In other forms of exercise I learned the dead bug. Where you lie on your back and put your limbs up in the air as if you were a dead bug. In Nia one of our 52 moves is called Creepy Crawlers. I ALWAYS call it Creepy CrawlIES and sometimes I say, dead bugs. In Nia the move is part of the Upper Extremities in the Nia 52 moves, the hands to be exact. It is where we turn our hands to allow the palms to face up and we wiggle our fingers. Truly NOT a dead bug because dead bugs don’t wiggle there legs . . . in general. I will work on calling it by the correct name Creepy CrawLERS.
This is a simple, simple move that provides great benefits. I don’t know how often you are around the elderly if ever, but losing the use of their hands, losing the dexterity is a very common issue. So as the Nia Technique Book says, “Practicing Creepy Crawlers helps your fingers, hands, and forearms remain strong, flexible, and agile.” It is very important to move your hands. And not all of the things we do in everyday life allows for that type of flexibility and agility. So this move is so great.
To practice it according to the Nia Technique Book you just wiggle all of your fingers, including your thumb. Keep the elbow bent which helps keep the shoulders and next relaxed. Change palm directions.
This is one of those moves that is pretty much always teamed up with another move. Usually we have a foot pattern while we do the Creepy Crawlers. Or we are moving around the room. Usually, but not always. Sometimes it is nice to concentrate on the movement on the fingers. Really wiggle them with intent. Make certain ALL ten fingers are moving. Notice how it affects the tendons in your hands and arms. Watch the movement in your arms.
If you are constantly moving your fingers in a wiggly motion while doing choreography with your feet you are allowing that brain to work. Most people understand that the brain needs to stay active . . . just like the body . . . in order to function well, so we consider it fun to get our brains going as part of our movement, as part of our dance.
So as with all of the Nia 52 Moves that I have explained. Sometimes we do them a little different from perfect as described in the book. Doing Creepy Crawlers in a routine might have us straightening our arms. Or we might even be moving the hand all around while the fingers are wiggling. But the point is the fingers. Moving the fingers, wiggling the fingers. Bending each and every joint in the finger.
This is also a really fun move to do with kids. They love the idea of Creepy Crawlers, bug legs. You know kids? So many of them love anything to do with bugs.
So, I encourage you to do some Creepy Crawlers. Especially if you work at a computer or do repetitive motions with your hands. This will help keep them moving in different directions/ways.
The other day a friend sent me an e-mail that I should not have opened because I didn’t have time to be looking at an e-mail. But I clicked on the link contained and the very first thing I saw made me laugh so very hard. I sent off a quick e-mail back to her explaining my laughter and explaining that I would have to look at the rest later. I had not sat down to look at the rest of the stuff on the link until now but the first thing I had seen keeps running through my head and making me laugh. The subject of the e-mail was “Talk about sexist attitudes, these make me angry but that’s the way it was ‘back in the day'”. I didn’t even read the paragraph that is included on the post until right now as I am typing this. As I said, the first thing I saw was the first ad and it made me laugh soooooo hard. And . . . not only did it make me laugh I had an earworm for the rest of the day AND every time I thought about the e-mail. Yeah the tune is very catchy.
The ad on the post shows a woman in a car and the tag line is “I can’t tell which they’re whistling at . . . me or my new Chevrolet!”. There is more blather and other information that is just too small for me to read, but it reminded me of the commercial my husband and I refer to as “Stacy’s Mom”. There is a song playing that clearly says, “Stacy’s mom has got it goin’ on.” What else it says I don’t know. It is a very catchy tune. Look at the ad yourself and tell me if the old print advertisement is not the same as the new TV commercial.
Well, what do you think? It is clear the men in the TV commercial are participating in the dropping off of the kids from school, whereas the ones in the print ad are just standing there. But since it is print we don’t know what they are/were doing. But both advertisements seem pretty much the same to me.
I glanced at the rest of the ads on the link she sent me and I would bet there are ads and commercials that are pretty much the same today as they were then, but I didn’t look that close to them or give them too much thought. I mean for Heaven’s Sake it is advertising. The way they prey on us is by trying to make us feel inferior and telling us that we will be superior if we buy and use their product. No matter what their product is; something we eat/drink, something we drive, something we slather on our bodies, something we wear, something we use to take something off of our bodies, no matter what they are selling us they are telling us we are not as good as we can be unless we use their product. And sex . . . . as we all know SELLS. So they are going to use it. And KEEP using it, obviously – Cadillac and Chevrolet are GM products!
