Make Daniel Tiger's Banana Swirl Without a Blender

Banana Swirl from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood made without a blender so a preschooler can make it "all by myself"

I just had a light bulb moment and found a new way to make Daniel Tiger's Banana Swirl Ice Cream without a blender. Let your preschooler make it themselves, and sneak in a little science while they make their own healthy treat.

My original post about Daniel Tiger's Banana Swirl Ice Cream  still generates plenty of traffic to the site even a year after publishing it.  If you don't have a preschooler you might not be familiar with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, which is a cartoon continuation of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood on PBS. It is one of the best shows out there with kid friendly advice for everything from "saying I'm sorry" to dealing with anger and frustration in an accepting musical way, just like the original.

The Banana Swirl episode encourages kids to "try new foods because they might taste good".  My first set of instructions were directly from the show and involve an adult blending frozen banana slices in a blender. I had a very brown and mushy banana the other day and a light bulb appeared over my head and showed me an even simpler method that will allow the kids to make it all by themselves without knives or a blender.

But you don't need a preschooler to make it or enjoy it, this is a fabulously delicious and healthy treat that anyone will enjoy. Well, anyone that would like Banana Ice Cream.

All you need:

• bananas {the riper the better}
• zip-to-lock sandwich bag for each banana {maybe 1 ½ to 2 per bag, no more}

Peel the banana and put it in the bag {smaller children may need help opening the bag and starting to peel the banana}.

Remove as much as air as possible and seal completely. Smash the banana and spread to fill the bag. Lumps are okay, completely smooshed is okay.

Freeze until hard.

Massage bag until frozen banana begins to soften. Don't over do it. You want it soft but still cold!

{bonus science activity - ask your child how the banana feels different after it is frozen? is it easier or harder to mash the banana when it is frozen? etc.}.

Put cold, softened banana ice cream in bowl and eat (or eat straight from the bag).

It is gluten free, dairy free, Paleo, raw food, vegan, and pretty much allergy free unless you have an allergy to (or dislike for) bananas. And for those that like the taste of bananas, but not the texture, this is a good one to try since the texture is ice cream!

You could pre-prepare it and toss the frozen banana bags into a cooler for a picnic or campout. You could even pack it in a lunch bag surrounded by ice packs so they could enjoy it for lunch, you'd just want to make sure it stays frozen until lunch time or it will just be warm mushy banana in a bag - blech!

Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey