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
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.
my friend jrod will CHUG a glass of milk when he’s thirsty. i gagged thinking about it.
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!
it’s my understanding that for something to be smoothie and not a milkshake it must contain yogurt….
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.
and i swear, he’s not even lying about the baby food. and my best friend married him!
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!!
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!
Milk isn’t really all that good for you (Mother’s milk is best for baby. Cows’ milk is meant for calves, not us). Try the soy/hemp/almond/rice versions. They are waaaaay tastier, and way better for you too. Cruelty-free, organic, fortified, they’re the whole she-bang. 😀
Uh… no?
Milk, especially chocolate milk, is scientifically proven to be just as potent as the most expensive nutritional post-workout supplements on the market. In tandem with bananas, it is the most healthy thing you can have – nothing can rival it.
This smoothie is one of the most healthy things you can have. I personally just eat a banana and wash it down with a glass of chocolate milk post-workout, but it all works the same. Replentishes vital carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins lost in a way nothing else can.
Because of this, I have been able to work out more frequently and with more intensity. I practically preach the stuff onto others because it’s that effective. Too bad for people who think adults should not drink milk. Enjoy osteoporosis and general lack of strength and cardio way before you should.
There’s a reason nature produces it and not soy/almond/hemp milks. In fact, excess soy has been shown to bind with essential nutrients and deprive the body – it can be dangerous. Plus, no other kind of milk can match the protein value of just plain dairy.
I have been doing the banana/chocolate milk thing for two years now, and I am in excellent condition. Bi-yearly blood work shows that I have exceptional cholesterol levels, low blood pressure, and 12% body fat. This is not my concept of unhealthy.
Because I am living proof to myself that milk is not somehow unhealthy or not fit for adults to drink, I encourage all of you to do more research and perhaps try it yourself if you exercise. You will see that declaring it to be bad for you is very, very wrong.