Yummy Uses for Bananas-Easy Banana Recipes

Why do we need bananas? Aside from being a low calorie healthy snack. A medium sized banana costs you about 105 calories. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, dietary fiber, maganese, and vitamin B6. They are low in sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat. The only bad thing is that a large portion of calories come from sugar.

Bananas have a Glycemic Load of 10.

Bananas have always been one of my favorite fruits...good for you too! While I think bananas are terrific all by their lonesome, thereare some folks out there that prefer to incorporate them into their diet by adding them to various recipes. Here are some excellent EASY recipes for you to try. Most of the ingredients are ones that you probably have in your pantry already!:

This is good over vanilla ice cream or french toast. All you need is:

1. 1/4 cup of butter
2. 2-4 bananas sliced

3. 2/3 cup of brown sugar
4. 1/2 t.cinnamon
5. 1 tbsp. vanilla
6. 3 tbsp. rum-if you like

Melt the butter in a pan or skillet. Add in brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and rum stirring constantly. When hot and bubbly add in banana slices. Cook for 2 minutes and serve.

Oh so easy, quick, and goood!

You'll need:

1. 2 c. Bisquick
2. 2/3 c. sugar
3. 1 1/2 c. mashed ripe bananas
4. 1 T. vanilla
5. 1/4 c. milk or plain yogurt
6. oatmeal - quick cooking
7. 2 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease the bottom of a 9/5/3 loaf pan

Stir all of the ingredients together until moist.

For an added kick fold in 1 cup of fresh blueberries if you've got any.

Bake 45-50 minutes

Cool 10 minutes

Remove from loaf pan and cool on wire rack an additional 2 hours

I had never had banana pudding until I moved to Florida, so I guess this is more of a southern recipe, but it is delish! Oh, and so easy!

What you need:

1. 5 oz Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding

2. 1/2 a small can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
3. 3 cups of milk - I use 1% but this is an easy recipe so use what you like!
4. 1 tub Cool Whip
5. 1/2 box Nilla Wafers
6. 3 Bananas
7. 8 oz cream cheese(or Neufatchel Cheese) at room temp.

You can make this in any kind of bowl, loaf pan or baking dish you have, but I recommend you choose something with a lid unless you think it will all get gobbled up the first night--a definate possibility!

What you do:

Whip the cream cheese with a whisk or electric mixer until fluffy. Mix in #'s 1, 2, & 3.

Fold in the Cool Whip

Layer the pudding mixture, nilla wafers, and bananas and chill!

Ok. This has been a diet staple of mine for at least 20 years. All you have to do is spread some peanut butter (I prefer natural organic peanut butter, but regular old Jif will do) on 2 slices of bread. Slice up a banana, and smoosh it in between those two slices. Eat and enjoy!

This is great if you are out of jelly or jam, or are just looking for a little twist on an old sandwich.

You will need a double boiler to make these ones...and:

bananas

popsicle sticks

2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 T. shortening

If you like nuts, you could chopup some roasted peanuts for added flava

Peel 3-4 bananas, cut in half, and stick a popsicle stick in each half. Place on wax paper and freeze.

Once frozen, melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the double boiler. Dip each frozen banana pop into the hot melted chocolate covering completely. If you decided to go with nuts, rollwhile the chocolate isstill wet in nuts.

Return to freezer to harden. These are great to eat frozen.

If you don't like to eat them frozen, skip both freezer steps.

You don't need a dehydrator to make delicious banana chips that are great in trail mix or just by themselves. Cut you bananas into 1/8" slices. Cover with lemon juice (this help keep them from browning) and bake for 2 hours on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 200 degrees F.