Three-Ingredient Banana Date Shake in Under 5 Minutes… A Sweet, Simple, Delicious, Practical, and Healthy Treat

The Banana Date Shake—my own concoction—is a wonderful life-saver when time, money, or food options are limited. It's not the most creative smoothie, but its other great qualities (including simplicity) make up for that!

The method to the madness is easy. After securing the necessary three ingredients,

• 4 Madjool dates (pitted),
• 2 bananas, and
• 2 cups milk (450 ml, 2% fat),

blend them together until mixture is relatively smooth.

Serves two. 365 calories per serving. The recipe is rather flexible. For instance, if I’m feeling like I don’t need the calories or sweetness (or if the banana is large or the milk whole) I will just as often use only 1 date per serving instead of 2.

There are many advantages to this beverage, which I’ve been making about 1-3 times per week for the past 2 years. Sometimes I enjoy it for breakfast or if I’m headed to the gym on an empty stomach: I can whip this up without delaying my routine, pour it into a travel mug and rush out the door! It’s important to catch your hunger before it starts to shade your vision (“I’m so hungry I’m just going to order fast food”), especially on the way to the gym. I can’t tell you how many times I went to the gym on an empty stomach, finishing my work out so hungry that I proceeded to make bad food decisions afterwards. But I digress. I'm a person who always has to watch what she eats so when I find a good staple that I can rely on I consider that an asset... and one I'm compelled, thus, to share:)

Here is a list of more general benefits (i.e. “reasons you should try this!”):

• Making it is quick and easy. The entire process, including clean-up can be completed in less than 5 minutes. You can also save the second serving for later… This way you have a second healthy snack locked and loaded the next time hunger strikes.

• It’s filling, satisfying, and a great way to incorporate fruits into your diet.

• It requires no added sugar and is made from identifiable, measurable whole food products.

• It’s a great way to get rid of browning, overripe bananas! In fact, if you find that your bananas are ripening before you need a shake you can freeze your “close-to-death” bananas and throw them into your shake whenever you’re ready to use them for a frozen smoothie effect. In fact, one of the bananas I used for this particular batch was procured in this very manner. The trick for freezing your bananas: Peel them first and store them in a ziplock bag. They should be good for shakes for up to 3 weeks.

• The ingredients are affordable staples usually on hand in a stocked kitchen. Everyone has milk in the fridge. Bananas are usually the cheapest fruit in the store and while good dates can be expensive, if you buy them in bulk they are more affordable and you will have many on hand for future shakes. I also recommend “Baking Dates” which reduce the cost of dates drastically. A 12 ounce container of madjool dates was $7 at my grocery store, whereas the 13 ounce block of “Baking Dates” I purchased from a nearby International Market was less than $2. Baking Dates are merely mashed pitted dates. Since you’d be blending the dates anyway, it is smart to buy them in block form because the date’s structural integrity is of no concern for this recipe.

• The 3-ingredient model (two fruits, one liquid) allows for easy substitutes. A common one I make is substituting the dates or bananas for half an avocado. Thus, if you’re an avocado fan, I encourage you to try a “banana avocado shake” or “avocado date shake.” I'm also curious to hear if anyone else has any 3-ingredient combos that are staples in their kitchen. I'm a great fan of convenience and simplicity.

Bon appétit!