Banana Ice Cream
Updated: Nov 19, 2020
For as long as long as I can remember, ice cream has been my most favorite thing to eat. It was my go-to treat for every occasion. Had a great day and wanted to celebrate...Andy’s frozen custard. Had a bad day and want to wallow...a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. Girls' night with my roommates...a movie and some Cookies n’ Cream. Husband and I wanted to be crazy and have a late night treat....Dairy Queen’s French Silk Blizzard. YUM! I loved ice cream and I could put away an embarrassingly large amount of it.
When I began healing (see my healing story here), it became abundantly clear that dairy did not do good things for me and that added sugar did REALLY bad things to me. About 2 months into my healing process, my husband and I did a Whole 30 (a 30-day strict eating plan which does not allow for any processed foods, dairy, sugar, etc). It was during this month that I realized there would be some foods that I would never eat again, and ice cream was one of them.
I’ve not had “normal” ice cream in almost 5 years now. I’ve bought some of the other dairy free ice creams...cashew milk, almond milk, rice milk (cashew is by far the best). But, these options are still not good for me and my family. I react to the added sugar (and probably other ingredients) as does my husband and oldest son.
So in our house, when we want ice cream, we make Banana Ice Cream. This is what my kids know. They love it! They request it as a treat. My husband and I enjoy it as well. Although it doesn’t taste like the ice cream I ate for the majority of my life, it is cold, creamy, sweet, and satisfying. And best of all, it is nourishing to our bodies.
Basic Banana Ice Cream
Ingredients:
5 bananas (more or less depending on how many you are serving)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Peel bananas and cut in at least 4 pieces.
Put banana chunks on parchment paper and place in the freezer.
Let bananas freeze for at least 1 hour but I think 2- 3 hours is ideal for the best consistency.
Remove bananas from the freezer and blend in a food processor with vanilla until creamy and smooth. You may want to add a little almond milk depending on the thickness.
Serve!
Notes:
*Add some toppings if you’d like: fresh berries, Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, nuts, raisins, etc.
*In the summer, I often keep bananas in the freezer for an impromptu ice cream treat after the pool or on those hot summer nights.