YonanasI have to confess I’m an ice cream addict.  When the days get hot and humid I crave that soft serve dairy deliciousness.  However, dairy really doesn’t like me.  In fact, dairy hurts.  But my mouth and mind somehow convince me in the moment that it is ok to indulge.  It is only later when I’m dealing with the pain that I have regrets.

So this year I decided to be pre-emptive.  I watched infomercials on a product called Yonanas and was intrigued.  Was it really possible to grind a frozen banana into something akin to soft serve ice cream?  Could I take a healthy fruit and create the delicious object of my obsession?  Would it satisfy the craving?

The answer was yes.  I purchased a Yonanas at Superstore and then bought half price “cheetah bananas”, the ones with too many speckle spots to be sold at full price. Ten big bananas cost me 49 cents.  Not bad eh?  You can’t beat the price.

 

The Yonanas is sturdy, the main engine is well sealed.  The working parts come apart easily into 5 pieces for washing.  And easily go back together for quick use.  You can keep grinding frozen bananas for as long as you like replacing bowls underneath the unit.

Now, keep in mind your soft serve will taste like bananas – I saw a “bad” review online where someone really thought it would magically change the bananas into vanilla soft serve.  You can also alternate other frozen fruits like cherries, blueberries, strawberries, mango and peaches to give different flavour combinations. You can stir in cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix to give chocolatey flavours.  Leftovers if you have them can be kept in storage containers in the freezer but the consistency does change a little as it becomes hard.  It really is best fresh out of the machine.

You can dress up your frosty dessert with chocolate peanut butter sauce, warmed up blueberry preserves, chocolate chips or nuts.  Or if you want to freeze coconut cream or leftover wine in ice cube trays(who ever has leftover wine?!!) you can add them to your Yonanas grind for a more adult treat.Banana ice cream

I’m really happy that I can eat something more nutrient dense and healthier for me then dairy ice cream.  I could easily eat ice cream till I’m sick, but with Yonanas, the fibre in the fruit fills me up with just one small portion with higher fibre content, much less fat and lots of potassium.  As well, I don’t behave like an addict when faced with frozen banana.

For kids and adults alike, this is one kitchen toy that will get lots of use for the summer.  And if you don’t want to commit to a new gadget, remember you can pop those frozen bananas into a food processor or use a hand blender to get a soft frosty whip.

Some recipes from the Yonanas website:  http://yonanas.com/recipes/

And a blog with great Yonanas recipes and pictures: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/07/yonanas-treat-machine-giveaway-soft.html

My favorite – banana/cherry Yonanas with chocolate chips
YUM!

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