Healthy Banana "Ice Cream"

As much as it drives me crazy, my kids love their desserts, sweets, and treats.  Around this time of year, ice cream is a definite favorite.  But when they ask for it, my face goes pale and my body grows weak envisioning the sugar high they are about to embark on.  It may look something a little like this:

But it lasts longer and is even more annoying in person.

I am so thankful that we discovered a healthy option for a completely delicious banana pseudo ice cream.  My daughter loves to boast about how healthy it is and my son hasn't even realized that it's not actual sugar laden ice cream.  (And of course I love it both for it's lack of artificial sugar and it's utter simplicity.)

Ingredients
2 bananas
1/4 cup of milk

This does require a little prep work because the bananas must be frozen, so I generally buy a large bunch of bananas (we love them for so many other things too) and I automatically slice 2 and put them in a bag in the freezer.

Then when we are ready for a (naturally) sweet treat we put the bananas and the milk in the food processor and whip them up until they become smooth and the consistency of ice cream.

Then, the part that makes it all worth while for the kids...decorating!  We often keep it simple with chocolate shavings, but occasionally letting the kids go nuts with the sprinkles is all the more fun.

Your delicious dessert of banana "ice cream" is ready!
(Serves about 4)

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

We have had on and off rain for days.  I have to admit, I kind of enjoy the rain.  However, quelling the cabin fever it inflicts on a certain couple of kids can be rather difficult.  We have fun, but it requires this mama to think on her toes, coming up with activity after activity before they lose their minds and my family room looks as tho the entire WWE has been using it as a ring.  (That reference was for my boyfriend...he better appreciate it lol).

Since I don't allow TV during the daytime, at least not during "school hours," here is a sneak peek of our last couple of days.

We...

Danced in the rain

Played Mr Fox

I took these pictures as Mr. Fox.  If you don't know how to play, its fun.  One person sits in a designated spot and is "Mr. Fox.  Everyone else starts at a designated spot, in our case at the other end of the hallway and says "Mr. Fox, Mr. Fox, what time is it?" Mr. Fox then responds giving the time in the form of a direction to get the kiddos to come closer i.e. "It's time to take three giant steps forward," "it's time to take a giant leap," or "take 8 tippy-toe steps," rea;ly any command you can think of is fair game for Mr. Fox.  But at some point when the kiddos get close Mr. Fox deems it "TIME FOR LUNCH" and chases the littles back to the starting line, trying to tag them.

Made forts of all kids

This is just one example using sheets and pillows.  We also made forts with chairs and blankets and by tying scarves to things and draping blankets over them.

Played in the garage

We roller bladed, plasma-carred (yup made up a new word), played wall-ball, and "baseball" with tennis rackets

Recyclable Three-Legged Races

This is partially a fun game for the kids and also a really easy way for me to crush the recyclables.  Two birds, one stone.

Painted butterflies

We made these by drawing the butterflies with crayon (I drew one for my son using crayon and he made it beautiful).  Then we used water color paints and painted over top.  My daughter then cut hers out, while my son practiced using safety scissors on an old magazine.  I was also thinking about gluing popsicle sticks to the back so that on hot, sunny days the butterflies can be transformed into fans to keep the kids cool.

And made marching bands.

We even set the tent up in the house and had a sleepover in the tent in the family room.

And so much more...

Simple Watermelon Salad

Summer cook outs drive me nuts.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love being invited to cookouts, food, sun, fun...what's the problem?  I NEVER know what to contribute!  I get nervous when I cook for people, because not everyone has the same tastes.  I'm a great cook, but when it comes to contributing to pot-lucks, cookouts, etc, I totally turn into Susan from desperate housewives.  It's nerve-wracking.  

Then my mom started making this watermelon salad...so I stole the recipe, simplified it EVEN further, and it is my go-to from now on.  Everyone loves it and I can throw it together, even while the dog is barking, the kids are fighting, my father is falling, and chaos is breaking out (this happens regularly it seems).  But the salad is so easy that there's almost no way to mess it up.

I got it down to 4 ingredients:

1. Watermelon
2. Cucumber
3. Feta Cheese
4. Balsamic Vinaigrette (you could make your own, but I often have a bottle of organic vinaigrette in the fridge so I just use that)

Cube the watermelon and cucumber.  Prior to cubing the cucumber I like to peel strips to make it look "pretty," but totally optional.  You can leave the skin on or peel it all, whichever is most appealing to you.

Put them in a bowl.  Feel free to play with the ratios of ingredients.  It's pretty hard to go wrong, but you may find that you like it better one way or another.  The size of the cubes can also vary.  (For me it was varying on how lazy I was and how many cuts I felt like making, but I find now that I kind of enjoy the cubes bigger anyway.)

Throw some feta cheese on top.

Pour a bit of vinaigrette on.  You don't need a lot because there are a lot of juices in the salad already and also because it can sort of overpower the watermelon.  But the juxtaposition of the acid and sugar makes for an amazing flavor combination.

Voila!  Done!  Seriously. Super. Simple.

About Me

That’s me, Commander-in-Chief.  I’m a single mom of two really great kids.  And to be quite honest, I love every bit of it, but I can get super busy.  Instead of becoming overwhelmed, I'm always looking for ways to make life a little simpler while raising happy, healthy kids.

This beauty is my Little Princess.  She is absolutely amazing.  She is talented, smart, beautiful, and kind.  She is the kind of person who will remember you stubbed your toe two days ago and ask you how it's feeling.  She is thriving in 2nd grade, in the gifted program and advanced math.  LP is also quite the gymnast and loves doing handstands, cartwheels, round-offs, and anything that lands in the splits. She makes me so proud with everything she does and is.

This is the Big Man On Campus.  He has the most amazing laugh and incredible sense of humor to match it.  The twinkle in his eye lets you know that there's a little mischief swirling around in his noggin, but at the same time he is the sweetest, most loving boy. Or hmmm hmmm should I say Power Ranger?  Last year, just after Halloween, I somehow put an episode of Power Rangers on TV.  He was hooked and has been ever since.  So fighting monsters is a daily occurrence in my home.  This boy is so silly, smart, strong, and stubborn, he is just a total charmer.

We also have a dog. He is a 90 pound bundle of energy.  He loves playing fetch and eating anything and everything people will leave within tongue-distance.  He just recently had a few medical issues and we are dealing with glaucoma and a crazy pill schedule.  But he is still a great fetcher (we use a heavy ball that he can hear hit the ground), a great guard dog, and loves any and all attention he can get.

…and a lizard.  This is Blue, my daughter's bearded dragon.  We adopted her when she was an adult.  She makes a great pet for the kids because she is a desert lizard, not an arboreal lizard.  Therefore she 1) doesn't have the tail that whips...and really stings! 2) doesn't run away fast or try to go up walls.  She eats crickets, lettuce (not iceberg), carrots, etc, and loooooves some blueberries or melon for a treat.  She doesn't scratch or bite or any of that, but appears to be very intelligent and will nod her head to look at you, which the kids just adore because she is interactive.

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