I mean, why is an AXE commercial any better than an ad saying a woman is nothing without a man? Have you seen those Axe commercials? Apparently all a man has to do to make woman swoon over him is smell good. Yeah right, if as if THAT were the case.
Anyway . . . I just thought I would share a chuckle at the thought that we have come a long way and that advertisements and commercials from the PAST were sexist.
Oh . . .and now it is even MORE funny to me . . . because if you watch the video of “Stacy’s Mom” you will see that the commercial is even more about sex than you might have (at least more than I) originally thought!
So what do YOU think? Do you think the commercials of today (at least this one) is that far from the ad from the past? Share any other thoughts you have about commercials.
You might know from my various posts that I don’t really like beans. Beans, the legume, the protein-fiber-rich nutrient. Not my favorite thing. I like green beans. And I am ok with garbanzo beans. I will eat kidney beans but only in two things, the two bean salad (click here for recipe) or my Sausage, Beans, and Rice adaptation (click here for recipe). But otherwise I don’t eat beans. You may also know that I bought some dried garbanzo beans in bulk once. Since I didn’t know what to do with them I turned to the internet for some education. The internet said there were two ways to get the beans ready for a recipe: one was a “quick soak” idea, it requires cooking and doesn’t seem quick to me at all. The other was a soak-over-night way. I tried them both. I didn’t really feel there was a different outcome to the two methods, but obviously the methods themselves were different. I preferred the overnight soak because it doesn’t require any real time that I have to be in the kitchen. Rinse the beans, fill the bowl with water, let them soak, changing the water a few times as they soak. Since I haven’t taught a Nia class in the area of San Jose where I bought the last dried beans, I decided to buy some organic dried garbanzo beans online. To get them ready for cooking I opted for the let-it-set method. I didn’t time the soak because I had done it before and I know that overnight is good enough. I know I let them set from one morning, until the next afternoon. Then I rinsed them and put them on the pan to roast. Apparently not all beans can just be soaked for about 30 hours. Apparently some HAVE to be cooked — as in boiled. These beans did not come out well just soaking. I didn’t know that until I was already roasting them.
I had a huge bowl soaking so when I did the roasting I had only used about half. So I figured that if I let the remaining beans soak longer they would be fine. So I left them soaking until the next day. Throughout this soaking period I had drained the water and refilled. I even took them all out of the bowl, rinsed them, then put them back in the bowl with fresh water. So — again, I figured they had soaked enough they would be fine. Again, part way through cooking when I had a taste they were NOT good. I hadn’t tasted before I added all of my other ingredients so dinner was almost going to be REALLY gross. But I just added water and let them cook and dinner was salvaged.
But now I know. Apparently these beans HAVE to be cooked in order for them to be edible. When not cooked they are really HARD and they taste like a green seed. No good. Not the creamy mush you expect from a garbanzo bean. Also . . . these beans, while they have not popped as the other ones I soaked did, they are letting off a very large and stinky amount of gas! Whew! Again my kitchen smells of bean gas. They are gassy beans! I have yet to cook the rest.
So . . . here I am again, just sharing things I learn. Maybe I can save someone’s dinner if they are like me and think that all dried beans can just be soaked without the cooking. I was fortunate in that what I was cooking was ok with me just adding water and letting it all cook a bit longer than I had planned. But somethings you can’t do that to. So if you are like me and you like the soaking method, try it on a small batch first to see if that will be sufficient.
Please understand I am not saying there is anything wrong with these beans or the brand. I am just saying that I learned not all garbanzo beans can JUST be soaked. Apparently some need to be cooked too!
Do you have a recipe that you use garbanzo beans in? Care to share?
There are a lot of yoga poses. Especially since a lot of them I know are the modification of the actual pose. Some of these modifications seemed to have morphed into their own pose with their own name. In addition to teaching Nia in San Jose, I am now teaching Gentle Yoga. And I was thinking. I wanted to make a list of my favorite poses. I was thinking I could have a list and do them every day. But it turns out that I like a lot more than I was thinking. And some I don’t like at all. And some I look at the picture and guffaw, saying, “Yeah, right?” Anyway I came up with about 38 poses that I really like, ones that I would call my favorite. I have a feeling that I am forgetting a couple too so I bet my list could really be in the 40’s. I could do over 40 poses a day, but I would rather do less and repeat a handful of poses then just work my way through all of my favorites. So then I circled ones that I would like to do every day and I ended up with 16. I was thinking I could do those 16 every day. But then I realized that while I will probably do that every once in a while I would be better off just picking some from the list everyday. Whatever strikes my fancy. I feel that if I pick a group every day I will end up getting the exact practice I need for that day. It could end up being my favorite 16 of the favorites.
