Homemade Banana Milk

Interesting enough I had never before heard of banana milk prior to this past weekend. When I initially was asked to whip up some banana milk, I thought it was a really strange request and I am not sure why since I love adding banana's to my smoothies.  I guess it was because this is not a milkshake type recipe but a much thinner, milk like drink.  It didn't sound very appealing to me at all, but since we were trying to find some healthy milk alternatives to help supplement my young nephew's diet, I was up for giving it the old college try! 

I have to give the credit to my husband as the brains behind this recipe.   By brains, I mean he told me to put a banana, water and vanilla in a blender and mix it all up.  Of course this means I am the brains behind the brains, since I then had to figure out the measurements! :) Strangely enough, when all was said and done, it worked and tasted great, too.  The banana flavor was obvious but still subtle enough to not feel overpowered by it and the consistency was very much milk-like and there is just a hint of sweetness & vanilla.  It also passed the test of a one year old, for he drank it right up!   

Homemade Banana Milk
~by Herban Adventures

*Ingredients:
1 Ripened Banana, frozen and cut into chunks**
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

*Directions:
Add the frozen banana chunks, water and vanilla into a high speed blender (amazon affiliate link).  Blend on high until all the banana has been incorporated into the liquid. Pour and drink immediately or keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.  The banana milk will turn brown after it sits over a period of time.  This is entirely normal and expected.  It is a fresh banana after all! 

**Note:  It is very important to use super ripe banana's (much more so then the ones seen in my photo above).  This will make the banana taste so much more flavorful and sweeter.  Also, I use banana's quite frequently in smoothies and I have found it easiest to unpeel the banana and cut it into chunks before freezing it.  If you freeze the banana unpeeled, you'll have to let it sit and thaw a little bit before you'll be able to peel it. 

Enjoy!!!

~Chrissy

My Friday Five: February 7, 2014

I've taken a bit of a break from blogging over the last couple of weeks, but I'm back and ready to start writing again!  Since it's Friday, this means it is time for another "My Friday Five" post.  There has been lots and lots of fun things from the last two weeks that I've been eager to share with everyone, so now, without further adieu, here are the five things I absolutely have to share or I'd burst.....

1.  Urbnmat Earth Urbmat $79.95 ~Amazon Affiliate Link 
I was pretty excited when I came across this on my Twitter feed the other day.  This mat is designed for beginner gardeners, like me, who really want the dumbed down version of how to garden.  I really have no clue as to what I am doing when it comes to gardening.  Quite frankly, it kind of makes me a bit anxious.  What I like about this mat is you really can't get much easier then this.  It is like a gardening roadmap.  Everything is already supplied except the dirt to roll it out on.  All you have to do is place this mat in the space you cleared away for gardening, add the included seed balls in the appropriate hole on the mat and hook your water up to the drip irrigation system.  Then, you'll sit back and wait for your lovely, organic veggies to pop out.  Winter is beginning to feel as if it will never end but gardening season will be here before we know it and something like this may be a great tool to have for my first garden. 

2.  Beautiful Nebraska Sunrises!  Lately we seem to be having some really gorgeous sunrises here in Nebraska which paint the sky in this amazing variety of vibrant colors.  Lucky for me these sunrises have been happening during my drive into work, making it all the more richer and enjoyable for me.  My mood is always so much more positive and happier when this magnificent sight lights up the sky and uplifts my spirits! 

3.  Winning a giveaway contest.  Over the holidays, I signed up for the Goodebox 12 days of Giveaways contest.  Every day was a different giveaway, and I am pretty sure I signed up for each of the 12 giveaways.  Lucky for me, I actually won one of the prizes!!!  My prize was a 4 piece set of Valia Skincare products.  The four, full-size products I received were the Cleansing Milk, Purifying Wash, Yuzu Hydrating Crème & Bloom Dietary Supplement.  I don't know if I'll use the supplement, but the rest of the products will be put to great use!!!

4.  My Great Aunt's sparkly fashion jewelry.  My mom recently passed down to me quite a few pieces of my Great Aunt's lovely jewelry, circa 1940/1950.  These jewel encrusted pieces are all fake, but they are invaluable to me.  I have only a few treasured memories of my Great Aunt, who died when I was pretty young.  I am thrilled to find we have the same taste in glitzy, flashy jewelry.  Oddly, it makes me feel more close to her, even though she has been gone all these years!!! 

 
5.  Feel Good Stories.  This video is a few months old, but I always think about it when I hear the song, "Best Day of My Life" by American Authors.  It definitely tugs on my heart strings.  My husband and I have two little doggie's who mean the absolute world to us.  We actually got our dogs from breeders, but I've learned a lot over the last few years about puppy mills and breeders, enough to know that when the time comes our next family member will be a rescue dog.

Have a Great weekend!
~Chrissy