Homemade ice cream cones!

At the end of dinner do you ever crave a big bowl of ice cream? Here is a simple way to make homemade banana ice cream (which just happens to be my favorite flavor since I was little).

Cut bananas in half and flash freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen place in a large zip lock bag for storage. Freezing them first on a cookie sheet prevents them from sticking together in a bag.

 



Remove desired number of bananas and place in a food processor- blend until smooth (feel free to add a little water or almond milk if needed), then pour "soft serve" banana ice cream into a freezable container and refreeze.

 

You can enjoy soft serve ice cream at this point too! Mix agave nectar and cocoa powder together for a simple chocolate syrup topping.

 



Once the banana mix is refrozen scoop with an ice cream scoop and enjoy! 

(Add chopped walnuts or cacoa nibs in place of sprinkles)

 

Copenhagen- Denmark

Do you ever have those moments that you pinch yourself to see if its real? That's what happened to  me this summer when I got a phone call from my husband asking me if I wanted to go to Denmark. His company was sending him abroad for a meeting so I got to tag along for a long weekend.

The only things I knew about Denmark before I left were:

• They are the happiest country in the world.
• They are the most organic country
• They have very low obesity rates

It was almost like Denmark was made for me! I was so excited to absorb their culture and see how everyday people live and eat a healthy life.

The food in Denmark was amazing!!! Each morning I usually had Greek yogurt with a Rhubarb compote and muesli. Fruit was rare but I had to share a photo of the big breakfast we got on the last day, it was amazing.

The cost of food in Denmark is extremely extremely high. From a health perspective this makes me realize that the population makes an investment in their food choices. Where in America we tend to gravitate towards cheap meals and low cost purchases. Its noted that Europeans actually spend 25% of their incomes on food, that's a lot! So the take away here is to make the investment in our food choices!

The people of Denmark ride bikes EVERYWHERE!!! Copenhagen had separate bike lanes and even separate bike traffic lights. They also have walking trails all over the place. Jason and I must have walked 10+ miles a day taking in all the sites, it was exhausting but that is a way of life here. So my take away is find tiny ways to live a more active life- take the stairs, park farther away, take a walk during a conference call etc.

Processed food in Denmark was extremely hard to come by. Even the 7-11 sold fresh croissants and danishes which is a favorite here for breakfast along with a coffee. Unlike here in the US where we eat a big breakfast of pancakes or bacon and eggs. Take away here is to lighten up  our breakfast and eat until your 80% full.

And the last big difference I noticed is that lunch was the big meal of the day and they ate slowly. This was such a new experience for my husband and I. We know we should eat slow but being in a culture that practices this, is truly life changing. So slow down you meal- use chopsticks or hold the fork in your opposite hand, and make lunch your biggest meal of the day.

Overall we had an amazing trip and the best recipe trick we learned was with Edamame. In Denmark they serve it with fresh lemon squeezed over top, instead of soy sauce. We were hesitant at first but were obsessed, its so refreshing and easy! We have made it twice already.

Dirty Apples

When you see the photo above what is your first thought? For me its a delicious sweet apple!

I had an eye opening conversation with a local farmer today that I wanted to share. The farmer was apologizing to his CSA customers for the dirty apples. I asked him what he meant by dirty apples and he showed me the spots and brown/yellow coloring. He said he was in the hospital for 6 weeks and his apple trees did not get sprayed (they use many natural sprays) as much as he would have liked. The farmer was embarrassed by their appearance. My first instinct was who cares they are sweet and delicious!

The farmer said people talk and are upset. They make complaints that the apples aren't perfect (meaning appearance only). To me this is eye opening!!! People would rather have an apple sprayed with more chemicals just so it looks like this????

 

When you go to a grocery store many of the fruits and veggies contain chemical additives and preservatives so the produce ripens on the shelf. This takes away from the taste too!

 

 

Next time you go shopping or stop at a farmers market have a new perspective, just because its not "perfect" to the naked eye doesn't mean its not delicious and great for your health.