When looking for the perfect banana for a smoothie, you want to choose one that is not green but also not overly ripe (a few brown spots are great, but you don’t want it to be brown). Green bananas are difficult to blend smoothly in the blender and won’t give you the nice sweetness ripe bananas will. But, if they’re overly ripe, the flavor will be overpowering. If you’re a big fan of smoothies, it’s best to buy bananas in bulk when they’re on sale. When they are the perfect ripeness, peel them and store them in resealable freezer bags in the freezer so they’re ready for you whenever the craving strikes.

　　

Ingredients

makes 1 (8 to 10-ounce) serving

　　1 medium, peeled frozen banana

　　1/4 cup fat-free milk

　　1/2 teaspoon vanilla

　　4 medium ice cubes

　　

Step 1

Break the banana into 3 or 4 pieces and add it to the jar of a blender with ice-crushing ability along with the milk, vanilla, and ice cubes. Blend on high or the ice crush setting until smooth. Serve immediately.

　　

nutrition information

Step 2

Calories: 141

　　

Step 3

Protein: 3g

　　

Step 4

Carbohydrates: 33g

　　

Step 5

Trace Fat

　　

Step 6

Trace Saturated Fat

　　

Step 7

Cholesterol: 1mg

　　

Step 8

Fiber: 4g

　　

Step 9

Sodium: 36mg

　　Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.