Salad Bar Parenting: A buffet of ideas, practices and products loved by a Motherhood Collective Mom. Depending on your season of parenthood or mothering philosophies, you may pile on what works for you or pass the salad tongs to the next Mom. ~TMC As our little one transitioned from exclusively "milk" fed into solid foods, I explored the world of homemade babyfood. Creating healthy and wholesome meals for my babe inadvertently led to my husband and I eating more fresh produce and fewer processed foods. The biggest discovery for our family was the beauty (and versatility) of bananas.
This yellow super-fruit is often a baby's first introduction into the world of food. It was usually the only fruit that lived in our junk food-filled house when we were newlyweds. Now that I know better, I sneak it into as many things as possible.
Mashed bananas are the perfect sweet addition (or substitute) for pancakes, muffins, and cookies. Cut up bananas are amazing on peanut butter sandwiches and cereal. But have you ever eaten a frozen banana? Frozen bananas are an amazing popsicle substitute if your kids love ice cream on a stick. (Frozen bananas are also the perfect soother for teething babes).
My favorite method of daily consumption of my yellow friend is in the form of smoothies. I cut up 4 - 5 bananas in a container and stick it into the freezer for at least 5 hours. It takes about 1.5 - 2 bananas to make a serving that satisfies a grown up with a sweet tooth. If we're enjoying a smoothie in the morning, I add spinach and almond butter with skim milk. If we're enjoying a smoothie at night instead of going out to get FroYo, we crush M&Ms or Oreos and make a Blizzard. We've saved money and calories with these frozen concoctions and I'm certain we're the skinnier for it.
