Banana Split Nice-Cream ~ Raw/Vegan

mmm. MMM.

I have been craving banana "ice cream" allllll winter! There's a small, local place that is only open April through October and it serves this amazing ice cream alternative made exclusively of bananas! Due to this obsession of mine, a few years ago my husband bought me the exact machine the restaurant uses, and needless to say it has served our household well ~ birthdays, dessert-for-dinner, breakfasts, and et cetera !

So! Right around the beginning of May (yes, that's when I began this post and then life and *ahem* Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Veep, oh and a full-time job got in the way) the fam visited our favorite little restaurant where we ordered beautifully constructed banana ice cream concoctions made up of varying fruits and *healthy* alternative toppings (e.g., coconut, granola, non-dairy chocolate chips, sunflower seeds) - it was heaven in the mouth, but I wanted more...MORE >:D

Thus, the very next day I created this:

Recipe Deets (You will need a food processor or homogenizer ~ if you don't have these a blender will work but you will need to add milk, approximately 1/2 cup per banana)

5 frozen bananas (peeled)
1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp unsweetened coconut (optional)
1/2 tbsp raw cacao nibs (optional)
2 bowls
1 large mug

- in the first bowl process or homogenize 1 1/2 bananas, transfer to a blender and add cacao powder and vanilla ~ blend well and place in freezer
- in the second bowl process or homogenize 1 1/2 bananas then transfer to a blender. Add cherries and blend until it turns a pretty pink (there will be chunks of cherry...this is cool...very cool), place in freezer
- using the mug (which will be your BASE banana portion, see photo above) process or homogenize 2 bananas
- remove cherry and chocolate portions ~ add the chocolate portion to your mug (with the plain banana base already in place), then add the cherry portion on top
- sprinkle with coconut and cacao nibs

Smash in face, dribble some down your chin, wipe your mouth on your sleeve - all without guilt!

Do it.

Sunday Funday!

Sunday is one of the only full days our family has the opportunity to spend together. The step-daughter travels to her mother's home on Friday night-Sunday morning, while my husband works Saturday afternoons, which conflicts with my Monday through Friday schedule. All this being said, the 4 of us (baby Mirabelle included) try to do at least one activity together on Sunday, whether it be a walk, getting some ice cream, watching a movie, going out to breakfast, playing basketball, et cetera!

This previous Sunday my husband and I planned something pretty darn special. Friends of ours who live in Philadelphia own a studio, True Hand Society, and they were hosting a photographer who exclusively photographs his subject utilizing the tintype technique. Rick, Asa, and I were all super excited to enjoy this rare moment together and dress as traditional as possible, so to give off the air that we were born a century earlier. Unfortunately, Asa had a last minute summer-job obligation and had to forgo the trip. It was a real bummer, but in the end the experience was just as amazing, and I feel like the photographer truly captured our three person family, minus one, perfectly.

Because Asa was going to be excluded from the photo, I decided to make her a special breakfast of gluten free banana chocolate chip pancakes (she claims to enjoy the texture of gluten free cakes, pancakes, cookies, etc more than their wheat counterpart...who knew). She and my husband gobbled them into oblivion while I settled for an egg white omelette *yawn*

Later in the day, following our trip to Philadelphia, my husband and I knew that the baby was on her way to being irritable, especially because it was about 2 hours prior to bedtime...and anyone with children knows how that goes. So, we decided to go to one of our favorite little restaurants in our town, Bashful Banana. This place is perfect to take vegetarians and babies alike! All of their food items are made with fresh, mostly local ingredients. They don't smother their dishes in oil or unneeded creams/butter. Rick tends to opt for an appetizer or entree, while I stick to their now famous Banana Whip. A Banana Whip is a frozen banana that has been homogenized and turned into a custard like substance. It's only banana. Nothing else. Though I add their homemade whipped cream to my order. Oddly enough, I have the exact machine, but because this restaurant is not open all year, we like to get out and walk the boardwalk while also having the option for healthy, baby-friendly treat. And oh does Mirabelle love Banana Whips...

While Asa was working this past Sunday, and we couldn't spend it together, I still felt like it was a great end to the weekend :>