Breakfast Ice Cream

This is a great way to get your kids to eat bananas and plain yogurt, and a relatively guilt-free treat for you as well. It has the consistency of soft-serve ice cream, and it tastes great. It's also the perfect way to use up very brown bananas. Be sure to cut them in chunks before freezing.

1 frozen banana, cut in pieces
2 tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of wheat germ (optional)*

*Find wheat germ in jars in the cereal aisle, near the oatmeal.

1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and wheat germ. Stir until well blended.
2. Put frozen banana in food processor and pour the yogurt mixture over the top.
   
3. Puree on high until the mixture is very smooth. (Hold on tight for the first few seconds; the processor will shake violently.)

Serve drizzled with chocolate syrup, if desired.

Note: Convert to a smoothie by adding 1/2 cup of milk and mixing in the blender instead of the food processor. Don't try making the ice cream in the blender without the extra milk, or you might break your blender.



You can find this recipe and many other kid-friendly recipes in The Sneaky Chef cookbook, by Missy Chase Lapine.

Amish Friendship Banana Nut Bread

1 cup Amish friendship starter
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Mix first six ingredients well.
   
2. Add rest of ingredients except nuts. Mix only until blended.
3. Fold in nuts.
4. Pour into greased and sugared loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-60 minutes depending on size of pans.

Makes 2 regular loaf pans, 4 mini loaf pans, or 6 small tin foil loaf pans.

Banana Pudding

1/2 box vanilla wafers
3 - 4 bananas
8 oz package of cream cheese
14 oz can of Eagle Brand milk
3 cups milk
1 large vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip

1. Cream the cheese until smooth.
   
2. Stir in Eagle Brand milk.
   
3. Add regular milk and pudding mix and beat until thick.
   
4. Fold in Cool Whip.
   
5. Make layers of cookies, bananas, and pudding mixture. Top with Cool Whip or vanilla wafers.

Serves 10 to 12.

Frosted Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 or 4)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs, bananas, and vanilla.
3. Add in flour, baking soda, and salt.
   
4. Pour into greased 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan.
   
5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until bars test done. Cool thoroughly.
6. For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese in mixing bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Spread over bars.
   

This recipe makes me think of Thursday Group meetings. A group of friends met every other Thursday to talk about what was going on in our hearts. The only rule we had was that when one person was sharing, everyone else had to listen silently. We laughed, cried, and prayed together. We usually met at Jenny's house, and if we were lucky, she'd bring out some banana bars from her freezer.

Cold, almost frozen bars are just about as good as fresh, warm ones. Put your leftover bars (if you have any!) on a paper plate and put that inside a large freezer bag. Take them out about an hour before you plan to serve them. They'll keep for months if your kids don't get to them.