Now before you start thinking I'm a horrible parent for giving my child ice cream on a regular basis, I'll let you in on a little secret. It's GOOD for you. And I make it myself. It has the creamy consistency of soft serve, and the richness of real ice cream, but it's made with bananas. Bananas and whatever whole food you want to mix it with. No sugar or dairy is needed!
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| Strawberry Ice Cream |
Yonanas. Perhaps you've heard of it? It is a simple machine that uses overripe bananas as a base in which anything can be added to. Instead of making banana bread every time your bananas turn brown, put them in a zip loc bag and store in the freezer. Whenever you're ready to make soft serve ice cream, pull them out, along with whatever other ingredients you plan to use as your flavoring. Let them defrost on your countertop for fifteen minutes, and then you're ready to go! Within minutes you'll have delicious soft serve ice cream . And the best part? Your kids will be thrilled to eat it and you will feel good about giving it to them.
Now I'm not a big fan of bananas other than in a muffin or eaten whole. I don't care for them in smoothies because I think they're a little over powering. So I was a skeptic at first. My mom insisted on buying me one, and it sat in my pantry for a couple of months. The first time I had it was at her house when she made some for Nya and I had no choice but to try it. I was shocked how much I enjoyed it. It doesn't give you that fatness feeling that ice cream has (where you feel good, yet sick all at the same time from eating the real thing). But it's not really about me, as it is about our children. It's a perfect treat to start your baby out on, and great to carry on into their toddler and adult years.
My idea is this: Why not get my child excited about eating ice cream? She can have it any day, every day if she wants. I'm trying to break the relationship that has rampantly become mainstream in our society between junk food and rewards. I don't want Nya to associate food as a forbidden special treat she only gets on certain occasions. My goal is for her to believe all food I give her is a treat, and can be eaten ALL THE TIME. Because it's healthy, whole foods!
There are many different combinations you can throw together to make any flavor you want. I have even heard of recipes where you crush up Oreos and use those alongside the bananas for "cookies and cream" (Not necessarily the healthiest, but way better than the original!).
So far for Nya, I have just done fruit, veggies (yes I know, but Nya eats it so why not!?), and almond butter (my favorite!). I tend to always make Nya a mixed fruit of whatever is on hand, and will add a veggie if I have some frozen because to me, the more variety, the better. The latest combination contained blueberries, strawberries, peaches, pineapple, and beet (I happened to have some frozen that I cooked a couple days before), and of course, bananas. Be creative and try whatever combo sounds good to you!
Here are some of our favorites:
Peach
Strawberry
Mixed Berry
Peanut Butter/Almond Butter (Especially great if your baby needs more fat in their diet!)
Mint Chocolate Chip (dairy free chocolate chips and either fresh mint or mint extract)
Chocolate Coconut (shredded coconut & dairy free dark chocolate)
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The possibilities are endless, so be creative and involve your toddler! You can have a topping station set up to make sundaes afterward. Even if your goal is to get your child off of all artificial ingredients, start slowly. Begin with this ice cream as the base and let them add whatever they want to the top (M&Ms, Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, chocolate syrup, whatever). Every step towards a healthier life for our children is the goal, and you need to take whatever road works for you to get there. If you're just starting out with a baby, you will have a head start toward that.
It does store well in the freezer, yet always tastes the best when fresh because the consistency is perfect. Otherwise, I let it sit out for a few minutes before serving (if it's been stored in the freezer). And you can find them almost anywhere, or even order online for convenience.
You can find it just about anywhere. Amazon, Kohls, and Bed Bath & Beyond usually offer great deals. So go ahead and let your child eat ice cream every day. Why not?!?
To discuss more whole food recipes for your child,
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