Frugal Bananas

We go through a lot of bananas in a week. Okay, maybe not a ton but we do put them in our shakes every morning, eat them as snacks, I make banana bread out of them, ect.

Not only does the cost of bananas add up, they also go bad fast!  That is why I have stared to shop smart. What this means is I look for the banana’s at the store that are “a day old” Most stores (Fred Meyer’s, the Everett Co-Op) will discount the “brown” bananas usually up to 20% off. Now, they don’t always have brown bananas in the store, so when I find some, I stalk up! I will by two or three bunches of them (sometimes more if I am planning on making lots of bread!) This helps me save lots of $$ over the course a few months.

Then, when I get them home I freeze them! Frozen bananas make your shakes extra creamy, the prolong the life of the banana and is great if you want to make banana bread in a week or two, as your bananas will stay fresh!

Freezing your bananas is really easy! First, start off by peeling all your bananas (trust me on this one, it is almost impossible to get the skin off if you freeze them with it on!!)

The next thing I do is break my bananas in half. I do this for two reasons: First, we only put half a banana in our shakes, so it makes it REALLY in the morning to grab one. Secondly, I find I can fit more on a cookie sheet that way!

Then simply lay the bananas on a cookie sheet (not so close that they are touching) and stick them in the freezer.

I leave them in there for 3-4 hours, and them stick them in a zip lock bag and back in the freezer!

I find that this really helps me stay on track with eating a healthy breakfast and starting my day out right. When things are easy to make, you want to make them!

For more frugal ideas check out Pennywise Platter Thursdays @ The Nourishing Gourmet