Where’s Your Banana-Chocolate Milk Mustache?
I hate milk. Straight milk, that is. Sure, I take it in my coffee and in milk shakes (which should really just be called ice cream shakes) and when I was a kid I used to drink chocolate milk. But straight milk makes me nauseated. And I can never do the smell test when the milk is bad because every time I smell it, even if it’s a new jug, I think it smells like throw-up. So I’m saying that to say - I have to sneak milk into my diet by using other methods. Hence the delicious drink I will shortly describe.
For some reason (fine, when do I ever not talk about food) I was telling Elizabeth, my old house mate’s new house mate, about my banana and PB sandwich and how I wish I knew other ways to use up post-ripe bananas. She then told me about this nutritious and tasty drink starring a ripe, but frozen, banana. It’s a really simple - throw everything in the blender - type of drink. Her version is much simpler, and much healthier. But I’ll give you mine first. You know, because god-forbid I ever follow a recipe exactly the way it’s supposed to be.
I did measure, though.
Banana-Chocolate Smoothie
To start, when a banana starts to over ripen, slice it into rounds, put it in a ziplock bag and throw it in the freezer.
In a blender: 1 frozen, sliced banana, 1 cup skim milk, 1 tablespoon hot chocolate mix (sans marshmallows), 2 tablespoons light chocolate syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon honey. Blend until smooth.
Elizabeth’s recipe included the banana, skim milk, vanilla extract and cocoa powder (I tried to find it at my local market, but I don’t think they had it.) It’s not supposed to be a sweet drink, but I wanted more chocolate taste and I wanted to add the the thickness that honey brings to the party.
Photos: 80P
on March 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I hate milk even more than you do– I take my coffee black and I never drink milkshakes. I firmly believe that milk exists for babies and small children, and adults should not be downing glasses of it. Do you see grown people eating out of little Gerber jars? Nope! Some foods are just not designed for adult consumption, which is why so many adults are lactose intolerant.
Anyway, I’ve made a banana chocolate drink with almond or soy milk before, and it’s pretty good. In general, though, I don’t do creamy/milky/soymilky drinks.
on March 3rd, 2008 at 2:36 pm
my friend jrod will CHUG a glass of milk when he’s thirsty. i gagged thinking about it.
on March 3rd, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Kudos for not making the title of this post some kind of play on your drinking our milkshake.
As for milk - bring it on. Still one of my favorites!
on March 3rd, 2008 at 3:18 pm
it’s my understanding that for something to be smoothie and not a milkshake it must contain yogurt….
on March 3rd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
I’m a fairly normal guy except for one thing. I am dedicated to milk. Gansie is right, I chug milk when I’m thirsty. If I get done being really active, I crave milk. I also crave milk after most every food I eat. Ice cream, cheese, pasta, pizza, steak, you name it, a perfect complement in my opinion is a tall cold glass of Whole, 2%, 1%, Chocolate, Strawberry, or even soy milk. I can’t stand skim because as a true milk drinker, I notice that it lacks that certain milk taste that makes milk wonderful. I find that milk eases my stomach and gives me a similar feeling to when you first lay down to sleep when you’re really tired, a gentle euphoria while I’m drinking it. I’m not making this stuff up, it’s true. And Caroline, as for your careless disregard for food classification, I enjoy a nice jar of baby food bananas as a healthy snack on occassion too. But even I must say, you can never take a big whiff of any milk, good or bad. It just doesn’t smell that great. Oh well, no food is perfect.
on March 4th, 2008 at 9:43 am
and i swear, he’s not even lying about the baby food. and my best friend married him!
on March 4th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
first nice pic 80 p the honey seems like a nice compliment for the drink. I remember my dad used to make us a drink when we had a score throat with milk, honey and butter, it was pretty tastey; about the only thing he would make, good thing I used to watch my mom a lot.
gansie, you mean cut ripe banana in pieces( 1-2″ thick), freeze with or without the peel?
ps. gansie, you were cute at twister a lot of years ago!!
on March 4th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
daddyG–
freeze without peel. this drink can also be made w/ fresh bananas.
and poppop cooked! whoa! and he added butter to a drink - double whoa!