No-Guilt Banana Ice Cream

Wondering what to do with all of those ripe bananas you just got in your $2 bag? Make ice cream in your very own home!  In just an hour or so, you can have a sweet frozen treat that is cheap, delicious and creamy, and completely healthy. Yes, there is such a thing as healthy ice cream.

Bananas are high in potassium and low in sodium (good for preventing or managing high blood pressure), and fat-free and cholesterol-free (good for your heart and blood vessels).

To make one bowl of ice cream, you will need:

• 2 bananas
• Splash of milk (only if your blender needs some liquid; more on this later)

1. Wash the bananas under running water to get any germs or dirt off the peels.
2. Peel the bananas
3. Thinly slice the bananas
4. Lay the banana slices on a freezer-safe tray, such as a small cookie sheet, cake pan, baking dish, etc. I actually used the lid of a Pyrex baking dish.
5. Leave in the freezer for at least 1 hour but not more than 2 hours. They don’t need to be completely frozen and they shouldn’t be rock-hard unless you have a really good blender or food processor.
6. When frozen, remove from freezer and put bananas into a blender or food processor.
7. Blend until creamy. If your blender won’t blend, add a splash of milk until it will blend. You may want to occasionally give the blender a shake (turn it off first) to get all of the bananas blended.
8. Pour into a bowl and enjoy. I sprinkled mine with a little cinnamon to add a little something extra, but the bananas alone are just as amazing.

Caution! Eat it right away because it will start to melt. If you have leftovers (or you would like it to be a little more frozen), you can pour them into a freezer-safe container for later.

Bananas are awesome on their own but if you want a little more variety, you can try adding one of these extras:

• Cinnamon
• Scoop of peanut butter (add while you are blending)
• Sprinkle of hot cocoa mix
• ¼ teaspoon of honey
• Frozen fruit: Berries, peaches, etc.

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