What to do with those too soft bananas?

I don't know about you, but when my family goes to the grocery store or veggie stand, those beautiful yellow bananas call out to them.  You buy a small to medium sized bunch with the best of intentions to eat them all up before they get too soft.  After they are around for a few days, the small brown spots turn to medium brown spots. Maybe some even large brown spots show up.  At this point, most of the time, everyone will pass over them when looking for a snack.  What to do?

My personal favorite is throw it in the freezer instead of the trash.  Peel and all, it takes only a second to get it off the counter and on to bigger and better things later.....

If you have an extra minute, before you freeze them, peel them, cut them in half, stick a popsicle stick (available at most dollar type stores in the craft dept) in the wide end, stack the on top of one another in a gallon sized baggie and throw the whole bag in the freezer. In a few hours you will have your own version of banana babies, a frozen healthy treat on a stick.  Out of the freezer, a little magic shell syrup and back in the freezer for a few more minutes, maybe even roll it in some chopped nuts, gives a little more variety to these yummy treats. Tip: If you do coat with the magic shell make sure to re-freeze them without touching or they will stick together and the coating will fall of when you separate them.

Do you get those evening cravings for something cold and sweet?  Most grab a bowl of ice cream.  A healthier solution is to grab one of those not so pretty bananas out of the freezer, easily slice the peel off with a paring knife, chunk into bite-size pieces, and maybe even drizzle a little Hershey's syrup on top.  This makes a yummy naturally creamy frozen treat. 

These frozen bananas are also a perfect addition to a breakfast smoothy in your blender.  It adds great flavor, lots of healthy vitamins and minerals, and a creamy consistency.  Vary amounts to your taste.  Way cheaper than the frozen fruit when you consider you would have likely tossed it in the trash anyway, so it's really kinda free.

Instead of freezing, they will also make a great banana bread, banana muffins, or the like.  Even frozen, if you let them defrost a bit, they are ready for these type of recipes in no time.  These quick breads and muffins also typically freeze really well.  This way you will always have a quick travel friendly breakfast or snack handy right out of the freezer, if they last long enough to even make it to the freezer.

When you come across a great sale or marked down bananas because they are looking a little brown in your local veggie stand or grocery store, keep these ideas in mind.  Maybe even buy some extra.

Hope the next time to encounter some bananas a little past their prime, you remember some of these great tips.  Do you have any additional ideas or great recipes you would like to share?  I'd love to hear them!