Bananguins and Penanas, Oh, My! A Simple Snack Solution

Momma Told Me: All you need is a little imagination.

As a kid I wasn't a particularly difficult eater. Getting child to try something new is really the majority of the battle, and my father had the "try a bite and I'll give you a piece of chocolate," bribe down well. With palettes that are still developing, childhood is widely regarded as an individual's most open time for flavor exploration. And, so long as you don't 'classify' what is being put in a child's mouth, you can typically convince them to sample foods they would otherwise have mental roadblocks to as an adult. One is much more likely to enjoy calamari when told it's chicken, than being handed a sushi menu 20 years later and presented with the information it is, in fact squid.

In any case, one of the toughest roadblocks to childhood nutrition is the identification of a food as a fruit or vegetable. Most children will prefer one food group heavily over the other. For me, I always loved the flavor of bananas, but was a highly texturally aware child. I did not like the feel of the actual raw banana mushing in my mouth; it always reminded me of Momma's hospital tapioca pudding. Momma's answer, with nearly any fruit, was to freeze it. Freezing things not only prolong the time it takes to consume them (when frozen,) but also seem to make foods instantly magical. Like a living fruit Popcicle, without all the added processing an flavors!

As an adult I still prefer to freeze my fruit today- only know I also have the added incentive of fruit being plain expensive to buy fresh, and the knowledge that fresh fruit spoils quickly if uneaten. One of my favorite ways to enjoy bananas are, naturally, dipped in chocolate and frozen. Of course I always have that twinge of guilt in the pit of my stomach as I munch through an entire banana encased in semi-sweet chocolate. So, when I saw these Chocolate Dipped Banana Penguins on Pinterest I knew I had to make them. Finally, the perfect compromise of sweet and healthy, whilst being perfectly adorable.

I could give you a recipe, but you really don't need one on these, do you? It's as easy as taking just ripened bananas (I prefer to freeze mine just as the peels begin to form brown spots,) cutting them in half, and freezing them. Leave the peels on, they will help preserve the color of your bananas; and be sure to seal them in a freezer safe bag. When you are ready to make your Pengnanas simply pull out a half cup of semi-sweet melting morsels, some candy eyes (from the local grocer's baking aisle), and some orange chocolate candy pieces. With the banana halves frozen, peel them and gently dunk the to half in the melted chocolate, rolling softly side by side to create the 'tuxedo' effect. Place your eyes and 'beak' on the soft melted chocolate, then drizzle a little dollop at the base and place your 'feet.' Make sure to keep your Penguins frozen until you're ready to serve them, and keep in mind that the moisture from thawing will eventually make the candy eyes ink 'bleed,' so eat them as fresh as possible from the freezer!

How do you re-imagine foods to make them more fun?

What Daughter Says: A little imagination goes a long way to make the daily fruits and veggies more appealing.