BANANA MILKSHAKE

Ingredients:

·        1-2 bananas (preferably frozen)

·        1 cup (8 ounces) ice

·        1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk

·        2 1/2 tsp sugar, sugar substitute, or honey

·        1 scoop (3 ounces) vanilla ice cream

·        1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract (optional)

·        4-6 chopped almonds (optional)

·        Any additional flavors you may desire (mango, pineapple, spinach, kale, blueberry, etc.)

Preparation:

 Put a sliced banana or two into the blender. It's best if frozen. As long as it's ripe, it'll be fine. When it's frozen, it's colder and it eliminates the need for more ice.

Add 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup ice to the blender. If the ice is crushed, it'll be much easier on your blender and the process will go a lot faster.

·         What kind of milk? That's up to you. Watching calories? Go non-fat, soy, or almond. Want something creamier? 2% or coconut milk will do the trick.

Add a scoop of ice cream. This is where your creativity can take over. Vanilla is standard and will let the banana shine, but the world is your Baskin Robbins right now. If you wanted 31 different flavors in your milkshake, it could happen. What are you hankering for?

·         Some recommendations? Peanut butter, chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, strawberry, coconut, mango, or coffee. And if you can handle it, banana.

Add 4-6 chopped almonds. This is for a bit of a zing and texture, but can be omitted. If you don't have almonds on hand but would like something else in your milkshake, consider adding 1/2 cup of oats, quinoa or peanut butter.

·         Love almonds? Go on, add more!

·         Now, add vanilla extract, if desired. It'll bring out the natural vanilla flavors in your shake.

Blend ingredients until mixture is smooth. If ice gets lodged in the bottom of your blender, take your spoon and mix it between blending sessions. Aside from that, the blending process should take a minute or two.

Add sugar to taste. At last, this is an excuse for a taste test! Try a spoonful and gauge how much sugar it needs, if any. Honey is a good natural alternative, and a sugar substitute (such as Splenda) is good, too. A teaspoon or two ought to be enough.

Pour into frosted mugs. In a cold mug, the milkshake will stay cold and thick longer. If you have leftovers, keep them in the fridge or the freezer until you crave more.

Enjoy! The recipe above serves 2. Next time, try your own variation -- banana goes well with many flavors and is a perfect platform for trying wacky combinations.

·         If you'd like, garnish it with a cherry, whip cream, chocolate chips, or chopped almonds.