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Banana-focused food truck in New Jersey serves up fruity, frozen treats: 'Clean and refreshing'

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Banana-focused food truck in New Jersey serves up fruity, frozen treats: 'Clean and refreshing'

It may be time this spring and summer to consider giving the cold shoulder to ice cream, frozen yogurt and milkshakes and instead indulging in a fruity, health-centric frozen treat — at least according to the passionate co-owners of Amanda Bananas.

Found on Pier 13 in Hoboken, New Jersey, the Amanda Bananas food truck offers fruity, refreshing frozen treats.  

Located adjacent to the shipyard marina in Hoboken, Pier 13 is a seasonal open-air waterfront beer garden with food trucks and entertainment offerings — all with breathtaking views of the New York City skyline. 

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“We started Amanda Bananas on July 4, 2012, day one of Pier 13, with the fireworks on the Hudson, as a side business for the both of us,” said Steven DiPasquale, who co-owns Amanda Bananas with wife Amanda. 

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As the success of the business grew, Amanda DiPasquale left her job as a fifth-grade math teacher. 

Amanda Bananas, based on Pier 13 in Hoboken, New Jersey, offers soft-serve frozen fruit snacks. “We wanted to make a healthy alternative to ice cream that is all natural and tastes great,” said co-owner Steven DiPasquale. (The Original Amanda Bananas)

Steven DiPasquale, who worked in the hospitality business for more than 15 years, then decided to make Amanda Bananas their full-time business. 

What’s fruit got to do with it?

Amanda Bananas is a soft-serve frozen fruit enterprise — and from the beginning the goal of the operation was clear. 

“We wanted to make a healthy alternative ice cream that is all natural and tastes great,” said Steven DiPasquale.  

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“Our product is made from 100% fruit, so the base is dairy free, gluten-free, nut-free and vegan.”  

“By eating a banana, you can Indulge your sweet tooth without ruining your diet. A banana averages only about 110 calories.”

The delicious treat is a healthier alternative to other snacks and treats, he said. 

“Since our product is fruit-based with no added sugar, you don’t feel guilty,” said DiPasquale. “One 6 oz. serving is roughly 110 calories.” 

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The Strawberry CocoNana Smoothie from Amanda Bananas is a soft-serve frozen banana blended with strawberries and coconut water. (The Original Amanda Bananas)

On its website, Amanda Bananas notes that “by eating a banana, you can Indulge your sweet tooth without ruining your diet. A banana averages only about 110 calories.”

It also shares that “as with many fruits, bananas contain a good amount of vitamin C. One banana provides about 10 mg of vitamin C, or about 15% of your daily recommended amount. Vitamin C boosts your immune system and cell health and improves the absorption of other nutrients such as iron.”

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The truck’s soft-frozen fruit treat can be customized by patrons with more than 40 topping options. 

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“Amanda and I have watched families grow and literally watched children grow up before our eyes.”

Current choices for the bases are banana and mango/pineapple swirl.

In addition, the truck offers smoothies — which are blended with 100% natural coconut water, and “blurries,” which Steven DiPasquale said have a banana base with a blend of toppings.

Co-owners Steven DiPasquale and Amanda DiPasquale have a strong connection to Hoboken, New Jersey. Their food truck’s soft-frozen fruit treat can be customized by patrons with more than 40 topping options.  (The Original Amanda Bananas )

When the married couple aren’t greeting and serving customers at the food truck at Pier 13, they do corporate events, weddings, birthdays, private events and more. 

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“We cater many corporate events during the week,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“We also do a select number of food truck festivals throughout the season, and occasionally we will do some music festivals.” 

Why is Hoboken their home base?

The pair’s history with Hoboken runs deep. 

“Pier 13 loved our concept and wanted to support local small businesses,” said Steven DiPasquale. 

The sun rises behind the Empire State Building in New York City as a person walks on a pier in the Hudson River on March 10, 2023, in Hoboken, New Jersey. “Hoboken is a great city because it feels like a small town, but it’s still a city,” said Steven DiPasquale of Amanda Bananas. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

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“We also live in Hoboken — I’ve lived in Hoboken since 2001.” 

DiPasquale also once owned a restaurant/lounge on Washington Street in town, prior to launching Amanda Bananas. 

“Hoboken is a great city because it feels like a small town, but like I said, it’s still a city,” he said.

The Banana Cream Pie offering is a soft-serve frozen banana topped with crushed graham crackers, Nutella and whipped cream. (The Original Amanda Bananas)

“Amanda and I have watched families grow and literally watched children grow up before our eyes. We have families coming multiple times per week since we started in 2012. Kids in strollers or on their parents’ shoulders — and now they are teenagers coming to the truck on their own.”

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What’s most popular on their menu?

The Banana Cream Pie variety is one of the most popular menu items. 

“It’s our soft-serve frozen banana base topped with crushed graham crackers, Nutella and whipped cream,” DiPasquale said. 

Another favorite pick? The CocoSwirl smoothie. 

“This is extremely popular on hot summer days. It’s our soft-serve frozen mango pineapple base blended with 100% natural coconut water,” added DiPasquale. 

