Maria Marlowe is a successful writer, author, public speaker, and passionate Real Food Evangelist. She heads up her own integrative nutrition coaching practice in NYC, and offers three distinct programs tailored for healthy weight, beautiful skin, and overall wellness.
We love Maria’s creative recipe ideas because they go the extra mile to transform basic healthy ingredients into signature dishes that are both unique and delicious. Her new book, The Real Food Grocery Guide, is now available to help shoppers make food choices that enable them to look and feel their best.
One of nature’s best kept secrets is out—something downright magical happens when you freeze bananas! All you have to do is pop those bananas sitting on your counter into the freezer, run them through a high-speed blender with a splash of vanilla—and abracadabra—they’re somehow transformed from an ordinary fruit into a super-sweet, creamy treat you’d swear was dairy-based and loaded with sugar.
Bananas are a terrific source of gut-boosting prebiotics and are also rich in vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese. But when you dig into this luscious Banana Ice Cream recipe, all you’ll be thinking about is the decadent taste experience. With no added sugar or unhealthy ingredients, this yummy treat is perfect for the entire family. Even the most jaded of kids (or grown up junk food junkies) won’t turn their noses up at this one—especially since the healthy add-in options let you custom create flavors to please the fussiest of palettes.
It’s important to use a high-speed blender when making this ice cream, since the motors in most standard blenders just aren’t strong enough to handle frozen ingredients without burning out. High-speed blenders can be a bit pricey, but once you taste that first spoonful of dreamy banana ice cream, you’ll be really glad you made the investment!
Ingredients:
• Banana N'ice Cream Base: 2 frozen bananas*
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• Add Ins: (choose a favorite)
• Chocolate / 2 -3 teaspoons cacao powder
• Chocolate Almond butter / 2-3 teaspoons cacao powder + 1 tablespoon almond butter
• Carob / 2-3 teaspoons carob powder
• Date / 3-4 pitted dates + ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• Strawberry Mint / 1 cup frozen strawberries + 6 mint leaves
• Coconut / 1 tablespoon coconut butter or shredded coconut
• Almond Ginger / 1 tablespoon almond butter or 1 tablespoon almonds + ½ inch piece peeled ginger
Instructions:
1. Place all ingredients (banana base plus the add in ingredients of your choice) into a high speed blender and blend on high until soft serve ice cream consistency is reached, which should be about 30-60 seconds.
2. Taste to determine if you want to add more of any add ins, and re-blend if needed. Otherwise, simply spoon out and serve!
Notes:
*Peel overripe bananas, break in half, and put in a zip top freezer bag. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. It's a good idea to leave a big batch of frozen bananas in your freezer, so you have some on hand when the mood strikes.