I do feel that my “favorites” for the day will end up being exactly what I need. I plan to post about some of my favorites. Working my way through the list. I have already posted a few of them. One of my favorites that I have posted about is the Gate Pose. This is a balance pose but it is done on a knee and an extended leg. Not all balance poses are done standing. This is a pose that helps with stabilization, strength and flexibility.
Another favorite with a post is the Locust Pose. I REALLY like this pose. This is one that I do extremely modified. I mean I’ve seen the locust pose where most of the yogi’s body is off the ground and they are resting on just their sternum, upper shoulders, and their chin. That doesn’t even look comfortable to me. I prefer the belly-on-the-earth-with-the-head, chest, arms, and legs-lifted-off-the-ground version. This is a whole body pose. Not only on my favorite list but on the favorite 16!
I also like the Sphinx. This is another backbend, but with this one we rest on the forearms and elbows. Another pose that made my list is another back bend, the Cobra. This one to me is more of a lift using the back. And another backbend – the Updog – made the list. Updog and Cobra sometimes look the same in demonstration – depending on who is demonstrating. Be sure to check out my posts to see the difference. I use Patrick Reynolds’ video to explain the difference. I think of Up Dog more like a hanging backbend. The only backbend that made my top 16 was the Locust Pose.
The Garland Pose made my list of favorites and the top 16. This is a position I try to find myself in every day. Even if I am not doing yoga or any type of practice, I will put myself in this posture to pick up something. I think that this pose is a great way to help keeps hips bones healthy and juicy. Also pushing up from this squat is good for the legs.
So I have already posted about a few of my favorite poses. So I will continue to explore and share with you.
What is your favorite yoga pose? Why is it your favorite?
Here is where it is obvious that the moves we include in the 52 Moves of Nia are not unique to Nia. Kicks are part of many dances, martial arts, and movement forms. Kicks can be done in many different ways. They are great for many things. In Nia while we dance we often do kicks. We count each kick as a separate move so the Front Kick, the Side Kick, and the Back Kick are three of the 52 Moves of Nia moves.
I know that we did kicks in country line dancing and in West Coast Swing. They kick in ballet and jazz dance. We all know they kick in all types of martial arts such as karate, jujutsu, and kickboxing. Kicks are even a part of exercise routines and sports. I know they do kicks in Jazzercize and Zumba.
Each kick requires balance, and that is one of the things that kicks are good for. The act of kicking helps improve, helps challenge, and helps retain balance. One must be on one leg and/or foot in order to kick the other leg.
With a Front Kick, in Nia, we balance on one whole foot, we lift the other thigh so the foot is off the ground. We keep our alignment of our three body weights. We use our arms to help maintain the balance. The leg we are standing on is firmly rooting to the earth yet the knee is not locked. Then we extend the leg of the foot that is off the ground, allowing the shin and foot to move forward, away from the body. We look where we kick. We kick at our own level. It could be that you are able to lift your thigh so it parallel to the ground or possibly your knee is higher than your hip. Remember it is your kick so it is your balance practice.
The Side Kick starts as the front kick, on one leg, the we lift our thigh, but instead of sending the foot forward and away from the body we shift our hips so the one that has the leg lifted it higher than the other one and our knee crosses the midline of the body, the we push our foot out to the side of the body. The same side as the foot that is lifted.
The Back Kick has the same start as the front kick and side kick. Stand on one leg and lift the other thigh up. As with the front kick your body is in alignment. The we push the leg that is lifted, back, as if we are stepping on the wall behind us. For an additional challenge to balance you can look behind you.
Just like all the 52 Moves in Nia, while doing these kicks in our Nia routines we often modify them a bit. Sometimes the kicks are slow and powerful. Sometimes they are fast and done with a bit of ease. Sometimes the choreography allows for the foot to rest on the earth before rising again to kick, sometimes not. Sometimes the kicks are done in a fast repetitive fashion. Sometimes they are meant to be done low, sometimes they are meant to be done high. But all kicks are meant to be done in your own body’s way.
