Going Bananas Shake! (E)

DSCN0570Bananas have gotten a bad wrap!  I see comments slung left and right on the boards saying, “Bananas are off plan!”  I try to gently remind everyone when I see a comment that you can have a half of a banana in an E meal setting.  I think a great thing to do would be to go to the back of the index and look up bananas!

Page. 83 (The Energizing Meal)

“A word about bananas.  God made them and they are a wonderful food.  We buy them for our children, who are growing and still very insulin sensitive since they have young cells and run around all day.  We very rarely eat bananas ourselves, as they are more like potatoes, and can easily fatten an adult.  If you don’t want to say a complete goodbye to the them, stick to half a banana as a limit while eating E style.

Have protein WITH your banana!!  

Page. 596 (Frequently Asked Questions)

“Yes, bananas are healthy.  God made them for a purpose. They are excellent for growing children and for people who struggle to keep on weight.  The reason for this is that they are much higher in sugars than the other fruits we suggest.  Tropical fruits on a whole have less fiber and more sugar.  This doesn’t mean you totally exclude them from your diet.  You can have small amounts of these with E meals, e.g., mango in some salsa, pineapple in some cottage cheese, small piece of watermelon, or half a banana.  Personally, we stay away from bananas, but we had addictions to them in the past.  Three in one sitting was not beyond us, so they are trigger foods for us.”

I think one of the reasons the girls have spoken strongly about the banana is because they had an addiction to eating them in the past.  They are a trigger food for them!  If it’s a trigger food for you, you may want to avoid them!  I am not endorsing eating a half a banana daily but, one or two halves during the week with an E meal is fine, in my opinion.  It comes down to what your body can handle.

Page 596 (Frequently Asked Questions)

“We call bananas and other high glycemic fruits healthy since God made them, but only for those whose blood sugar can handle them.  If something is chock full of vitamins and minerals and yet causes your waistline to expand and spike your blood sugar levels, which is aging and inflammatory, it is not healthy for you.”

Be your own judge!  See how you feel after you eat that half of a banana.  If you do have insulin or sugar issues, just steer clear!

I don’t know why I’m thinking so much about the banana.  I have not eaten much of one since being on THM. I do buy them for my kids and they eat them up!  I just make sure they eat one a day and not a few for a snack.

I have an E style shake that I enjoy on occasion!  It’s base isn’t banana like many do when making smoothies but, it does contain half of a banana. 🙂  The key is having a protein source WITH the banana!

Going Bananas Shake!  (E)

1 cup of unsweetened, Vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 cup of water

1 scoop of Swanson’s Premium Protein Powder(vanilla)

1/2 of a banana

1/2 tsp of Gluccomanan

1 TBS of unsweetened cocoa powder (heaping)

1 TBS of peanut flour

2 tsp of Truvia or sweeten with a plan approved sweetener of your choice.

Vanilla

Salt (a shake)

Ice

I mix all my ingredients in my Ninja for 30 seconds or so.  I then add 14 cubes of ice! It’s the magic number of cubes for me! 🙂  You may like more or less.

I hope this post helps a little bit with the banana confusion.  The poor banana isn’t banned like the white potato or sugar..we just need to be very moderate and use them on occasion.

Here is another yummy banana recipe from Gwen’ blog!  You should definitely try it!!  BANANA CREAM CAKE!!!!

Enjoy!!

For more recipes and Trim Healthy Mama tips go to Stacy Makes Cents or Gwen’s Nest!

*All quotes were taken from the Trim Healthy Mama Book.  No copyright laws were meant to be broken.

13 thoughts on “Going Bananas Shake! (E)

  1. Thanks *SO* much for this recipe — this was my lunch today, along with 1 slice of Ezekiel toast (spread with a wedge of laughing cow). My tummy is happy, and I’m thrilled to have something so decadent on H-ween that doesn’t say “Fun Size” anywhere on it 😉

  2. Pingback: Banana Cream Cake Recipe {Trim Healthy Tuesday} | Gwens Nest

  3. I fully enjoyed this! It was my first banana (half) in an entire year! lol I hadn’t realized the book said it was okay to even half a half so I was just avoiding them until I hit my goal. Avoid them no more! And this was a perfect medium for the banana! Thank you so much for a great filling snack! 🙂

  4. I don’t have any bananas but do have some banana extract, also don’t have peanut flour, would peanut butter be subbed for the flour?

    • Hi Darlene,

      You could try some banana extract for the same flavor. If you want an S shake…you can use Natural peanut butter and banana extract. If you are on THM…if you mix the banana and peanut butter it would be a Crossover.

  5. Could i ask what you think about the 0% greek yogurt in smoothies instead of protein powder? I really wasnt sure in the book, I get that its neutral so wouldnt it be ok? Also if you do use half a banana can other fruit go in too? Or that would be all the fruit sugar allowed. If yoy have any idea please would love some help! Just started yesterday!!

    • If you do use 1/2 a banana, I’d not really us another fruit. Bananas are pretty high in natural sugars. If you do..maybe some strawberries or a berry lower in carbs. I will ask about your protein question. I love Swanson’s brand. It’s the best taste and value that I’ve found.

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