In my first job out of college, I was paid to eat ice cream every day. For a little over two years, I tried every flavor, brand, and type of ice cream you could imagine–from Blue Bell to Ben & Jerry’s to Bomb Pops.

{Brief moment of pause to reflect on my life decisions…I moved on from a role where I got to eat ice cream as a part of my job. Every single day. For free. What in the world was I thinking?! Sigh. Moving on…}

In those two years, I learned a lot. Most relevant to this venue, I learned the following:

• All ice cream is good–some ice cream is just better than others
  • One exception: Chicago Brick ice cream is disgusting–it’s a neapolitan-like mix of vanilla ice cream, orange sherbet, and caramel ice cream.

 

• The higher the milkfat % and the lower the overrun the better (ie: more premium) the ice cream

 

• Market Pantry Ice Cream is the best ice cream you can buy for your money
  • Why? Because it’s actually ice cream…look at the fine print of your scround of name-brand ice cream in your freezer…I am willing to bet it might say it’s “frozen dairy dessert”

 

• You should avoid eating ice cream every day
  • To be fair, sometimes it would just be tasting a spoonful during a vendor meeting…but it still definitely adds up!

 

This last one was a biggy…but also really tough to avoid when you were surrounded by ice cream on a daily basis. I also regularly brought ice cream home…which meant that both Tom and I were eating this frozen, creamy, and delicious treat more than we probably should have been.

Now, I do have to admit…ice cream is one of our two main weaknesses. Tom and I will make exceptions and eat sugar-filled delicious items on two occasions:

• Homemade/good ice cream is involved and/or it is voted the “best ice cream” in a new city we’re visiting
• Homemade/good donuts are involved and/or it is voted the “best donut” in a new city we’re visiting

I wish I could say that beyond these occasions we don’t crave ice cream. But here’s the thing…despite having a different job and now being married, old habits die hard. We still want ice cream. All the time. Like every night.

But…that’s not really reality. Or healthy. Or even possible for me and my prediabetes.

So…where’s the compromise for satisfying our sweet tooth while keeping my blood sugar in-check?

Here’s our answer:

• Replacing the cold, creamy base of the old standard with frozen bananas
• Using just enough semi-sweet chocolate chips to satisfy your sweet-tooth
• Adding chopped peanuts to mimic the crunch you get from the inclusions in your favorite flavor

|  Banana Bites/Yummies* |

{*Note: We’re still agreeing on the name…I call them “Banana Bites”, Tom calls them “Banana Yummies”}

Serves: 3 Tom’s or 4 Alaina’s

Ingredients Needed:

• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup salted cocktail peanuts

Directions:

First, prepare your ‘naners…

• Line an 8 by 8 metal baking pan with parchment paper
• Lay banana slices in rows across the entirety of the pan–being careful to avoid overlapping any slices
  • They should be touching each other–just avoid the overlap!
• Set aside

Then get your peanuts ready…

• In a small ziploc/other baggie, dump in your peanuts and seal the bag while removing as much air as possible
• Using a heavy non-breakable cup or can, pound the bag to crush your peanuts until they are finely chopped
  • I always use my metal travel mug for this–it works perfectly
  • Be careful not to over-crush–you don’t want peanut powder!
• Set aside

Next, get that chocolate melted…

• Melt your chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl ensuring that you stir halfway through the melting process to avoid burning
• Immediately after melting, use a spoon to evenly drizzle the chocolate over the bananas
  • This is where having the banana slices touching each other is helpful–you don’t waste any chocolate when drizzling!

Finally, add your nuts…

• Sprinkle the crushed peanuts evenly across your banana slices
• Once complete, slightly press the peanuts into the warm chocolate
  • This helps the nuts set into the chocolate when they freeze

Now throw ’em in the freezer!

• Place pan, uncovered, in the freezer for at least 3 hours before enjoying
  • You can leave them in there for up to 3 days–but no more than that! Then they turn into frozen ice chunks. Yuck.
• Once ready to eat, use a fork to loosen the bananas from the parchment paper and from the other banana slices
  • If you try to do this before it’s been at least 3 hours you’ll regret it–the chocolate will not have set to the bananas and will pop off into separate pieces. No bueno. 
• If you’re fancy, you can throw them on a plate…otherwise just eat from the pan!

{For reference, that’s what Tom and I do…we make a batch before dinner, patiently wait until 8 PM, and then break out the banana bites/yummies and watch an old episode of Food Network Star. We really live life on the edge…I know.}

So I know what you’re thinking: there is NO way this tastes like ice cream. But here’s the thing–the texture of frozen banana on your tongue is actually very similar to the mouth-feel of ice cream. Paired with the smoothness of the semi-sweet chocolate and the salty crunch of the peanuts…it gives you a crazy reminiscence of a big spoonful of your favorite ice cream flavor.

I’m not going to lie to you–you’re smart enough to know that this isn’t ice cream. But it is a heck of a lot easier than a lot of the other “fake” ice creams out there that you can make or buy–as well as a lot better for you. Even if you buy actual ice creams that are no-sugar added, made with non-cow’s milk, or say they’re “all natural”–they are still chock-full of sugar. There is a little bit of refined sugar in the chocolate chips used in this recipe, but the entire recipe only uses 1/4 cup of chocolate chips–which equates to the same amount of sugar (a little less than 30 grams) in one serving of ice cream.

These banana bites/yummies (we really need to agree on a name for these…) are something that Tom and I enjoy at least one to two times a week. They are a delectable treat, super easy, and crazy inexpensive.

Most importantly, these little slices of deliciousness fulfill our nightly craving for ice cream in a way that’s relatively healthy and low in refined sugar. It’s a habit we don’t feel guilty about…and one that pairs well with our love to cuddle on the couch at the end of a long day.

A sweet treat + a sweet man? Life just doesn’t get much better.

Here’s to making many more culinary compromises–all in the name of love.

xoxo, alaina