Banana Heaven!!!

How cool is this! I've never had two, let alone FOUR different types of Bananas in my kitchen! Regular Cavendish bananas in the top left, Burro bananas on the top right, cute little baby's on the bottom left and the new red bananas in the bottom right! I'm in banana heaven!!! 

I found the Burros and the Babies at the Asian food market in Regina yesterday and the Red ones I picked up from Alternate Root Organics, my local health food store, this morning. Kyle was sweet enough to share one of his ripe ones with me! I tried the burros for the first time as well, which was almost too much excitement in one day for this girl! 

All this banana excitement makes it easier to get through the day without being tempted. I did a workshop demo-ing vegan recipes with my sister Nikki (from Food&Fabric Blog) this afternoon and it wasn't easy! Her vegan chili is so amazing and it was difficult not to indulge in the mango chutney lettuce boats- a recipe I picked up from Easy to be Raw's Megan Elizabeth  last summer at the Woodstock Fruit Festival in New York. 

Every time I have a craving I just grab another banana! And we did make banana ice cream at the workshop so I got to participate in the indulgence of one recipe! Day three is always the hardest. I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow. I will be travelling to Swift Current to see my grandma. I wonder what she's going to say about me bringing 20 bananas into her house. I can hear her voice already - "WHAAAT? Just BANANAS? That's just crazy!"   

Here's a little info about bananas and the new ones I tried today:

CAVENDISH BANANAS

These are the regular bananas that you see in the grocery store. They originated in South East Asia and are now grown in Africa and Latin America. They are the most popular type of banana, averaging 8 inches long and 6-8 on a hand. 

RED BANANAS

I was so excited to try these! They originate in Costa Rica and are very popular in South America and Australia. They are sweeter than a cavendish and have a hint of raspberry flavor. I found them to be really creamy. I can't wait until mine ripen to try them in a smoothie! 

BURRO BANANAS 

I found the burro bananas reminded me of a small plantain, especially in looks because they are a little bit boxy. I really enjoyed the taste. It wasn't as sweet as a regular banana and had a hint of almond flavor. Some say they have a hint of lemon flavor. The texture was different too, a little more creamy. Two thumbs up from Naturally Ashley!! 

BABY BANANAS 

Snack sized and oh so cute, these little guys have a really thin peel when you cut them open. They taste sweet and would be fun to pack in your kids lunch boxes for a healthy and fun snack. Baby Bananas are about 3" long and there can be as many as 20 bananas on a hand! 

I'm combining day two and three in today's post:

I'm still feeling great and so full of energy. 

Noticing better digestion and some strong cravings for cooked food. 

Tomorrow will mark the middle of my Banana Island Adventure, it's going by so fast! 

Yesterday - Day 2:

27 Bananas 

 (I ate them monkey style all day and made banana ice cream for supper)

1/2 hour of shovelling snow- Great workout!

Two and a half litres of water

7 hours of sleep

Today - Day 3

28 Bananas

(I ate them monkey style all day and made banana ice cream for supper)

1/2 hour jumping on the rebounder plus my yoga routine and stretching 

Two and a half litres of water

7 hours of sleep

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