Back to school season is here which means busy mornings, packed lunches and afternoon snacks. In the midst of a hectic day, it can be easy to grab a sugary granola bar or send the kids to school with lunch money. 

But, if you’re like us, you know just how valuable it is to feed your kids healthy, nutrient-packed food. After all, they’re growing more and more every day and they need all of their vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy and strong. 

To help you out, we’ve found four recipes starring organic bananas as one of the main ingredients. Not only are they delicious, but they’re easy to make and perfect on the run. So, take a sip of your post-carpool morning coffee and check out these yummy, kid-friendly recipes.

 

Banana Bread Muffins

We’re starting off with a classic banana recipe, converted into a lunchbox-friendly version. Muffins have long been a staple in our children’s diets. After all, they’re yummy, packaging-free (most of the time), and easy to eat on the go. 

This recipe takes two of our great loves, banana bread and muffins, and combines them into one perfect lovechild. The best part? These muffins are only made with the good stuff and none of the bad stuff. So, at the end of the day, you’re a happy mom and your kids are none the wiser. Heck, you’ll probably want to make a few extra for your own secret stash. 

Start by breaking out those spotty bananas that have been sitting in the fruit bowl for just a little too long. Add three of them to a bowl and mash into a pulp with a fork. 

In a large bowl, combine ⅓ cup of vanilla Greek yogurt, 4 tablespoons of butter, and 1 cup of sugar. Mix well and incorporate the mashed banana, 2 eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of salt.

Over your mixing bowl, sift and mix all of your dry ingredients: 1.5 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.

When spooning the batter into the muffin tin or cupcake liners, make sure to only fill them up about ⅔ of the way. You’ll want to cook them at 350 degrees until they turn golden brown (about 15 minutes). 

Get the full recipe and ingredients list here. 

Tip: To make this recipe healthier and reduce your refined sugar intake, replace 1 cup sugar for 1/2 cup honey. Add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda and reduce your baking temperature by 25 degrees and you’re set!

 

Breakfast Banana Split

Summer may be coming to a close but this ice cream inspired recipe isn’t going anywhere. And no, there isn’t any ice cream in this recipe. While we all want to be the cool mom, we know that feeding kids dessert in the morning is a no-go.

Nonetheless, we think this is a fun breakfast treat for the weekends and we love how creative this confection is. Although it’s mostly composed of fruit, the mere presentation will give your kids the satisfaction of having indulged in an actual banana split. Don’t be surprised if word gets back to you that the kids on the playground are jealous that your kids get to eat “ice cream” for breakfast 😉 

Start by taking a peeled banana, butterflying it open, and placing the flat sides up. Start by scooping your ice cre- err,  vanilla yogurt across the bananas. While the amount is up to you, we recommend sticking with a traditional serving size.

Next, the fun begins! Round up your littles and place a bunch of topping options in front of them. Some examples are nuts, fresh berries, granola, etc. If you’re feeling extra special, include a few treats in the mix like chocolate chips or rainbow sprinkles.

Let your kids deck out their “sundaes” and enjoy the five minutes of silence that follow. As fun as this recipe is, we also love how interactive it is. It encourages your kids to think about the healthy food choices they’re making and allows them to discover what they actually like. Sounds like one sweet deal to us. 

Check out all the details here.

 

Strawberry Banana Smoothies

Some mornings are more hectic than others and sometimes there isn’t merely enough time to eat a proper meal before school. The saying goes that breakfast is the most important meal of the day so we’re here with a solution to those crazy mornings.

Smoothies are one of our go-to’s in the morning. On some days, you have to optimize your routine by drinking your breakfast instead of eating, we get it. But, something tells us that our kids aren’t going to exactly be excited over one of those vegetable-packed green smoothies that are all over Pinterest. 

So, we found a kid-friendly version that’s simple to make in a hurry and will give your littles enough energy to power through recess. 

Take a couple of handfuls of frozen strawberries and a fresh, peeled banana and drop into a blender. Add a splash of liquid (milk, water, juice, or whatever you have on hand) and a bit of honey for sweetness. Blend well until there are no lumps.

We recommend taking the responsibility of taste tester to make sure the smoothie is up to your kids’ standards. If it seems like it’s too thick, water it down with some more of the liquid component. If it’s a little too runny, chuck in a few more frozen strawberries or ice cubes. 

And just like that, another morning survived. Give yourself a pat on the back, you deserve it.

For full recipe details, follow this link.  

 

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars

We love the convenience of granola bars and our kids love the flavor of them. The only issue? Many of them contain a ton of sugar and, in some cases, you might as well be giving your kids a candy bar. Because of this, we much rather prefer to make our own so we know exactly what ingredients are going into them.

The best part about this recipe? It’s only 5 ingredients. All of which are fully up to super mom standards. These oat bars are the perfect after-school snack for your kids since they’re packed full of protein, slow-digesting carbs, and healthy fats. They’ll be fully prepared to power through a homework marathon without spoiling their appetite before dinner.

Hopefully you have a few more ripe bananas around because you’re going to need them. Begin by mashing 3 bananas with a fork in a bowl. Using a mixer, combine 1 cup of peanut butter (can be subbed out for any type of nut butter), a quarter cup of honey, and spices of your choosing. This recipe used a splash of vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon.

Once that is nicely incorporated, introduce your dry ingredients, 2 cups of oats and 1 cup of nuts or seeds of your choosing, into the mixture.

Pour the mixture into a square baking pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Once cooled, cut them into even rectangles and store in an airtight container.

Follow this link for the full recipe. 

 

We hope you enjoyed these recipes we’ve shared. If you try any of them out, make sure to let us know how they went! If you have any other ideas for awesome kid-friendly banana recipes, make sure to drop them in the comments so we can check them out, too!