In addition to balance, kicks help with strength. Both legs, the standing and the kick leg get the benefit of that. Also kicking is good for exercising your coordination, especially when there is travel involved and/or arm movements. Kicks are a great addition to many dance modalities and exercise forms. I would bet you are familiar with kicks.
Do you do kicks in your cardio dance class? Do you include kicks in your workout routine?
I am aware that lunch meat is not one of the healthiest of things to be eating. But I LOVE sandwiches. I also love that my husband will eat a sandwich that I make and send to work with him instead of eating out every day. He does eat lunch out on occasion. A sandwich with lunch meat is healthier than what he eats when he eats out. But this post is not REALLY about lunch meat. It is about prices. It is about paying attention. It is about packaging. It is about knowing what you are buying. In my opinion, food manufacturers are tricky. I was in the store not too long ago buying lunch meat. I prefer the meat that my husband gets at Costco, but he has not made that trip in a bit so I am buying lunch meat from the grocery store. It is a good idea to look at the per ounce prices on things.
I looked at the package of lunch meat that I normally buy and decided upon a really quick glance that there was another brand that was less expensive and to my delight tastier. I was trying to decide which turkey to buy when I saw the roast beef. My hubby gets turkey ALL THE TIME so I thought, “Oh, I will get the roast beef instead. It is the same price.” But as I picked it up I happened to look at the per ounce price on this brand. I didn’t really expect it to be different, in fact I was confused at first because the package was the same, but there was a 12¢ difference. That is when I look at the weight. The WEIGHT was not the same. The turkey was 9 oz and the roast beef was 7 oz. So even though I would be paying the same amount I would be getting two ounces less.
I don’t know for certain, but I can imagine that I bought this roast beef before. And I bet that I didn’t even notice the weight difference because the package is the same. Exactly the same. So I bet I didn’t even look at the weight because I thought I was getting the same amount of roast beef as I was turkey for the same price.
Now, really, if you want roast beef you are probably going to get it. I just think this is tricky. But — yes, it is clearly labeled as different amounts. I just really like that little “price per unit” amount the put on shelf labels. It really helps. Sometimes things LOOK more expensive because the price on the package might be more, but when you really look and compare it could be that the price of what you are buying is really less. I say “price per unit” because sometimes it is ounce and sometimes it is something else, just depends on what you are buying. So I use this information often. But usually between different brands.
It is so small and so many of us are in a hurry — especially at the grocery store — I thought I would share. Actually, I thought I would share because this annoyed me. I felt like I would have been duped if I bought the roast beef. And that really would have just been ME . . . I mean I was the one that thought they were the same size for the same price. I know about the “price per . . .” information, but since the packages are the same I ASSUMED (uh-oh!) 🙂 Since I was comparing lunch meat prices I happened to look at the per ounce price on this brand. I was shocked and annoyed.
I have also been paying attention to the prices at the store near my Nia class because although it is really convenient, I think it might be more expensive than the one closer to my house. So I have been really looking close!
Anyway . . . I guess I am just saying if you have the time and the inkling – really LOOK at what you are buying and use the “price per unit” portion of the shelf label!
Do you compare prices when you shop? Do you stick to your particular brands? Are you like me and you just really want to get in the store and get out?
I love my students. They are a great source to me; they teach me and they make me laugh. Recently one of my students happen to mention a policy that was told to her – a facility stated she could try the class for 10 minutes without charge, but would have to sign up for the class to stay longer. The comments from those that she was sharing this with was that 10 minutes was not really long enough to get a sense of the class and if they would like it. She said, “I know, if I would have only stayed 10 minutes I would have missed the nap time at the end!” That was the best. She, of course, was kidding . . . sort of. She was talking about Shavasana. A very important part, yet for many, one of the most difficult times in yoga.
She was kidding in the sense that we all know it is not nap time, but not having been familiar with yoga she would have missed seeing that part of the class if she had only been allowed to stay for 10 minutes. Shavasana is a pose of total relaxation. It is where you allow your body to rest and relax from the workout it just participated in. In some classes this is a necessary time for recuperation of the body, but in others it might not be so much about the body. In a Gentle Yoga class it could be more about the mind. In Nia we have BMES – Body, Mind, Emotion, and Spirit. We could say that shavasana is a time for those four things. So after a nice gentle class it could be more a time more for the mind, emotion, and spirit to relax. While the inner dialog should be kept to a minimum while practicing the asanas it is even more important to do so during shavasana. This is the time when the body absorbs all the goodness from the poses it just performed.
