I’ve been doing a great job at cutting back the amounts of junk food sweets I’ve been eating. It sure hasn’t been easy especially when I want to make a Dove chocolate cheesecake so bad. Oh and a caramel pecan streusel pound cake. Did I mention I got a doughnut pan last month and have been dying to make some sour cream cake doughnuts? And I saw some carrot cake cookies on food network the other day….did you hear me, CARROT.CAKE.COOKIES. YALL. Omg *sigh* You get the point right, this struggle is real!! I do have a Saturday cheat day though. *Whew*
Thankfully I’ve stocked my freezer and pantry with healthier desserts and snacks to help me through this trying time and it’s WORKING! Oh and I almost forgot those little Girl Scout trolls have just started resurfacing with their delicious boxes of cookies and sweet smiles!! FML!!! Ok breath Monique.
Like I was saying, I have some tricks in my own little bag, one of them being these healthy ice cream sandwiches. I won’t sit here and tell you they taste just like ice cream sandwiches or even better, because they don’t. They just aren’t those soft, chocolately vanilla ice cream bars of nostalgic heaven I grew up with. But they are a tasty little treat that won’t leave you feeling guilty after eating it and conquers the “sweets demon” like a pro. Enough for me. I’ll definitely continue making these. They rock!
I really wanna try banana chocolate and banana peanut butter next. And peach banana. I hear that peaches also “cream” up when frozen and pureed so maybe I’ll try a peaches and cream batch as well. These babies will be my saving grace this summer I just know it! Hello felt stomach, my you sure look nice!!
These health strawberry banana ice cream sandwiches are made simply with ripe frozen bananas that have been blended to create a creamy ice cream texture, a few fresh sweet strawberries sandwiched between two organic,natural graham crackers. I like how clean these healthy ice cream sandwiches are. I can pronounce all of the ingredients. Win!
It’s super important that your banana and strawberries are really sweet for the best taste!
Make up a batch, wrap them in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer bag and stash them away in the freezer for when an ice cream attack hits. You’ll thank yourself.
Watch me make these Healthy Strawberry Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches from start to finish!
****Update*** I made a batch of peanut butter banana and banana nutella today and they are by far my favorites so far!!! I’d recommend dividing the banana cream up so that you can make and taste a variety and pick your favorite to create a large batch.
The Recipe
Healthy Ice Cream Sandwiches (Strawberry Banana)
By Divas Can Cook
Ingredients
- 5 ripe bananas
- ¾ cup sweet diced strawberries (can use other fruits)
- 11 sheets of graham crackers (I used Organic cinnamon sugar & chocolate)
Instructions
- Slice bananas into disk.
- Place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Freeze for 2 hours or until frozen.
- Place banana slices in a food processor and blend until creamy.
- Scoop banana into a large bowl and fold in dice strawberries.
- Line an 8 x 8 dish with parchment paper.
- Spread banana mixture into the pan in an even layer.
- Freeze.
- Cut banana mixture into squares (use a graham cracker as a pattern)
- Assemble ice cream sandwiches.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to store.
How did you make the peanut butter banana ice cream sandwiches? Yum!
Is freezing the bananas first a necessary step? What would happen if you mashed the bananas, folded in the strawberries, then froze the mixture?
Yes you must freeze the bananas first, it will not be an ice cream consistency if you mash them and then freeze them.
You wouldn’t get the right texture. There would be no trapped air in the banana/strawberry mix.
I made this for my kids and they loved it!!! Instead of strawberries I used mini chocolate chips and spread peanutbutter on the crackers before putting the icecream on. It was definitely a hit. Next time I think I’d add a little vanilla extract