then you can change it any way you would like!
- 1-2 bananas per person
- 1 tablespoon of almond milk (or other dairy-free milk) per banana
Make sure to peel your banana before freezing. I also like to chop the banana before freezing to make it easier to blend. Add the frozen bananas and liquid into your food processor and blend. It will get creamy and have the consistency of ice cream. You can add healthy toppings of your choice. Mix it up and play with flavors, add some frozen cherries or strawberries to make different flavors!
Banana Face Mask
This is not something that we can eat, but taking good care of our skin is a must! After a cold winter our skin is dry and needing some love, try mixing up a nice mask to hydrate your skin.
- 2 tablespoons of mashed banana
- 1 tablespoon of honey
Mix together and apply to a clean face. Rinse off after 20-30 minutes.
What is your favorite way to have bananas? Whether you celebrate National Banana Day with a banana in your cereal or a banana being the star of a recipe—Go BANANAS!
