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Recipes:

Banana Bread Bites

Banana Boats

5 Minute Recipes

Did you know? The longest banana split ever made was 4.55 miles long, for a high school band fund-raiser in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

What's good for you? A banana a day may keep leg cramps away. Potassium is one of the key electrolytes muscles need to properly contract and—to avoid spasms—relax.

Banana-Bread Bites

makes about 2 1/2 dozen pieces

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed banana (2 to 3 medium bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough to hang over the long sides. Have your child whisk together all ingredients (except powdered sugar) in a large bowl, starting with the dry ones and then whisking in the wet ingredients one at a time.

Pour the batter into the lined pan, spreading evenly and smoothing with a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour. Using the parchment paper, lift the bread onto a cutting board. Then have your helper use a small cookie cutter to cut shapes out of the bread. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Banana Boats

Ingredients:
Bananas (peels on)
Chocolate chips
Butterscotch chips
Peanut butter chips
Mini marshmallows
Peanut butter

Heat oven to 400. Cut a lengthwise slit in each banana, going through the peel and into the center of the fruit. Let your child tuck any combination of chips, marshmallows, and peanut butter (1 to 2 tablespoons of each) inside. Close the bananas back up and wrap tightly in foil. Bake on a cookie sheet until insides are warm and melted, about 20 minutes. The peel will be black, but the inside will be heavenly. Let cool, then scoop into a bowl or eat right out of the peel.

Fast Banana Recipes

Reason 121 Not to Toss a Brown Banana

Microwave an overripe banana with a pat of butter, a spoonful of brown sugar, and dashes of cinnamon and vanilla for about 2 minutes. Stir for instant "pudding" or spoon on pancakes.

Lickety Split

Top two small bananas, sliced lengthwise, with strawberry yogurt and cereal for breakfast. n Slice bananas lengthwise and brush with melted butter, grill until golden, then top with ice cream.