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The Amanda Bananas truck shown at Pier 13 in Hoboken, New Jersey. The truck is there almost every day from May to September, weather permitting, the co-owners say. (The Original Amanda Bananas)

For those who want the classic, he noted that the Original Amanda Banana is still “very popular for those who have any allergies or just want a simple, clean, refreshing snack.”

The couple’s ambition to “spread the love” is also on their menu. 

“We hope to expand to other markets in 2024,” said DiPasquale. He added, “You get back what you put in — and be prepared to have no days off,” he said. 

He also said he works hard to make his products the best he can for their customer base. 

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The Original Amanda Banana is still “very popular for those who have allergies or just want a simple, clean, refreshing snack,” said the co-owners. (The Original Amanda Bananas)

“You get what you pay for, so don’t cheap out on equipment or quality ingredients,” he said. “Do it right the first time.”

The Amanda Bananas truck is at Pier 13 in Hoboken (once the season opens) almost every day from May to September, weather permitting.

The Amanda Bananas food truck’s official season is April to September.

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Anyone can follow the business on Instagram @AmandaBananasNJ. 

The truck posts its schedule on Pier 13 daily.  

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

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Pittsburg, PA

17-year-old accused in deadly Kansas shooting

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17-year-old accused in deadly Kansas shooting


CRAWFORD COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating another deadly shooting involving a Kansas teen.

Just before 9p.m. Friday, police along with first responder units from Pittsburg Fire Department and Crawford County EMS, were dispatched to a shooting at Schlanger Park, 725 E 6th Street in Pittsburg, according to a media release. First responders found that an adult male had been shot and had subsequently died as a result of his injuries.

The victim, who was identified as 18-year-old Adam Basauri, of Girard, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Basauri’s body was sent to Kansas City for an autopsy.

The scene was secured and investigators with the Pittsburg Police Department responded to assist with the investigation. Witnesses on scene advised the suspect had fled the scene in a vehicle. Witnesses were transported to the police department to be interviewed while the search for the suspect was ongoing.

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At approximately 9:46 p.m. the suspect and suspect’s vehicle were located in Arma, Kansas, by deputies with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect, who was identified as a 17-year-old juvenile, was taken into custody and transported to the Pittsburg Police Department for questioning. The juvenile suspect’s vehicle was secured and towed to the Pittsburg Police Department to be processed.

After interviewing the witnesses’ investigators were able to determine that a brief altercation took place between Basauri and the juvenile suspect. During the altercation, the suspect shot Basauri.

As a result, the 17-year-old juvenile, of Pittsburg, was placed under arrest. Juvenile Intake responded and processed the juvenile suspect. The juvenile suspect was transported to the Southeast KS Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Girard. He is being held on a requested charge of murder in the second degree.



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Connecticut

Chock, Bates win record-setting seventh U.S. Figure Skating title ahead of Milan

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Chock, Bates win record-setting seventh U.S. Figure Skating title ahead of Milan


Madison Chock and Evan Bates danced their way to a record-setting seventh U.S. Figure Skating title on Saturday night, showcasing their trademark creativity, athleticism and precision in their final competition before the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Now, the countdown is on for the moment they have waited for the past four years.

“We like to build momentum through the season,” Bates said, “and it’s a great feeling going into a big event knowing you skated well the previous event. So we’re going to roll with that momentum into Milan.”

Chock and Bates have dominated ice dance ever since they finished fourth at the Beijing Games, arguably the most disappointing and frustrating placement for any Olympian. They have won the past three world titles, the past three gold medals at the Grand Prix Final, and they have nobody within sight of them when it comes to competing against fellow Americans.

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Performing a flamenco-styled dance to a version of the Rolling Stones hit “Paint It Black” from the dystopian sci-fi Western drama “Westworld,” Chock and Bates produced a season-best free skate inside Enterprise Center and finished with 228.87 points.

Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik were second with 213.65 points and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were third with 206.95, making those two pairs the likely choices to join Chock and Bates on the American squad for the Winter Games.

There wasn’t much drama in the dance competition.

At least for the top step.

Yet sometimes the winning programs aren’t necessarily the ones that win over the crowd. And while Oona Brown and Gage Brown only finished fifth, the sister-brother duo — former world junior champions — earned the first standing ovation of the night for their moody, creative and almost cinematic program set to selections from the film “The Godfather.”

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“I think that was one of the best — if not the best — performances we’ve had,” Gage Brown said afterward.

The Browns ended a stretch in which several couples taking the ice made some kind of significant mistake, whether it was a skater stumbling to the ice, someone getting out of synch with their twizzles, or some other calamitous misfortune.

Then it was a parade of near-perfect programs, each couple trying to upstage the previous one.

Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville were the first to knock the Brown siblings from first place, then reigning bronze medalists Caroline Green and Michael Parsons took over first place with their program, set to “Escalate” by Tsar B and “Son of Nyx” by Hozier.

