Clown pants!
1-Ingredient Paleo Ice Cream
Oh, wow. I cannot believe I’ve ignored you guys like this. This recipe for banana ‘ice cream’ is really tasty, dead simple to make, whips up quick, and lasts in the freezer for as long as you need it to. It’s cheap, too, averaging however much bananas cost where you live per serving. And it’s paleo. Have I mentioned it’s also good? And filling? And healthy? And lactose free? What are you waiting for?! Ice cream waits for no man!
A good friend of mine recently made the jump to paleo (ok, it was a few months ago now) and I realized I hadn’t posted a recipe for this yet for you guys. This ‘ice cream’ is fantastic. I made it pretty much all summer last year and ended up almost living on it when the days got so hot I didn’t want to move, let alone put anything in my mouth that wasn’t freezing.
Also? It’s toddler-approved. My girl has a munchkin who loves bananas – and this dessert. It’s making its way into heavy rotation at her house as a summertime treat to combat her little guy’s first summer dealing with crazy heat.
This ice cream is surprisingly creamy for having a single ingredient and has a light banana taste when made with no add-ins. I always add almond butter because I absolutely love it and usually honey and a generous pinch of flaky salt as well. If paleo marshmallow fluff existed, that would go in as well. Ooooh. Steve’s Original Paleo Krunch (or some other grainless granola) would be fantastic here. Cocoa nibs if you’re so inclined.
1-Ingredient Paleo Ice Cream
1 banana per serving
Add-ins: I usually use 1 Tbsp. almond butter + 1 tsp. honey + a big pinch of flaky salt per serving
Peel your banana, break into large pieces, and freeze at least an hour to overnight before starting.
Put your banana + any add-ins into your blender. Blend until it looks like soft-serve. At this point, your ice cream is entirely edible – but if you stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours, you will be rewarded with a rich, dense ice cream that is so satisfying you’ll never miss the dairy – or other ingredients.
Serves however many you want it to.
A note about blending: Don’t overload your blender. Just … don’t. Even if you have a Vitamix. Your blender doesn’t want to handle 9 bananas at once and you’ll have to dig out frozen and welded-together clumps of fruit before doing the right thing and blending 2 bananas at a time max. Just be patient and wait for the first bananas to do their thing before adding more. Of course this comes from experience. Experience and my wonderful, supportive DH giving a much-deserved ‘I told you so.’

July 12, 2013
July 11, 2013
This is the newest addition to our stable of games. Tsuro is perfect for gamers and non-gamers alike and makes for a quick play.
We had the fortune to be able to play for the first time with family on the 4th – my anti-gamer, easily bored sister; her nerdy-in-disguise new husband; my über gamer brother; his fantastically geeky fiancé; my board game loving stepmother; my DH and myself.
A great time was had by all running each others’ dragons into the walls at the end of the Earth (though whether they met a fiery doom or simply dimension-hopped after shooting off the board was hotly contested). I am firmly in the fiery doom camp – we never got around to naming or creating bios for our dragons; definitely something we will have to do for next time.
If you would like to see Tsuro in action, check out this episode of Geek and Sundry’s TableTop on YouTube. That’s where we first saw the game. TableTop, for those of you who don’t know, is a YouTube show hosted by geek king Wil Wheaton where he and friends play board games. We pretty much want all the games featured on the show – you wouldn’t think watching someone play something you’ve never heard of would be fun, but it strangely is. I highly recommend.
July 10, 2013
July 9, 2013
July 8, 2013
July 7, 2013
Checking out the changes at the Columbus Zoo with my father & brother. I’m excited about all the great enclosure and enrichment program changes; sad about the modernization of my favorite Elephant building. Progress is good and I am a huge fan of the informational displays, but I loved that building and it’s mural.
C’est la vie. The polar bears, penguins, monkey house, (and elephant house) are still awesome. And you can’t argue with tigers, animatronic dinosaurs, and 2 separate varieties of otter.
July 6, 2013
Lemon Ginger Thai Meatballs (paleo)
I’m glad I kept those aging stalks of lemongrass in the crisper drawer. They’ve been there, silent, like an accusation, for weeks. I finally found a vehicle for their tender lemony brightness – meatballs. Specifically, Thai inspired meatballs. The lemon works well here, balancing the fish sauce and providing a nice bridge for ginger’s blustery heat. If you do not have access to lemongrass, a bit of zest would work; just don’t go crazy with it. A teaspoon or so should do.
My attempt to ‘sex up’ meatballs.
Lemon Ginger Thai Meatballs
1 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce
1.5 Tbsp. fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. cilantro
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 lb. grass fed ground beef
2 stalks lemongrass
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
Fat of Choice (if you make this salad as a side, bacon fat is a fantastic fat to use)
Mince your ginger and cilantro. Add to a bowl with the beef, chili garlic sauce, fish sauce, and coconut aminos. Bash the lemongrass with the back of your knife to get the goodness out – chop and add to the bowl.
Form little ping pong sized balls and fry in fat of choice over medium heat until browned. Flip and brown.
Makes about 14 balls, enough to serve 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch.














