Banana Pops!!!!!!

WARNING!!! This can be an incredibly messy and fun activity that is absolutely delicious! There seems to be a theme this summer in my kitchen that my daughter Laila comes to me with an idea of something fun and sweet that she wants to make. This morning the pitch to me was that it involved one part healthy ( banana ) and the other part sweet ( everything else) ! :) I was sold at frozen banana /chocolate/ peanut butter / oh lets face it the whole idea sounded great to me!!!! So here is what we did –  3 bananas cut in half, popsicles sticks ( can find these at any craft store ) and then anything else you like the sky is the limit for toppings!! We used nutella ( of course ) , peanut butter , granola, semi- sweet chips , sweetened coconut, pretzels, honey graham crackers and marshmallows – yes this recipe is not for the faint of heart!   Hahahaha  Here is what you do, take the popsicle sticks and put them inside the bananas about half way then coat each banana with something the toppings can stick to like peanut butter and roll or sprinkle the toppings over each banana and place on a dish or wax paper. For two of the bananas I used melted chocolate which is really easy to do on the stove or microwave- I put the chocolate chips in a glass bowl over a pot that had about an inch of water in it ( water should not touch bottom of bowl ) and let it boil ( softly ) and then as the chips start to melt I stir them with a spoon until the chocolate is all melted and then take it off the heat and spread the chocolate on the banana. Once all your bananas are coated and topped with your favorite toppings just stick them in the freezer to freeze, ours took about 5 hours but check them along the way. The combos we did were : peanut butter & chocolate chips, peanut butter and granola ( great for breakfast ) , nutella & coconut, melted chocolate and pretzels and last but not least a S’mores with melted chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows! Not only are these delicious but I have to say this is such a great way to get your kids in the kitchen with you and get them to help clean up! :)

I hope I have inspired you to –  get messy –  be creative – have fun and enjoy your time this summer in the kitchen making something everyone will love!