Banana Treats

The weather today was fantastic.  Even though I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of the heat this month.

And I'm sure that if I asked Kev - who is sitting right next to me- he would tell me that he has researched and charted the weather for the rest of the season and that I shouldn't put my flip flops away just yet.

But seriously, do South Carolinians ever need to put up their flip flops?

I don't even own a coat.

Kev is not necessarily a fan of the Fall... mainly because it leads to winter.  And winter brings the cold.  The only thing that cold weather does for him is cuts his yard work in half.

I, however,  welcome the crisp, Fall weather with so much enthusiasm!

There are so many reasons why- that I could waste an obnoxious amount of time telling you each and every one of them.... or I could just summarize by saying FOOD + CLOTHES. 

That pretty much sums it all up. 

It's time for hearty food and boots and scarves.  Except for I have been wearing boots and scarves for the past month.  So, I guess I should say that it is time for me not to sweat while wearing boots and scarves.

It will be nice not to stick to my car seat.

My morning started with walking lunges.  Gnat free.  Heat free.  Humidity free.

Perfection.

Three times a week I hit up my back yard for a "fence to fence" lunges.  Eleventy billion feet of ground to cover.  Or 220 feet if you ask Kev - who is still sitting right next to me making sure I tell the truth.  

 Sometimes I even do my boxing punches while I am lunging.

But just sometimes.

I'm self conscience that the wildlife is watching me and wondering why "that crazy human is punching the air".

I'm not going to lie.  The workout is tough.  But so worth it.

And more fun than standing in front of a mirror doing lunges.

I make intense, angry faces.

Sometimes I scare myself.

Anyway, enough about that... this post is about banana treats.  A treat that was specially requested upon my arrival home from work.

A treat that, after 20 years of togetherness, I finally  made for Kev a couple of weeks ago.  And he was floored that I had never made it before or even spoken about it.

I've learned it is important to keep your marriage interesting by withholding recipes for as long as possible.

OR it could have just been that I had forgotten all about it until I realized we had a plethora of bananas that we needed to eat.

My Mom taught me how to make this treat while I was in Girl Scouts.  We used to make them all of the time... even over campfires.

It is versatile, I tell you.  Versatile.

So, you start with a banana (duh!)

 Leave the skin ON!  And cut the banana down the middle.  Be careful not to cut through the banana.  You want to create a "bowl".

 Then STUFF the banana full of insanity and goodness!!  This is where you can get creative.

As a kid, we used to use chocolate chips and marshmallows.  But I decided to make it as healthy as possible but filling it with crunchy peanut butter, chopped walnuts, and dark chocolate chips.  ( I realize that our love for nuts is a little over the top)

 Then wrap it up in foil.  Bake it at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

 Or until it gets melty.  Just keep an eye on it.  You want the banana to be warm and gooey as well!

 Then just serve with a spoon.

It is a banana, peanut butter, chocolate EXPLOSION!

And good to the last bite!

Not only does it make a perfect late night snack... but it would be something fun for kids to make ( because it was for me when I was a kid ).  You could have all kinds of toppings and let each child make their own.

It sure sounds like a party that I would like to go to.  :)

And now I am off to bed... I've got an early morning and I want to make sure I've picked out the appropriate amount of layers to keep me warm. 

Have a great Saturday!