Lunch Break: Summer Is In The Air

Sampling dishes and diners in and around Miami County

With the warm weather comes the incredibly long wrap-around line at Dairy Queen. Despite my love for soft serve and Dairy Queen being less than a mile away from my home, I decided to embark on a small adventure for a healthier sweet treat alternative.

Smoothie and Acai bowls have absolutely riddled my social media, and every photo or video I see of one has my mouth watering. That’s why I was super excited that my friend sent a link to The Wild Banana’s Instagram. The adorable, brightly colored school bus sits most Wednesdays and Saturdays next to Wagoner Power Equipment in Englewood.

Since one of the best parts of summer is food truck season, and I’d have to wait for ice cream in Tipp anyway, I decided to take the little fifteen-minute journey to the Wild Banana, and I am glad I did. The menu has several exciting smoothie bowl creations available, and even a build-your-own bowl option. Despite the idea of building my own bowl being enticing, I decided to stick with ordering the Beach Bowl.

The first bite was unmatched by any ice cream I’d ever had. The delicious blue pineapple, mango, and banana smoothie base tasted like jumping into the pool after a hot day of sunbathing. I could’ve ordered this as a smoothie alone, but I was glad I opted for the bowl, because the blueberries, granola, creamy peanut butter, honey, and sprinkles tasted incredible when added to each bite.

The bowl was filling and curbed my craving for ice cream, without leaving me feeling a little sick from too many sweets. The small bowl was the perfect size for an afternoon snack, but if you're looking for a sweet treat for lunch, the large is packed full of the same goodies, as well as healthy fruits.

The colorful school bus and tasty treats would be even better if they had picnic tables or benches around to enjoy them on. I didn’t mind eating my bowl in the car, mostly because it was so good I devoured it in under five minutes, but I do wish that they had some seating if I were to return with friends.

Despite the odd placement of the Wild Banana, the little smoothie food truck was the perfect sweet treat stop for a Lunch Break, and I’ll definitely be back as much as possible as the days get warmer, and the Dairy Queen line gets longer. If there’s a chance, I’ll be waiting fifteen minutes either way; I might as well wait those fifteen minutes in the car on the way to the delicious smoothie bowl of my dreams. If you’re in the same boat, check the Wild Banana Instagram or Facebook to see when you might be able to score a bowl of your own.

The Wild Banana, 520 West National Road, Englewood