Bananas are a wonderful and inexpensive food. They contain many needed nutrients, are easy to eat, and are just downright delicious; however, they are a fruit that can be difficult to keep for long periods of time. Buying green and unripened bananas is a smart idea because they will age to the perfect ripeness over the next few days, but you can’t eat them immediately. On the flip-side, if you buy ripe bananas, the chances of them spoiling before you can eat them are much higher. Before you think of tossing out your bananas, think of using them in different ways such as these!

Healthy Smoothies/Shakes

The trend of shake-making has grown over the years, it’s easy to see why. Shakes and smoothies are great for a busy lifestyle and are easy to ingest; if a child doesn’t like the texture of a certain fruit, blending it up is a good way to solve this problem. Ripened bananas are perfect for blending as they’re already soft. Another bonus, they can even be frozen (if they are stored properly) and used later. Also, bananas go with many other smoothie options. Milk, yogurt, strawberries, peanut butter, and even chocolate are complemented by an added banana. Bananas can keep you and your body healthy, even your hips. If you’re interested in alternatives to hip replacements, contact ThriveMD, the healthcare professionals.

Banana Muffins

Another tasty snack for adults and kids, banana muffins can be a great solution for overripe bananas. Just requiring muffin mix and some other ingredients — eggs, water/milk, vanilla — muffins are an easy and delicious thing to bake. Of course, you can opt to make them from scratch if you’d like. Banana muffins are great because you can add many other ingredients to them: blueberries, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and nuts just to name a few. You can even do plain banana flavor or make banana bread instead!

Puddings, Yogurts, and Cereal

Lastly, puddings, yogurts, and cereal all benefit from the addition of a banana in some form. Adding sliced bananas to banana, chocolate, or vanilla pudding is a great way to add some healthy vitamins and texture, the same goes for most yogurts. And of course, you can make a delicious banana pudding or yogurt with your ripened bananas. Do you only have bland cereals in your cabinet? No worries! Sliced banana is all you need to give it a little kick — blueberries and diced strawberries can be an added bonus. On a similar note, here are some parenting tips to help prevent childhood obesity.