I had once thought that you DID shavasana IN the corpse pose, but the name comes from the Sanskrit words Shava meaning “corpse” or dead body and Asana meaning “posture”.*
One of the reasons shavasana is so difficult is because there is not supposed to be any inner dialog going on (as I just mentioned). This is not the time where you begin making your shopping list for your trip to the store after class, or where you decide what you are going to say to your boss/friend/spouse. This is a time of quiet, a time of reflection, a time where you do a “body check”. Check in with each body part or area of your body to see if it needs any attention, see if it needs to be relaxed and focus on allowing it to relax. Sometimes because of this relaxation one might fall asleep. When I first started every time I did shavasana I fell asleep. Now I don’t, I am better at being mindfully relaxed. It is a practice though. This might not be something that comes easy to you, it might be a challenge, but it is something worth practicing.
I’ve heard different ideas on how to hold shavasana in a class. Some say that a guided meditation is the way it should be done. Some say that total silence is the only right way. Some say some music or nature sounds should accompany this pose. In my classes I usually softly lead the participants into a relaxed state. Then I allow them quiet time with this pose — I do have sounds playing during class and I don’t turn that off, but sometimes I turn it down. Then after the time allowed I talk them back to awakening their bodies and moving again.
If this pose and time is not something that you include in your yoga practice, I encourage you to give it a go. Try it. If you fall asleep that is ok. But keep doing it and when you are able to achieve that relaxed state while staying awake you will see how powerful this simple pose is.
Do you practice shavasana? Have you ever fallen asleep during shavasana? How long do you stay in this pose?
Sometimes I feel as if I am so “behind” on “knowing things”. Do you ever feel like that? Sometimes I feel as if I am the last to know. I feel as if everyone knew it but me. But then I remember there are a lot of people in the world AND there are a lot of things to know and not everyone knows everything. So sometimes even though I think “everyone knows” when I post about it I am always happy to receive comments that what I shared is new to at least one person. But . . . this might be one of those things that everyone knows. I mean, I would bet that all of you have heard of a race or “run” where people who participate get colored corn starch thrown on them, right? I mean, even if you haven’t been to one, or seen one, or participated, you have probably seen at least one person in your social media circle post about one. I am not a runner nor am I a person that just likes to be dirty even if it is with bright and beautiful colors. So you won’t find me participating in one. But I see my Facebook feed FULL of stuff related to it. I thought it was just a way for people promoting running events to get more participants . . . . because a lot of people — unlike me — think it is fun to get colors thrown on them. I thought it was just something that race producers did to make it fun and different. I didn’t know that it is an actual religious festival. I do know that many things start out as religious festivals or customs of races and people, but I would have never thought that a run with colors was more than just something promoters came up with. There is something called Holi from which these events might have been borrowed.
Since I have never participated in runs or races it could very well be that the promotional materials talk the Holi Festival. I don’t know. But in looking at the Color Run website they do state “event is all about having fun, we also focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle.” According to Wiki Holi “is a spring festival also known as festival of colors, and sometimes festival of love.” One website states, “Holi is an ancient festival of India and was originally known as ‘Holika’.” As with many beliefs there are different stories associated with the festival.
The common thread is that it is a celebration of spring. As with many celebrations regarding spring there is more to it than just the weather; it is about new, about renewal, about starting over, about forgiveness. And for some, love. There is also the element of good triumphing over evil.
Holi is like Easter in that it is not on the same day every year as it is based on the full moon and is either in February or March. The start of the festival is usually signified with a bonfire. This is a symbol of the good triumphing over evil as one of the legends has to do with a HUGE bonfire. The next day is when the colors are poured, thrown, and/or disbursed. It is a day of fun and celebration. The colors have to do with one wanting to make his lover’s skin that same as his.
I can see why the race promoters borrowed this tradition. It stems from joy and love so adding it to a run just adds to the fun of the run. It sets the tone for an event that is a celebration. This type of race — or run — is done all over the United States. Holi Festivals take place all over the world. I was intrigued to learn the throwing of colors started off as religious event. I thought I would share because it is cool to learn things and maybe you didn’t know either.
