Bananas are a common offender for getting wasted, right?  They are so cheap, and you have intentions of making smoothies, eating them for a snack or eating them with your granola, so you buy a ton of them.  But then by the end of the week you have forgotten about your good pal, the banana, and now they look brown and sad.

Oh poor brown banana.  It's not your fault you turn an undesirable color after a few days!  I feel for ya, brown banana.  No longer shall you end up in the trash with fruit flies all over you!  We shall rescue you, dear brown banana, and make you great!  Kitchens around the world will all wish they had brown bananas instead of their perfect yellow ones.  You will shine in all your over ripe glory as we put you in the lime light as the star ingredient.

My favorite way to keep Mr. and Mrs. Brown Bananas happy and out of the trash is to freeze them.  After they are frozen, I like to use them for banana bread or muffins, Trim Healthy Mama banana oat cake, or smoothies.  They can also be eaten as is for a little sweet snack, or dipped in chocolate or peanut butter.

How to freeze bananas

This is my method for freezing bananas:

First peel and slice bananas into rounds.

Next, place on a parchment lined baking tray and pop in freezer.

Flash freeze for at least an hour or until frozen.  This will help keep the bananas from sticking together when you store them.

After frozen, place in desired container.  I like to just use freezer bags for convenience and space, but if plastic isn't your thing, feel free to use something else.

Lastly, label container with how many bananas you have in the bag.

Now when you want to use them, you can keep them frozen for a smoothie or banana bites.  Alternatively, if you are using them in a baked good, like banana bread, let the bananas thaw before using them in your recipe.

It's very easy and really only takes a few minutes of hands on time.  Yes, bananas are inexpensive, but why waste your hard earned money by throwing the overripe ones in the trash.

What's your favorite use for bananas?