Perhaps my favorite aspect of group exercise classes (like my beloved BodyPump!) is the ability to simply show up, workout and be done. There’s no planning or thinking through a regimen involved. It’s like plug-and-play exercise.
Easy peasy. That’s how I roll.
Today’s workout began with a 20-minute warm up before I headed into BodyPump to feel the burn. The class was a decent one that left my biceps tingling and my quads screaming. Always a good sign!
Walk + Breakfast
I came home to a dog who demanded exercise. Okay, so Sadie didn’t demand a walk, but I know she’d make me pay for neglecting her morning exercise by trying to sit on my face as I try to work this afternoon.
Actually, even with a morning walk, she’ll still do that. I’m such a sucker.
We walked for slightly more than 20 minutes before heading to the backyard for 10 more minutes of playtime. Then my tummy told me it was time to come inside and get crackin’ on breakfast.
I had many different breakfast ideas flowing through my head this morning. A yogurt bowl? Baked pancake? Eggs with toast?
In the end, the thought of a smoothie reigned supreme. I just can’t help it! In the summertime, there’s no better breakfast.
Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie:
- 1 1/4 c. almond milk
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 tsp. xanthan gum (for thickening)
- 1 large handful fresh spinach
How to Freeze a Banana
To many of you, this may seem incredibly simple. To others, it boggles the mind. I’ve received a handful of questions from readers (and my best friend!) about how to properly freeze a banana.
Don’t worry, PBF is a judgment-free zone, so if freezing a banana properly is a skill that has eluded you, it’s okay. Take my hand. We’ll figure it out together. 
(If it makes you feel any better, I had to read Monica’s tutorial to learn how to make iced coffee. There are some skills that just bypass us at birth.)
First, remove the skin. If you don’t, terror awaits you when you try to peel a frozen banana.
Then place the banana into a plastic bag and freeze! You may also cut it up into pieces before freezing to make it easier to blend if you’re going to use the banana in a smoothie.
As you can see, I almost always have several frozen bananas on hand. I like to freeze them when they’re slightly overripe because I find that they have the most flavor when the banana peel begins to get a little spotty.
See? Nice and simple! 
(I think this post may have caused Melissa to die a little inside.)
Of Possible Interest
- Recipe: Healthy and Delicious Apple Crumble (FitSugar.com)
- Top 10 Yoga Poses to Increase Your Metabolism (Shape.com)
- 12 Ways to Improve Your Family’s Health (AOLHealth.com)
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Thanks for the tutorial! 😀
Hope you have an awesome day!
Hey Julie!
I was going to write this on your interval post from yesterday – but you have over 1400 comments…so I picked this one instead 😉
I did the internval workout and felt AWESOME. (although, instead of putting it at 1, i just left it at 0 for the sprint/walk intervals). ….something to work up to I guess.
Thanks for posting! I haven’t kicked my butt like that in a while either!
oh my gosh, isn’t it killer!?!? my chest was on FIRE!
Thanks so much for posting the banana tutorial. I do freeze my bananas like this, but i think i need to make sure all the air is out of the plastic baggy before i seal it up. this may be why mine are turning brown 🙁
Whoa… you go forever between working out and eating. I just don’t know how you can do that!! Guess we’re each different, eh?
Glad to hear your class was productive. Love when you feel that burn the day after!
When I read the title of this post, I nearly flipped! I generally don’t try the recipes I read online in the blogging world. I find them delicious, but just too difficult, especially when my parents insist on having family dinners (I’m 19 haha).
Anyway, yesterday I finally tried one of the recipes…it was the fake fro-yo banana one. You had to freeze a banana, so I had to google it!
Just in case you are curious, the fake fro-yo was unbelievable (for just fruit!!). I’m thinking about making it again! Have you made this one yet?
I LOVE banana soft serve – it’s the ultimate frozen banana use! Try adding mix-ins next time or blended with nuts or chocolate!
I made the mistake of leaving the skin on the first time I froze a banana. I really don’t know how its possible to get the skin off after freezing it! I tried to use a knife, my brute strength, I beat it on the counter, yelled at it etc. but I could not peel it! Needless to say I now peel them before freezing!
Haha thus post made me smile bc I have been a victim of trying to unreel a frozen banana- no fun! I know better now 🙂
This post could not have come at a better time! I actually froze an unpelled banana and then thought I shoudl defrost it in the microwave! I was planning to blog about that tonight! It was an absolute disaster!
