I wish I could get away with feeding my kids only bananas and water. Some days I feel like I do (Brady ate at least four bananas today), but most days I'm just wishing I could. Here's what I love about water and bananas.
Water is virtually free. It is almost always accessible. It is not sticky and does not stain. If water spills on the floor, I can pretty much just ignore it for a few hors and it goes away. Or, I can get a paper towel to wipe it up and my floor is cleaner than it was before! If I bring a sippy of water somewhere, it doesn't matter if it is warm or cold and isn't time sensitive. It also doesn't matter if that sippy rolls under a seat in the car and isn't found for a few days. Nothing will have fermented without my permission. Also, if we're at the playground and we have a sippy of water, I can use it to rinse hands/wipe mouths when a wet wipe alone just isn't cutting it. Also, it's really good for your body and [from what I hear] is satisfying and delicious without any added star or artificial flavorings. It's pretty much a perfect substance. The only downside is that I think it tastes disgusting. It would be awesome to enjoy these conveniences and share a water bottle or sippy with the kids when we're out and about.
Wanna hear my thoughts about bananas? I know you do. In many ways they're similar to water... Just the food version. ; ) Anyways, bananas are super cheap. Especially compared to other fruits and veggies and their price is consistent throughout the year. I've found avocados for as low as $.33 each and as high as $2.50 each. Bananas? They're always just hovering around $.50/lb. Which is an amazing deal. There aren't many other fruits or veggies available [consistently] for under $1/lb. if I was homeless, I'd probably live off of bananas. Moving on though... Bananas have a long shelf life. When I buy them green, I can wait up to ten days before using them. And it takes no skill set at all to determine when one is good to eat, unlike other fruits that can be trickier (like pineapple or melons, or even peaches). Other fruits can be learned, but I never have to tell Abigail that the banana she picked isn't ready to eat yet... She can determine bananas for herself. Also, bananas are fine to eat green, yellow, or spotted. You probably have a preference on what you enjoy most, but it's doable at any of those stages. That can't be said for every fruit and veggie out there. Bananas aren't time sensitive. I can toss a few in my purse and it doesn't matter if we eat them in five minutes or five hours. Not the case for grapes or watermelon or avocado. Also, they travel well. I would never put a ripe pear in my purse because it would get messy all over if anything cut the skin. I wouldn't want to eat raspberries that had been washed an hour or two before because they would be soggy. And same for an avocado that would have turned brown. Apples are easy but they need to be washed which can be done at home, but then you have I keep it clean in your purse. I can't just toss them on the seat or floor of my car. Also, kids can't really eat them unless they've been sliced and then you have that some sensitive issue coming up. And storing it in a baggie or Tupperware. Bananas are perfectly stored and protected until you're hungry for one. Also, if you only want to eat half, just wrap the peel back on the remainder and it can sit and wait for you to finish it later. The same can't be said for an orange... which is also messy to peel and leaves your hands smelling like citrus for the remainder of the day. Bananas are mess free for an adult to eat and mostly mess free for most kids to eat. No crumbs, and the peel is like a wrapper to keep hand clean. But maybe my favorite part is that they're insanely quick to eat and are very dense and filling. My kids can be very slow eaters, but I can give them bananas to eat in the car, and they're full in about five minutes... With staying power to last til the next meal. Kids slept in and we need to leave the house in ten minutes? Just wake them up and get them dressed. Bananas in the car! It's already bedtime and you don't feel like cooking dinner, watching the kids munch on it for a half hour, and then cleaning up the dishes and table and floor? Bananas! And, have I already mentioned... They don't stain. And they're quiet to eat which is important sometimes when you're at church or on an airplane or in any confined space with people that don't want to hear you eat. They also don't wreak havoc on your breath. Or get stuck in your teeth. They're even an easy food for small babies with no teeth. Teeth or no teeth, it's a good food for you. And aside from everything else, bananas are also amazingly nutritious. Really, the only downside I've ever come across is that they leave you with a peel. But even that isn't a huge deal because the mess is on the inside. The peel can sit somewhere in your car until you find a trash can. Or you can chuck it somewhere as compost. And it's easy to just throw away and be done because you don't have to wash your hands afterwards. Really, they're amazing.
So there you go. Those are my go to's for my kids. The only cons are that bananas have peels and that I hate the taste of water. Anyone else have favorites I should know about?
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