Have you participated in a race/run where they throw colors at you? Have you heard of an event like this? Did you know it was (more than likely) borrowed from the Hindu tradition of Holi?
For centuries, people have derived pleasure from drinking many different varieties of wine. Whether it’s a sensuously versatile Pinot Noir or a divine Chardonnay, drinking wine in moderate amounts has proven to be one of the more effective ways to unwind, relax and allow the stresses of the day to just slowly fade away into the ether. Various studies have emerged throughout the years espousing the health benefits of drinking a glass or two of high-quality wine.
Experts from the world-renowned Mayo Clinic have stated that there are certain substances in red wine called phytochemicals (specifically, flavonoids and resveratrol) that may help prevent heart disease and failure by performing two critical functions: increasing levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (also known as the “good” cholesterol) and protecting against artery damage. It is worth noting that both resveratrol and flavonoids are also recognized as antioxidants (not all phytochemicals are antioxidants, though).
Resveratrol, in particular, is markedly more prevalent in red wine than in white wine; after all, red wine is fermented with grape skins for a longer period of time compared to white wine. Additionally, resveratrol has gotten a lot of attention due to possibly playing an important part in maintaining healthy cardiovascular function. Some of the existing research has linked resveratrol to reduced blood vessel damage, prevention of blood clots, and a decreased amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol). Dr. Eric Crampton, a highly respected University of Canterbury academic, has also opined that based on his interpretation of the current studies available, moderate drinking reduces mortality risk. Furthermore, according to Paul Jaminet of the Perfect Health Diet, animal studies have shown that the harmful effects of alcohol on the liver – fatty liver disease that inevitably leads to a scarred and damaged liver (cirrhosis) – occur only when it is combined with excessive intake of polyunsaturated fats.
Clearly, judicious consumption of red wine not only calms the senses; it’s also a healthful habit in moderation.
Image courtesy of M&S
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This post is a guest post. The conclusion reached is that of the guest author. My approach would be more from a “COULD be” healthful. Many things we eat, drink, and do have the appearance of being healthful, but it always boils down to moderation AND the individual, so to me it is not so clear.
I really thought I had posted about these before. I probably decided against it because it is not the healthiest of desserts and certainly will be frowned upon by many. But . . . this is also not one of the unhealthiest desserts – as far as desserts go. It IS one of the yummiest desserts and sooooo easy. This one has a lot more calories, fat, and processed ingredients than the blended bananas, but it is pretty much just as easy. Since it is just my husband and I that are usually eating them my recipe is for two, but it is so easy to adjust you can make it for one, three, ten, or more it is up to you. I first saw this recipe in a magazine, I think it was Taste of Home. What they called them I don’t remember because my husband quickly named them Banana Boats.
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Recipe for two:
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Banana Boats
Two less than ripe bananas*
Aluminum foil
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup mini-marshmallows
Put your oven rack on the lowest position. Turn oven to 450° F. While the oven is heating up slice the banana down the inside-of-the-curve middle. Do not cut all the way through the skin on the outside-of-the-curve, but do cut all the way through the banana. Situate the banana in a “boat” made of aluminum foil, with the slice facing up. Use a spoon or something to open the banana a little bit so you have room to fill it. Then put half of the chocolate chips in the slice. Top the chips with half of the marshmallows. Repeat with the other banana.
Put the banana on the lowest oven rack (the one you remembered to lower BEFORE you turned the oven on) and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Check the banana. With the rack at the lowest possible point the chocolate should be melted and the banana warm. The marshmallows might be browning. You decide how brown you like your marshmallows. The banana skin will turn black and look rather not-pretty. But your banana will be fine. When the marshmallows are browned to your liking, take the bananas out of the oven. I like mine around 7 minutes.
How you serve them is up to you. We usually just put the banana on a plate and use a spoon to scoop out the chocolatey-marshmallowey-banana goodness.
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Usually my husband grills them. He grills them at a kinda low to medium temp. Then he watches them until they have black skin and melted/browned marshmallows. Of course every grill is different so the low to medium might not work on your grill. Basically just keep an eye on them.
*Regarding the ripeness of the bananas. We have found that ripe bananas do not work as well. I honestly can’t remember why. I just remember it was not as yummy. So they do work and it will still be a great dessert, but not as yummy as when the bananas are on the hard – less-than ripe side.
All of the pictures are courtesy of my hubby! Thanks, Hubby!
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