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If you’re looking for an indulgent treat but don’t want all the unrefined sugar and unhealthy stuff, you need to try this! A clean & healthy banana split, you make this boat with granola, almond butter, dark chocolate chips, shredded coconut and coconut cream! Oh yum! Whole30 & paleo options available!

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A New Way of Eating (By Accident)

It really was just 3 years ago that I didn’t even know desserts like a clean banana split boat existed. Really. No, I didn’t live under a rock, but clean eating wasn’t on my radar at all. Well, needless to say, now it is.

It all started when my twin boys were almost 2 years old. I still had some baby weight to lose, and I was determined to get it off by their 2nd birthday. As the calendar flipped to 2017, my husband brought home The Whole30 book his co-worker had lent him, with some recipes he wanted me to make.

I didn’t even know what Whole30 was (neither did he), but as I read through the book and not just the recipes, I was intrigued (you can read all about my Whole30 experience here). Eliminating certain foods for 30 days so you can see how certain ingredients and types of foods are impacting your body and health sounded interesting, beyond just losing weight.

So, in February 2017, I gave it a go. And it changed my life.

Clean Eating: The Solutions I Didn’t Know I Needed

I did lose the baby weight, but more than that, it opened my eyes to how food impacted not just what I looked like but how I felt. After Whole30, I leaned more to paleo, which is very similar to Whole30 with just a few differences.

To be honest, we had some majorly stressful events in our life including major home repairs and renovations (which required us to pack up and vacate our house), selling our home, moving out of state and building a new life. All with twin toddlers.

I admit, there was a LOT of stress eating and I tottered back and forth between healthy eating and eating my feelings.

Well, skipping to the present, as we are settled in Tennessee for close to 2 years now, I’ve finally landed on clean eating as my healthy diet of choice. Along with Whole30 and paleo, I tried keto, Weight Watchers, Trim Healthy Mama…and clean eating just makes the most sense to me and works the best (here is a summary of some truths about food that have really made the difference for me!).

I just feel like if God gave certain things to us to eat for food, it’s OK. So, I don’t follow a lot of restrictions besides cutting out sugar and overly processed foods (snacks, pasta, white flour, refined sugar, etc.).

And that’s where this delicious banana boat comes in.

 

Clean Banana Split Boats

This recipe sort of happened by accident. A similar recipe was part of my Healthy Summer Desserts round up, but I clicked on it to make it, the link was dead.

So here I am, creating my own version. And to be honest, I think it came fantastic.

Clean Ingredients (but Not Strictly Whole30 or Paleo)

You can modify this recipe to be Whole30 compliant (lose the granola and chocolate chips), but Whole30 discourages healthy dessert knock-offs while you’re on a round. If you’re going strict Whole30, it would be a no. But if it’s the lesser of the evils, you definitely can make it.

Paleo doesn’t allow grains, so you’d lose the granola but would be OK with the rest.

If you’re doing clean eating, you’re in!

This amazing banana split boat recipe is made with bananas, granola (I use this recipe, my favorite homemade go-to granola), almond butter, coconut cream, shredded coconut, and dark chocolate chips. A healthy indulgence and I’m pretty sure you will not miss all the bad stuff.

At. All.

Other Add-Ins to Customize Your Banana Split

There are all kinds of ways to make this recipe and customize it to your taste! Of course, if you aren’t concerned with healthy ingredients, sky is the limit!

However, if you’re keeping it healthy, you can include some of the following:

Greek Yogurt

Coconut Yogurt

Peanut Butter Chips

Chopped Walnuts

Chopped Pecans

Clean Brownies

Chopped fruit (strawberries, blueberries)

Clean crumble (clean chocolate chip cookies, clean oatmeal cookies, etc.)

Best Tips for Making a Clean Banana Split Boat

Bananas

I suggest freezing the bananas or refrigerating them before making the banana splits. Since there’s no ice cream, the coldness from the bananas can recreate that chilled, creamy taste. I peeled mine and froze them before I made them. They broke a little when I cut them, but since it’s the bottom layer, it didn’t really matter. You can slice the banana down the middle first, before freezing if you like.

Below you can see how they were prepared with frozen bananas.

If you’re refrigerating, I suggest just a few hours before serving. Bananas can get funny if in the refrigerator too long. However, the bananas sliced better when chilled rather than frozen.

You certainly don’t need to chill them, but as the frozen banana softened, it really was like a soft ice cream, so that was nice! Below, you can see that it’s easier to create a boat with a chilled banana rather than a frozen one.

Coconut Cream

You can use canned coconut milk (full fat) or canned coconut cream. The key is to refrigerate either before making. If you’re using coconut milk, you’ll want to scoop out the cream, as it separate from the milk. That’s what you want to use. There is some separation even with the cream, but the milk is much thicker, so you can mix it with the cream (or not. Your choice, depending on how much you need)

I used an electric whisk to fluff up the cream; you can use that as well as an electric hand mixer or immersion blender. If it’s not fluffy enough for you, you can refrigerate it for a while as well.

You can also whip up the coconut cream, freeze it, and then let it soften before serving. That will create a thicker consistency as well.

Otherwise, it could be a little like a runny, melted-marshmallow consistency, which is still amazing. I didn’t mind it at all.

Just realize, it probably won’t be as fluffy as Cool Whip or heavy whipping cream.

Almond Butter

I suggest microwaving it for 15 seconds, stirring, then microwaving for another 15 seconds to melt it. That way, you can drizzle it over the top.

Granola, Coconut, Dark Chocolate Chips

The ingredients I listed are approximate. You can add more or less. To be honest, when I’m making it, I don’t measure. I just grab handfuls and sprinkle it over the top. I included amounts and measurements because people like that, but it’s really just a ballpark. Use as much or as little as you like!

And you can put it on in any order you like! No rules here!

Bite-Sized Snack Variation

You can also make this with banana slices and layer the ingredients on in any order, for single, bite-sized servings. These are amazing when you just need a quick, sweet healthy snack, especially when you are really craving a treat.

Just slice the bananas at an angle for a larger area to put ingredients on, and then lay on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Layer ingredients  – I like to do almond butter first, so the rest of the ingredients have something to stick to. Then, sprinkle a little granola, add a dollop of coconut cream, sprinkle with shredded coconut, top with a dark chocolate chip, and freeze!

This is perfect if you are craving a cookie or a piece of chocolate. These bite-sized treats are ideal when you just need a little something sweet but don’t want a full-on dessert.

Preparing, Serving, and Storing

You can absolutely prepare the banana split boats ahead of time. Just take them out of the freezer for a few minutes before serving so they soften a little.

As for storing, you probably won’t have any leftovers, but they can go back in the freezer in an air-tight container.

Let’s get started with the recipe!

So easy, right? I love a guilt-free, indulgent, refreshing summer dessert! Or really any time of year!

More Summer Food Recipes

25 Delicious Summertime Strawberry Desserts & Treats

25 Easy & Healthy Summer Desserts

35 Refreshing & Healthy Summer Salads

35 Delicious Summer Cookout Side Dishes

30 Delicious Foil Pack Meals – In the Oven, On the Grill or Over a Campfire

35 Easy Summer Desserts for a Crowd

If you try this, I’d love to hear how it came out or any suggestions you have (always a work in progress here!). Please tag me on Instagram@100affections or leave a comment on Pinterest! And use the hashtag #summereats2020.

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!