July 15, 2013

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That face should be illegal. Why do my dogs both look so mournful the second I whip the camera out?

 

July 14, 2013

No. Just, no.

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July 13, 2013

Clown pants!

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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.

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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.’

Bonus shot!
Bonus shot!

July 12, 2013

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A little white-on-white lunch creativity. Roast cauliflower, dippin’ eggs, a sprinkle of chopped capers, and a smattering of asiago cheese.

Healthy and satisfying.

July 11, 2013

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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

Walking around the city all day in July makes for some hot, tired feet.

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July 9, 2013

Oh, vegetables: how I missed thee.

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July 8, 2013

Nectar of the Gods.

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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.

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