Peanut Butter Banana Bites

Peanut butter banana bites

If you're impartial to a treat every now and again, here is a cheap and (relatively) healthy snack that's a real crowd-pleaser. Slices of banana combined with peanut butter, dipped in melted dark chocolate and left to freeze. A well-known and widely blogged healthy treat which doesn't break the bank.


Why Peanut Butter is secretly great for you: Not only does peanut butter contain high levels of protein which promotes muscle development, but it also contains high amounts of monounsaturated and  polyunsaturated fat which reduces your hunger levels and keeps you going for much longer. Every morning I combine my peanut butter with slices of banana on wholemeal bread and it never fails to comfortably keep me going right up until lunch.

Which one you should buy: Generic brands of Peanut Butter are not particularly good for you. I recommend Whole Earth Organic Peanut Butter (website here) which can be found in all major supermarkets. Whole Earth tastes slightly different to your supermarket brands which you might be used to, but this is because it has no added sugar and has 97% roasted peanut content (good news!) The only down-side to my favourite Peanut Butter is that it can be quite expensive when it isn't on offer. So, if you're really short on pennies this month, I suggest the Sainsbury's 'Be Good To Yourself' peanut butter, which is also tasty and nutritionally apt.

Things you'll need:
(Serves 2)

• 2 x Fresh Bananas
• 2 x Tbsp Peanut Butter
• 1 x Dark Chocolate pack*

* You will only need 3-4 squares of dark chocolate per banana bite, so depending on the amount your making, you probably won't need all of this.

Total cost: Max £1.44
Per serving: Max 72p each

Instructions:

1. Thickly slice the banana and spread on the peanut butter, then add another banana slice to sandwich it all together.
2. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate.
3. Dip each individual banana bite into the melted dark chocolate and put on baking paper. Once all have been covered, transfer the bites to the freezer. Within 20 minutes they'll be ready to eat!

Keeping these in the freezer will allow the banana to stay fresh for longer - keeping them in the fridge doesn't always work! At under a pound per serving, this is a well-known healthier way to indulge in those post-meal sugar cravings as well as being well within a student budget.