Coffee Smoothies!!!

I hate waste!

I love bananas. I try to keep a stock on hand but regularly buying a bunch means frequently losing a few. I become quite unhappy when one or two go bad before I can eat them. When you find yourself with a spotty, just about to go bad, banana, don’t throw it out! Banana’s actually gain nutrition as they ripen. But who wants to eat a soft mushy banana? You will once you try this! Peel it first, and add the peel to your ‘live garbage’ for composting and then wrap it in wax paper. Once wrapped, place it in the freezer.

I love coffee. I probably drink more than I shoulder but that’s another story. That warm cup in the morning is a great way to tempt me out of my cozy bed and since I am a self-proclaimed coffee snob, I splurge on my beans. I deplore throwing the stuff out if I’ve made too much or let it go cold. I just plain ole’ hate waste but what’s a girl to do?

Coffee smoothies! That’s what.

I pour my leftover coffee into an ice tray. Yes, the old fashioned little plastic trays we used to make ice in. And if you’re old enough you might remember the metal variety with the pull handle to open. Man what a pain! These little plastic ones will do nicely. So, now I’ve got a supply of coffee ice on hand. And there’s a frozen banana in there as well.

When I find myself needing a cool, afternoon pick me up, or if I am hankering for something like ice cream but want to keep fat and calories to a minimum, this is just the treat!

I take the banana out of the freezer and unwrap the wax paper. The wax paper goes into my fire starter kit, also another story! I break up the banana into manageable pieces and drop them into my blender. I add a heaping spoonful of local honey and blend that up to start. Sugar will work as a sweetener and so will dates and raisins if you want to keep it more natural. I like the subtle sweetness from the banana with the touch of honey.

Next, I add a couple of coffee cubes. I add a few at a time because my blender just ‘freezes’ up if I put in too many at one time, no pun intended.

When I’ve added about half the cubes I put in a heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder to give it a little extra kick. If you don’t like chocolate you can skip this step. Sometimes I add coconut or peanut butter. Experiment! It’s fun!

I add the rest of the cubes 2 or 3 at a time and when everything is all mixed up viola. It’s tasty coffee goodness!

I’ve saved yet another banana from waste and a cup of coffee from going down the drain. Whew!

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