Tag: banana

Strawberry Banana Yogurt Popsicles

I’m told it’s popsicle week this week, and who am I to argue?  It’s barely summer but NY has already hit “swelter season.”  That means it’s what we call 3H weather: hazy, hot, and humid.  Strawberry banana yogurt popsicles are sweet, cold, and have no additional sugar added. They’re the perfect summer treat when the temperature hits “Oh no, you gotta be kidding me!”  There’s also no cooking or heating anything involved; ideal when it’s just too warm and sticky to face a hot stove.

All you have to do is measure the ingredients, blend everything together, and then freeze. About 2 hours later,  you’ve got a great snack.

I adapted the recipe slightly from one I found online here.  The original recipe was for 10 pops, which is way too much.  So, I cut it in half.   I also used strawberries instead of mixed berries. It’s the height of strawberry season and they are outrageously delicious!

strawberry banana yogurt popsicles

I have a four-pop mold popsicle set, which holds about three ounces each.  I’ve had them for years, which is both great and annoying. Great because they’ve held up well; annoying because since the pops all insert into one tray, it’s hard to get only one pop at a time.  I’d much rather have something like this,  which is designed to make it easier to get one pop out at a time.

Some molds are bigger (or smaller), so the final number of pops you get will depend on the size of the mold you have. If you don’t have a mold at all, you can pour the mixture into an ice cube tray and stick toothpicks in it. That will give you a dozen bite size mini-pops instead.




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Berry Banana Yogurt Popsicles

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Category: snack

Cuisine: American

four

strawberry banana yogurt popsicles plate

Just a few ingredients and you get a healthy summer treat. And who can resist strawberry banana popsicles on a hot day? Not me.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 C whole milk
  • 1 C strawberries (or mixed berries of your choice)
  • 1 small banana
  • pinch cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Blend everything together in a blender or with a stick blender.
  2. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze about two hours.

Notes

The beaker that came with my stick blender wasn't quite big enough, so I poured the mixture into a four-cup liquid measuring cup instead. If you use a standard blender, it should fit just fine.

Also, I put a "cook" time of zero, since there's no cooking, but the pops will take a while to freeze.

Strawberry Banana Yogurt Popsicles Substitutions and Variations

  • Use blackberries, raspberries, or a combination of berries instead of just strawberries
  • If you have leftover mixture, add some crushed ice, blend it again, and make a smoothie
  • Add a splash of vanilla extract and/or nutmeg
  • Go for some tequila or rum and make adult popsicles (figure roughly one ounce of liquor per five ounces of everything else)

 

Ozera Reusable Popsicle Molds

This design makes it far easier to get one popsicle at a time. Each mold sits in its own individual slot, so you don’t have to struggle to get just one pop. There’s also a little tiny brush to clean them with. Or, just put them in the dishwasher.

ZZoku Duo Quick Pop Maker

If you really want to get fancy, try out this juice pop maker. Freeze the container ahead of time, then add the ingredients, and you’ll get a tasty frozen treat in just 7 minutes. It doesn’t even need electricity. Note that this will only work with sugar-sweetened pops (not sugar-free or artificial sweeteners).

More Desserts and Treats

One Ingredient Juice Popsicles

Banana Smoothie Recipe for One

Cinnamon Sugar Bananas with Brandy

Strawberry Basil Mojito with Lime



Banana Smoothie Recipe for One

A banana smoothie certainly isn’t a complete meal, but this recipe makes a delicious, refreshing drink. It’s perfect with a crisp strawberry and spinach salad on a hot day (yes, we’re back to summer again).

The nice thing about smoothies is that they’re easy and quick to make.  It’s also a good way to use up extra bananas.  The bunches of bananas look so good in the store, but you get them home, eat a few, and then watch the rest turn brown if you don’t eat them quickly enough. In the winter, I make banana bread, but in the summer I really don’t want to run the oven that long.

So, I make smoothies instead.  This time I just used banana, but you could add strawberries or blueberries (it will turn purply though) if you want to.

Sometimes, I take the extra bananas, peel them, and pop them in a bag in the freezer.  When you want a quick smoothie,  just take out a frozen banana (and reduce the ice in the recipe a bit).

Or, take your banana and drizzle it with chocolate syrup.  Instant dessert!


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Banana Smoothie for One

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Category: drink

Cuisine: American

one serving

banana smoothie for one

Banana smoothie with yogurt, nutmeg, and cinnamon

Ingredients

  • 1 banana, preferably overripe, cut into chunks
  • 1 handful of ice cubes (about 6-8 small cubes, use less if you have a large tray)
  • 1/4 C milk
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of Greek yogurt
  • splash vanilla extract
  • pinch cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Combine banana, ice, milk and yogurt in the beaker that comes with your stick blender(if you have one). If not, use a standard blender.
  2. Pulse until ingredients are blended and the mixture is smooth.
  3. Pour into a glass, add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Notes

If you prefer it without yogurt, add more ice to make it thicker.






 More Banana Recipes and Smoothies

Watermelon Slush

Cinnamon Sugar Bananas with Brandy

This lemon mango banana yogurt recipe isn’t mine, but I’ve tried it and it’s delicious.  One thing, since I don’t have a food processor (only a mini-chopper), blending the frozen banana is a bit tough.  So I did it the other way around (blend first, then freeze).

 

 




Cinnamon Sugar Bananas with Brandy

I first saw a cinnamon sugar banana recipe similar to this being passed around on Pinterest.  My initial thought was that the combination sounded delicious.

When I took a closer look, it had bananas, cinnamon, sugar, and olive oil spray?! Huh? Sorry, but they lost me there.  However the rest of it sounded good, so I decided to put my own spin on it.

First thing I did was to ditch the olive oil spray and replace it with butter.  I didn’t use a lot, only one teaspoon.  Next I thought a bit of brandy would add flavor and punch, and since I had a tiny bit left I added that too.

I usually buy a bottle of inexpensive brandy for this sort of thing, no sense using something expensive if it’s not necessary. On the other hand, if all you have is top shelf liquor, you won’t need much, so you don’t have to feel guilty about it.  And, it will likely taste even better.

So, a little butter, some cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, the banana, brandy, and just a touch of sugar and I had a delicious, easy dessert for one.

It was so good, I wanted to eat it again!

 




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Bananas Sauteed with Cinnamon and Brandy

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Category: dessert

Cuisine: French

one serving

cinnamon sugar bananas

A quick dessert with just a few ingredients. Bananas with cinnamon and brandy feels rich and luxurious, but you don't need a fancy restaurant to enjoy it.

Ingredients

  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 1 tsp butter
  • pinch cinnamon
  • small pinch nutmeg
  • pinch sugar
  • 1 tsp brandy

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
  2. Once the butter melts, add the banana. Sprinkle the banana with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.
  3. Add the brandy.
  4. Cook for a minute or two, stirring gently to combine the ingredients.
  5. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Sugar Bananas Variations

  • top your bananas with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
  • use dark rum instead of brandy
  • drizzle the bananas with a bit of chocolate syrup




More Dessert Recipes

Easy Pear Crepe Dessert Recipe for One Person

Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake Recipe for One

Small Batch Brownies with Cocoa Powder

Easy Chocolate Mousse