Carreira and Ponomarenko, the U.S. silver medalists the past two years, knew a podium spot would probably earn them a spot on the Olympic team when they took the ice. And they delivered with a sharp program in which they seemed to channel the feeling and the characters from the 2006 psychological thriller film “Perfume: The Story of a Murder.”

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“We had a bit of a rocky start to this season,” said Carreira, who was born in Canada but receiver her U.S. citizenship in November, making her eligible to compete at the Olympics. “I’m happy we got our act together and delivered a good performance here.”

It wound up being good enough for bronze.

That’s because the 23-year-old Zingas, who made the difficult witch from singles to dance about four years ago, and the 24-year-old Kolesnik quickly assumed the top spot with a program set to music by Sergei Prokofiev from the ballet of “Romeo and Juliet.”

“It hasn’t been an easy journey,” Zingas said, “and I think our unique approach to this season, and our unique style on the ice, really helped us, and it’s really an emotional moment to be sitting here.”

Zingas and Kolesnik only held the top spot for about four minutes — the length of the free skate by Chock and Bates.

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It almost seemed to be a forgone conclusion that they would win Saturday night. But the real pressure now begins: Chock and Bates finished eighth at the 2014 Olympics, ninth four years later, and came in fourth at the Winter Games in 2022.

Yes, they helped the Americans win team gold in Beijing, but even that was somewhat tainted. They never got a medal ceremony there because of a long investigation into Russian doping, which pushed their presentation all the way to the 2024 Summer Games.

They would love to help the U.S. win another team gold. But their target is unquestionably the ice dance title itself.

“It’s going to be a lot more of what it has been — we know what to do, we have our plan and we’re executing,” Chock said. “We don’t plan on deviating from it. We’re going to stick to it. Trust ourselves, trust our team and do what we know to do.”

My New Favorite Olympian will introduce you to Team USA’s most inspiring athletes and the causes they champion. New episodes hosted by Olympic figure skating medalist Adam Rippon and NBC’s Chase Cain will drop January 15. And don’t miss My New Favorite Paralympian beginning March 5!

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Maine

Conservation, not courts, should guide Maine’s fishing rules | Opinion

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Conservation, not courts, should guide Maine’s fishing rules | Opinion


Steve Heinz of Cumberland is a member of the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited (Merrymeeting Bay chapter).

Man’s got to eat.

It’s a simple truth, and in Maine it carries a lot of weight. For generations, people here have hunted, fished and gathered food not just as a pastime, but as a practical part of life. That reality helps explain why Maine voters embraced a constitutional right to food — and why emotions run high when fishing regulations are challenged in court.

A recent lawsuit targeting Maine’s fly-fishing-only regulations has sparked exactly that
reaction. The Maine Council of Trout Unlimited believes this moment calls for clarity and restraint. The management of Maine’s fisheries belongs with professional biologists and the public process they oversee, not in the courtroom.

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Trout Unlimited is not an anti-harvest organization, nor a club devoted to elevating one style of angling over another. We are a coldwater conservation organization focused on sustaining healthy, resilient fisheries.

Maine’s reputation as the last great stronghold of wild brook trout did not happen by accident; it is the product of decades of careful management by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), guided by science, field experience and public participation.

Fly-fishing-only waters are one of the tools MDIFW uses to protect vulnerable fisheries. They are not about exclusivity. In most cases, fly fishing involves a single hook, results in lower hooking mortality and lends itself to catch-and-release practices. The practical effect is straightforward: more fish survive and more people get a chance to fish.

Maine’s trout waters are fundamentally different from the fertile rivers of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states. Our freestone streams are cold, fast and naturally nutrient-poor. Thin soils, granite bedrock and dense forests limit aquatic productivity, meaning brook trout grow more slowly and reproduce in smaller numbers.

A single season of low flows, high water temperatures or habitat disturbance can set a population back for years. In Maine, conservation is not a luxury; it is a biological necessity.

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In more fertile southern waters, abundant insects and richer soils allow trout populations to rebound quickly from heavy harvest and environmental stress. Maine’s waters simply do not have that buffer.

Every wild brook trout here is the product of limited resources and fragile conditions. When fish are removed faster than they can be replaced, recovery is slow and uncertain. That reality is why management tools such as fly-fishing-only waters, reduced bag limits and seasonal protections matter so much.

These rules are not about denying access; they are about matching human use to ecological capacity so fisheries remain viable over time. Climate change only raises the stakes, as warmer summers and lower late-season flows increasingly push cold-water fisheries to their limits.

Healthy trout streams also safeguard drinking water, support wildlife and sustain rural economies through guiding and outdoor tourism. Conservation investments ripple far
beyond the streambank.

Lawsuits short-circuit the management system that has served Maine well for decades. Courts are not designed to weigh fisheries science or balance competing uses of a complex public resource. That work is best done through open meetings, public input and adaptive management informed by professionals who spend their careers studying Maine’s waters.

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Man’s got to eat. But if we want Maine’s trout fisheries to endure, we also have to manage them wisely. That means trusting science, respecting process and recognizing that
conservation — not confrontation — is what keeps food on the table and fish in the water.



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