I have to laugh at this because I could have used this post last week. I tried to use a banana I’d frozen in the skin. IMPOSSIBLE to peel. Today I used a peeled banana and had better success, but I think next time I’ll even pre-slice it before freezing. My blender is a little weak when it comes to mashing big chunks.
Frozen bananas amp up the smoothie points about 500 times. I miss bodypumppp!
I too have frozen bananas for the first time recently….in their skins.. ::Facepalm:: Won’t be doing that again!
This cracks me up! I’ve been freezing bananas since I was a kid (because I’m weird and would eat them right out of the freezer for snacks in the summer) so I didnt know people froze them with them with the peels on! I cant imagine the banana-surgery that has to go on in the kitchen to get them out! Props to you for telling people 🙂
I love bananas in smoothies! I never want to make them without!
I also love that about group exercise, I just show up and they tell me what to do!
I love buying the more ripe bananas at the grocery store for freezing. I feel like I’m saving them from their rotting doom :).
I thank you for posting this because it means I’m not the only one that learned by mistake. I froze my first banana a few months ago (actually froze 3). I had all my ingredients to make a smoothie for me and my boys and grabbed my bananas out of the freezer when my jaw dropped and I just stood there saying “what” “how” “oh my god, how am I going to peel that”. That’s when my lovely 15 year old son said “uummm mom, I think you were suppose to peel and cut it before freezing”. I actually still have 1 frozen whole banana in the freezer staring at me each time I open the door.
I thought I was the only person who was boggled by the idea of freezing a banana! I froze them with the skin on one time and they turned a yucky brown color and I didn’t even try peeling them lol!
Thank you for posting this though!
Umm, I totally did not learn that the hard way…I ended up having to cut by poor lil’ frozen and trapped banana out. My smoothie didn’t quite become the fast and easy breakfast I anticipated!
The first time I froze with peel, but ran the banana under water and peel came right off plus I lost some of the banana though. Now I’m a peeler for sure.
Ugh, I know what you mean about perfect breakfasts! I eat the same cocoa powder-cottage cheese-yogurt mixture almost every morning, and I NEVER get sick of it! Hah, since I’ve started my blog, I’ve forced myself to branch out a couple times for the sake of variety… but I’m always disappointed because nothing can top my favorite breakfast!
Thanks for sharing how you freeze bananas. Secretly, we all were wondering.
Where do you buy your xanthan gum and what protein power do you recommend?
I buy xanthan gum at my local grocery store (Publix) and like All the Whey or Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard protein pwdr!
awesome! Thanks 🙂
OMG duh, i never thought to peel the naner BEFORE freezing it!! Although its not so bad if you take a sharp knife to the frozen skin and cut lengthwise. Make a few cuts, and the skin will come off easily in pieces!
I tried freezing an unpeeled banana once. The end result was not a pretty one! 😉
Haha the first time I tried to do it I left the skin on. The next morning me and the vegetable peeler had an early morning battle. Never again!!
hahaha! A post on freezing bananas, I love it. Honestly, when I first started freezing bananas many moons ago, I used to leave the peels on! It took many absolutely painful, frozen fingers (from trying to get the peel off) to learn to peel the damn thing first! I also usually break it up in pieces for easy smoothie making.
i’ve been microwaving my frozen banana for 10 seconds to remove the peel before making my smoothies — to realize now it’s possible to freeze them sans peel, wow, my life is forever changed – i LOVE tutorials!
LOL. I learned the hard way that I should have taken the peel off before I froze bananas. It made an AWFUL mess when I tried to peel it. I thought I was the only one! I guess I’m not. Have a great day.
This post is GREAT! I keep getting frustrated with my boyfriend because when I ask him to freeze our bananas for smoothies he just sticks them straight in the freezer with the peel on and it drives me BONKERS! I just end up tossing them. I am going to have him read this post later LOL – thanks Julie!
as a person who frequently asks embarrassingly obvious questions i thank you for keeping PBF a no shame zone…i’m sure i’ll have to take advantage of that one very soon! 🙂
I slice mine and put them on a baking sheet first before moving them to a container so that they don’t freeze in one giant glob. That way I can use as little or as much as I want!
Thank you for this post! I felt like a dummy when I froze my bananas with the peel. When I got ready to use them in my shake I realized that I couldn’t peel them so I had to shave the peel off…now I know for next time:)
Mmm frozen bananas 🙂 In the summer, I could just eat them plain (or dipped in chocolate..must do that)!
The sadie captions always have me cracking up!
