Puréed bananas: easy for beginners!

Dear Caregiver,

Bananas are an inexpensive and easy food to start with when new to puréeing food.  For this reason, they are often recommended as one of the first foods to prepare when getting introduced to a puréed diet. Below are several reasons for choosing bananas at the beginning of your puréed food journey:

1. Soft Texture: Bananas are naturally soft and have a smooth texture, which makes them easy to purée into a smooth consistency without any added ingredients.  This makes bananas well suited for people with chewing difficulties or swallowing problems.
2. Mild Flavor: Most people do enjoy the mild and sweet flavor of bananas or can endure it.
3. Nutritious:  Bananas are packed with many necessary vitamins and minerals. Data states they are a great source of essential nutrients , including potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and dietary  fiber among others.
4. Digestive Health: Research data also shows bananas help aid healthy digestion by adding bulk to stool and supporting regular bowel movements.
5. Versatility:  Bananas are one of those foods that can be incorporated or paired nicely with other foods to make a variety of puréed dishes and recipes.

So without further delay, let’s look at some delicious ways to purée up this fruit!

Recipe #1: Bananas in Blender – Straight Up

It doesn’t get any easier than this: place bananas in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a small bowl. Top off with Cool Whip and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  This makes a quick dessert or snack that is creamy, light, and yummy any time of the day or night!

Caregiver tip: A good tip for any left over puréed banana is to stir in a teaspoon of lemon juice and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.  The lemon juice slows down the oxidation process and delays the banana from turning brown.

Recipe #2: Puréed Banana Pancakes

Pancakes are a favorite breakfast food for the masses.  Adding puréed bananas to the batter makes these pancakes fluffy, moist and full of flavor. Using a pancake box mix makes it quick and easy for the caregiver to whip up a batch!

1. I made pancake batter according to the instructions on the pancake box mix. I added two puréed bananas to the mixture for 6-7 four inch pancakes. I also add vanilla and cinnamon to my pancakes but this is a personal preference.  Cook pancakes.
2. Make a slurry. Use Simply Thick instant food thickener 0.4 fl oz packet of moderately thick, honey thick, level 3.  Combine this packet with 1/2 cup of water in a shaker bottle.  Shake several seconds until the water is honey consistency. (See picture below of the thickened water).
3. To a small saucer, add 1/4 cup of slurry to the saucer and spread to cover the bottom. Add two pancakes on top of the slurry.  Pour remaining 1/4 cup slurry to top of the pancakes using a spoon to cover entire pancake with the mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Take the soaked pancakes in the slurry, add to blender and blend until desired smooth consistency.
5. Place the blended pancakes onto a saucer and microwave until heated through.
6. Add maple syrup or your topping of choice and enjoy!

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Caregiver tip: Freeze any leftover puréed bananas in ice cube trays. They are great to have on hand to put into smoothies!  Freezing saves time and money.

 

Recipe #3: Banana Cream Pie with Puréed Crust

Who doesn’t like banana cream pie? In this recipe, it is the crust that I am puréeing.

1. Take a fresh or frozen banana cream pie.  If frozen, thaw the pie.
2. Carefully scoop the filling and cream from the crust and set aside.
3. Make a slurry: Use Simply Thick instant food thickener 0.4 fl oz packet of moderately thick, honey thick, level 3.  Combine this packet with 1/2 cup of water in a shaker bottle.  Shake several seconds until the water is honey consistency.
4. Pour 1/4 cup of slurry onto a saucer. Place the crust on top of the slurry. Cover the crust with 1/4 cup of slurry being sure the crust is covered completely with the slurry.  Cover the saucer with plastic wrap and set aside 10 minutes or until the crust is soft and saturated.
5. Pour crust and slurry in a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Reassemble pie in a bowl. Spoon the crust on the bottom of the bowl, top with pie filling and cream on top.

Recipe #4: Honey Grilled Banana Sauce

These little tasty banana coins are cooked in a caramel sauce to make a thick sweet concoction to add as a topping for ice cream, yogurt, puréed pancakes, puréed waffles, etc,.  They can be cooked on a grill, in the oven or on the stove top.

1. 2 peeled bananas sliced into 1/2 inch thick “coins”
2. Add the following ingredients to a frying pan on medium high heat:  1 tablespoon of butter, 2 tablespoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.  Mix and stir ingredients . (you could substitute brown sugar or maple syrup for the honey)
3. Add banana slices to the mixture in the frying pan and cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes.  Watch carefully that your sauce doesn’t get too hot and burns.  Look for a  brown caramelized color.
4. After bananas are cooked, allow to cool before adding the bananas and caramel sauce to a blender and blend until smooth.

 

Recipe #5: Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Smoothies are quick, easy and very versatile to mix up for new flavors.  One of my favorite combinations is peanut butter and banana!  I find that people on puréed diets really, really miss peanut butter.  This is a wonderful way for them to have a taste of this flavor!

Put the following ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

1. 1/2 cup of blended yogurt of your choice, plain or vanilla flavored
2. 1 banana, fresh or frozen
3. 1/2 cup ice
4. 1/4 cup milk of your choice
5. 1/3 cup peanut butter
6. 1 tablespoon honey (can substitute honey for your sweetener of choice)

Conclusion

Overall, bananas are a simple, inexpensive, and tasty fruit to prepare and add to your puréed recipes.

In the recipes I selected for this post, I try and keep in mind the caregiver burden in making them.  I hope you find them to be easy to make if you are a beginner and find them enjoyable if you are a seasoned cook for puréeing foods.

I hope to have a Youtube channel up and running in the near future so caregivers can see a video for making the recipes posted here on my website.

Until next post, I hope you have a few peaceful moments to yourself today!

Best Regards, Jean

Check out how to find and spot puréed foods at your grocery store: https://caregiving4home.com/your-introduction-to-pureed-foods-at-the-

grocery-store/

If new to puréeing foods, read more about essential tools you will need: https://caregiving4home.com/the-beginners-guide-essential-tools-for-perfect-food-puree/

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