Chocolate Covered Strawberry Banana Boats | Grilled Recipe #ConquerTheMess

Summer means sticky. There is just no way to avoid the heinous heat and humidity that comes with August in my part of Texas. Sticky, sticky, sticky, it can make a mother grouchy if she lets it! I keep my parental cool when summer temps and the kids’ tempers flare with a toolbox of tactics to chill out.  Yup, let’s stay in our bathing suits all day long, crank up the songs of summer, eat easy clean up desserts and, by all means, stay out of the kitchen (I’d hate to heat up the house)!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Banana boats are an easy, foil-packet recipe that kids love for taste and moms love for easy clean up (and extra fruit as dessert)!My boys have been clamoring for chocolate chip cookies, but no way I’m turning on the oven!  Despite the heat, they want a summer treat that is warm and gooey – Chocolate Covered Strawberry Banana Boats are the solution.

jennifer fisher - grilled bananas - main photo option1The kids learned a version of this simple foil-packet dessert at Boy Scout camp in years past and we’ve created many versions at home, including this Raspberry Chocolate Banana Boat. So much for a mom to love about these easy desserts – it’s made on the grill, kids can make them on their own with parental supervision,  you’re sneaking in extra fruit to the diet, and there are no dishes to clean up as these treats roast in their own skins.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Banana Boats and Wet Naps  go hand in hand!

The only clean up after diving face first into this ooey-gooey foil-packet dessert are messy mouths and sticky fingers. Yay,  Wet-Nap® Hands, Face, & Body Cleansing Wipes.  These wipes are one of the most multi-purposed, genius products of summer living. I started using Wet-Nap®  when the kids were toddlers, but now they’re teens – and just as messy! Safe on the face, body and hands, these wipes are awesome after stick recipes like the banana boats, but also a great way to refresh after running, working out and sitting in the fan stands watching the kids’ sports in sweltering heat. I keep a container in the car, my gym bag and purse!

Kids, Messy Desserts and Wet Naps

 

Wet-Nap® help tidy messes that life throws at us every day – this includes easy clean up desserts and easy clean up recipes and easy clean up crafts (just imaging the convenience for toddlers who like to finger paint). Also, as a food blogger, using Wet-Nap® products is a great way to keep my camera from getting too gunked up — snapping photos while food styling ALWAY make for messy buttons (don’t use on the lens, though)!Wet Naps are a must for a food blogger's camera!

I never forget to toss a pack of Wet-Nap® wipes into my cart on Walmart shopping trips. Visit Walmart for all your Wet-Nap® needs: 110-Count Hands, Face, & Body Cleansing Wipes, 24-Count Packettes Antibacterial Hand Wipes and 40-Count Canister Antibacterial Hand Wipes.

Shopping for Wet Naps at Walmart

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Banana Boats ingredients

Oh, hello delicious ingredients in Chocolate Covered Strawberry Banana Boats!

Have you ever grilled a dessert?! What has your biggest mess been this summer? Please share in the comments below. XOXO – Jennifer

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Wet-Nap®, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ConquerTheMess http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Banana Boats
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
This grilled dessert is ooey-gooey delicious -- kids love the taste, moms love the easy clean up of this foil packet recipe (plus, sneaking extra fruit in for dessert)!
Course: Dessert, Fruit
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 medium bananas medium-firm, not too ripe
  • 1/2 cuo]p mini marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup strawberry glaze or syrup
  • 1/3 cup chopped raw almonds
Instructions
  1. Heat gas or charcoal grill to approximately 400°F or use a wire rack over campfire.
  2. Cut 4 (1-foot) sheets of heavy-duty foil, set aside.
  3. Using a sharp knife, make a deep incision lengthwise along the top curve of each banana; take care not to cut through the bottom peel. Gently push both banana ends toward each other to create a pocket. Place banana on the center diagonal of tin foil.
  4. Stuff each banana with approximately 2 tablespoons each of marshmallows, chopped strawberries and chocolate chips.
  5. Pull up corners of tin foil to create a tent over the top of banana, leaving a few inches of headroom so marshmallows won’t melt all over the foil.
  6. Place banana packets on heat source, close lid and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until marshmallows are softened.
  7. Carefully remove banana packets and open foil. Banana skins may have turned brown; however, this does not affect taste. Drizzle each banana with warmed strawberry glaze and sprinkle with almonds. Eat warm.

Summer Suppers – Black Bean, Zucchini & Corn Taco Recipe

Y’all know I like to get my daily dose of lean protein — particularly beef, fish and Greek yogurt (though not all mixed together)!  But sometimes I like a meal that focuses on veggies and alternative proteins – I don’t discriminate!   This recipe for Black Bean, Zucchini and Corn Tacos shows off my favorite bean source for protein (the black bean) and some yummy seasonal produce – it’s the perfect recipe for al fresco feasting, inviting vegetarians over dinner  or a #MeatlessMonday meal.

veggie black bean tacos

Black beans are plain awesome, not just because they taste good but because they work in so many different types of cuisines – South American, Mexican, Cuban, Indian, Creole, Cajun and more!  They are super-packed with phytonutrients, rank low on the Glycemic Index (meaning they provide long-lasting energy) and are, I’m pleased to report, the highest-fiber bean around.  In addition to providing 15 grams of fiber per 1 cup serving (almost 60% of DV), the same size serving offers about 15 grams of protein.

I like to put black beans in my omelets, in soup, on salads, sprinkled on baked sweet potatoes – and of course as the star of tacos.

black bean tacos

Black Bean, Zucchini and Corn Tacos Recipe

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped ¼’
  • ¾ cup fresh corn kernels (or frozen)
  • ¼ cup diced red onion
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
  • 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
  • 8 tortillas (I like the corn-flour mix tortillas)
  • Cilantro springs for garnish

Add olive oil to skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Add zucchini, corn, onion and jalapeno and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, or until veggies are softening and zucchini is starting to turn lightly brown.  Add black beans, garlic, chile powder, cumin and salt to skillet and stir around for approximately 2 more minutes, or until heated through.

If desired, lightly crisp tortillas over gas burner or in a skillet. Add 1/8 of mixture to each tortilla, top with ½ ounce of crumbled cheese, and garnish with cilantro. Serves 4 (2 tacos each)

 

watermelon pureeIf you are wondering what I’m drinking with the tacos (the pink beverage) – it’s watermelon juice and a Nuun Hydration Electrolyte Tab. In the Texas heat, it’s hard to stay properly hydrated – but Nuun is a tasty, sparkling and sugar-free way to keep everything in check. To make the drink, pour about 8 ounces of watermelon juice in a glass (just the stuff that collects in the bottom of your bowl when cutting up a melon or you can puree watermelon chunks) and add ½ Nuun tablet in the flavor of your choice – they even have watermelon!

Just a little hint of things to come starting July 1 – WATERMELON!!! I’ll be talking all things watermelon , every day, for one week – including how watermelon juice actually can benefit athletic performance and recovery!

So, what are you eating for dinner tonight? Please share in the comments, I am always looking for new ideas!