I was definitely one of those who got bypassed on the banana freezing intellect. I froze my fist one with the skin on. Nightmare.
you’re adorable. period 😀
Yesssss! I’ve been wanting to ask this question forever and I always forget! Last time I definitely didn’t take the peel off and it was just ridiculous trying to chop. I decided to set it out to thaw and eat later – yeah that doesn’t work either. I had banana juice waiting for me when I got back..
Thanks for this post! I am totally looking forward to summer smoothies! You make them look so amazing. What chocolate protein powder do you use? If you haven’t tried the Trader Joe’s chocolate dipped banana pieces you must they are amazing!
So sorry I see about you already answer the question to someone else. I do have another question though…does your husband also drink the smoothies with the xanthan gum and whey protein powder or does he us a different kind? And do you purchase it online or have store you go to? I am in CA so it might not be one we have.
Love your blog by the way! It really helps me to get through the day and find to stay active and healthy motivation. Thank you!
The peel thing is too true. I put a banana in the mini-fridge in my dorm and part of it got frozen by accident. YIKES! Haha.
How do you make iced coffee!??!?!
Ohh your smoothie looks delish! After making my first PB Fingers smoothie recipe last night, I can see why you like them so much! I’m going to have to try them out of a bowl next!
And I think that was a helpful little tutorial! I don’t really like the taste of bananas but I do like what they do to the consistency of smoothies– I wonder if I freeze it before it’s all the way ripe it won’t be as flavorful? Bizarre, but I’m curious…
your smoothie looks so good! I need to get me some protein powder ASAP (but I’m so cheap I hate spending money on it! lol).
I have just a general question- when you lift weights, are you sore the day after? I ask this because when I lift weights I try to lift heavy (which is 15 lbs for me, MAYBE 20 if I’m feelin ambitious), I never feel sore the day after. Aren’t I supposed to feel sore? I’m starting to think I’m a freak of nature… 😉
Have a great day!
Bahahahah — “If you don’t, terror awaits you” Girl you crack me up.
I just checked out her iced coffee post…why does almond milk curdle in iced coffee?? This makes me sad!!
Thanks, Julie! I was thinking about asking you how to do this. 🙂
ive also done the unpeeled banana freezing…i ended up tossing them..i have no idea what i was thinking? haha i love frozen banana chunks now..they’re perfect in smoothies!
I put a whole banana in the freezer and lookd again a few hours later- blackness!! Ahh!! So Ive been peeling them from now on… However they still dont last too long – a day or two maybe and then start going bad even though they are frozen – does this happen toyou too?
Too funny! I wrote about how I freeze bananas today, too! i slice mine before freezing because i’m stuck using a little baby blender. this past semester i *attempted* to freeze a banana, but found out the hard way what happens when you’re too lazy to remove the peel…;o
You got me addicted to smoothies ! umm & can I add that I love your posts & pictures of Sadie so much that I want my own Vizsla?!
AHAHA can you believe that i once put a whole banana with skin on in the freezer?… YEAH…. and that was less than a year ago- nice one, Care!
haha – that’s funny you posted this, because I have friends/family ask me the same thing! And of course, my first time freezing a banana, I kept the peel on too. I learned quickly after that 😉
Really coincidental that you posted this now…because yesterday I just used my first frozen banana and thought to myself when trying to peel, “Surely there must be an easier way…”
I totally wondered how to do this when I first started making smoothies, thanks for putting it out there for all of us with little common sense!!
Uh yea I learned this the hard way. I tossed a banana in the freezer and then when I went to get it realized there was no way the peel was coming off. I was banging it against the counter, I may have even broken the tile! Now I know though. Sadie’s so prettttyyy.
Just shared it on my blog! Maybe later I’ll post some pictures for proof =D
http://www.100lbsandcounting.com/2011/06/how-to-freeze-banana-response.html
I’m not sure if anyone has said this already, but let me tell you a secret about peeling a frozen banana – yes, it IS possible and super easy!
Pop the entire banana in the freezer when it gets too ripe. When it’s smoothie time, take the frozen banana (yep, peel is still on!) out of the freezer and let it sit for like 5 mins – basically while you’re grabbing your blender and all your other ingredients.
Then, use a knife to chop off both ends and make a split lengthwise down the middle.
Then, just peel it! You’ll have a frozen banana all intact and no nightmare fussing with the peel! The trick is to let it thaw out just a little bit not making the banana peel stick to the banana!! =)
Just shared it on my blog! Maybe later I’ll post some pictures for proof =D
http://www.100lbsandcounting.com/2011/06/how-to-freeze-banana-response.html
PS. Oops I think I replied to the wrong one!