Saturday, January 1, 2011

2 creative uses for ripe bananas: facial mask or frozen for smoothies.

If you are like me you probably have one or two bananas on your kitchen counter that you don't feel like eating but that will spoil unless you do something with them. Instead of discarding them, there is a simple way to put your ripe bananas to good use.
Bananas are a nourishing and moisturizing fruit that can be used in face as well as hand masks because it's gentle, and exfoliating . Bananas contain magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, B6, B12 and A. They are rich in dietary fiber, low in Sodium.
There are two things I like to do with my ripe bananas. One is for beauty in your home spa , the other one for nutrition.


Beauty use for ripe bananas:  Make a facial mask
To prepare the mask smash 1/2 banana, mix with a 1 tablespoon of honey and 1-2 tablespoon of sour cream. The mask can also be done with natural yogurt instead of sour cream or just banana and honey.  Apply on your face avoiding your eyes areas. Leave on  for 10-20 minutes and then rinse gently with cold water. Considering that its also a delicious mask should you swallow some of it you should relax knowing that its chemical free. (smiles)
This mask is great for all skin types especially normal and dry skin.

Nutritious use for ripe bananas: Freeze them to use in homemade smoothies.
For those bananas that you can't get to finish, if they  are still good cut them up and freeze them so that you can use them up for homemade smoothies.Natural yogurt, frozen bananas ans strawberries make a delicious smoothie for a breakfast on the go or for a nutritious meal replacement. I often add coconut milk or almond milk to my smoothies with  or without the yogurt . You can also use unfrozen bananas it's just that adding frozen fruits replace the need for crushed ice. I often add blueberries to my smoothies and a few spices and herbs like cinnamon, fennel and even flaxseed.
Keep in mind that bananas are already high in sugar so when making a smoothie with them do not use more than one banana,  and avoid adding any sweetener to your smoothie. Adding cinnamon to your smoothie is a great way to regulate the sugar level.

If you have any healthy suggestions for ripe bananas feel free to share. Do you have any smoothie recipes that you would like to share? There are many smoothies ideas in our Facebook albums.

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