Poll: Savvy Shopper or Skinflint?

So I stopped by the grocery store yesterday to grab a few staples. I spotted the bananas, and decided to get some to make banana pudding. That is my daughter's favorite dessert. As I wheeled my buggy around, I see paper bags full of bananas that are starting to get speckled, a couple may have had a small bruise or two, but for the most part, they are perfect for eating out of hand, making banana pudding, or baking banana bread or muffins. So I grab this brown bag full of bananas, and guess what? The entire bag was only 99 cents! The bag had to weight about 5 or 6 lbs, and at 63 cents/lb for non-spotted yellow or still-green bananas, I figured if I had to, I could afford to throw away half of them and still come out ahead. I ate one on the way home, and had 13 more in the bag. None were so far gone they had to be pitched!

One went straight to the freezer for baking. Once my bananas get too ripe to eat, I toss them whole into the freezer to use in baking. When I'm ready for them, I pull them out, lay them on the counter for a few minutes to thaw a bit, snip off the bottom end, and squeeze the banana out of the skin into the mixing bowl or measuring cup.

So... am I a Savvy Shopper or a Skinflint for buying spotted bananas cheap? Vote in comments area.

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Here's a couple of my favorite recipes using bananas. The muffins are about the best I've ever had, honestly. It's a modified Ina Garten recipe. And the banana bread is nice for a change from the usual, and does not turn dark upon baking like many banana breads will.


Banana Crunch Muffins
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup natural applesauce
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut or dried banana chips
For granola, shredded coconut or dried banana chips

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, mashed bananas, and applesauce, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix; batter should be lumpy. Fold the walnuts, granola, and coconut or banana chips into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

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Cabana Banana Bread
½ cup 1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
4 medium-size ripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup pineapple yogurt (plain or vanilla ok)
½ cup crushed pineapple, very well drained
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. coconut extract
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in bananas; then eggs, one at a time. Add oil, mixing well. Mix in all remaining ingredients, except coconut. Divide batter evenly between two greased 9”x5½” loaf pans. Sprinkle coconut evenly over top of loaves. Bake 50-60 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pans, then allow to cool on wire rack. Store tightly wrapped in refrigerator or freeze for up to 2 months.