Thursday, March 18, 2010

Chocolate Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

I finally feel like a semi-normal person again! Yesterday I was super tired all day. Normally on Wednesday's I wake up and do some type of strength training in my living room, (usually No More Trouble Zones, Jillian Michaels) but I was just so exhausted from Parent Teacher Conferences. I slept in a little bit and then woke up like a zombie. I made it through the day because it was St. Patrick's Day and my kids were all in good moods. They were adorable about the Irish Soda Bread and couldn't believe I actually made it myself (they say that about everything I bake them!) They also said "OOOOhh SODA, when I told them what it was called. School went pretty fast between math test prep and ELA test prep. 


After school I was headed to the gym and then decided to go straight home. I just could NOT go to the gym on a beautiful day like yesterday. I wanted to go for a walk and headed to the park and trail by my house. Once I got going I decided to walk for 2 minutes, run for 2 minutes for about a half hour. I usually don't run 2 days in a row, but I just kept an easy job going because I was feeling it. 


When I got home I started making dinner, which was pan seared tuna, brown rice for Danny and a mix of sweet potato and butternut squash fries for Danny and I. I also made a little escarole, chick pea, red onion and mushroom stir fry. (Oh and I made my own take on eggplant bacon.) I like a lot of veges for dinner if you couldn't tell! 


For dessert Danny had a gigantic chocolate milkshake (as you can see) and I had another one of my new ice cream concoctions. 
 Tonight it was half a banana (that's all I had left :( ), strawberries, dark cocoa, and cacao nibs. I think this ties with PB chocolate banana ice cream.




Chocolate Strawberry Banana Ice Cream
1/2 banana (or more)
5-7 frozen strawberries (slightly defrosted)
2 tsp dark cocoa powder 
a handful cacao nibs


Blend together the banana, strawberries and cocoa powder with an immersion blender. Top with cacao nibs and enjoy every single last bite!!


I have a question for you all. I, obviously, am a teacher and after meeting with some parents I have a controversial question. How do you feel about putting kids on meds for ADHD or emotional/mental issues?? Do you feel like it is a quick fix? Does anyone have any experience with the Feingold Diet? I am so interested to hear what you say! I want to hold out on my opinion for now, to see what you think first!

18 comments:

Mardi @eatlivetravelwrite said...

Nicole I am absolutely in love with your new ice cream concoctions. It's not even 7am here but I could down one of those no problem!

healthyexposures said...

I agree - I need to try all these combos! I'm just so lazy about pulling out the blender/processor and clean up...which doesn't make much sense ecause it's not even much of a mess, lol.I'll probably be more motivated with warmer weather :)
Glad your crazy week is over! You made it! :P
As for the meds thing...I have no experience with it whatsoever, nor the diet. Sorry!

Jessica @ How Sweet said...

I want wondering how it would taste with strawberries in it. It sounds so good!

christie, honoring health said...

That ice cream looks awesome! I still can't eat fruit because of my health reasons but will be able to in a couple of weeks and this is on the top of my list!

Wish I had more to contribute about the kids question but I do not have kids (and do not plan to have them) and am not very educated on the topic at all.

Estela @ Weekly Bite said...

I don't have a ton of experience with the Feingold Diet, or ADHD...

Unfortunately I don't have a strong opinion on it due to my lack of knowledge. I can't help but think that parenting style might be an issue.

Until I know more, my gut would be to use meds as a last resort...

redkathy said...

You ice cream looks seriously delicious. I was told my oldest was ADHD. I took him to the doctor, he said no way, he's just a boy! I read a few books on strong willed children. He WAS somewhat strong willed, a bit hyper, and we parented him with that in mind, no meds. He's 27 now. It takes patience and lots of love to parent that way. While I know some kids really need meds,(I was a youth leader for many many years) today the pill is the first answer for most, and that is wrong. Medication should be a last resort. Just my opinion ;)

Simply Life said...

oh that dessert looks amazing!

Kady @ Livin, Lovin, Learnin said...

I NEED to try that ice cream!

I think that sometimes our society forces kids to conform to certain standards that are just not realistic for a lot of kids. We should not use medication as a means to make students act a certain way.
With that being said, I believe medication is very necessary in some cases. I have heard stories from teachers and my mom (who works at a school) about meds working wonders on students. Not only does it help out the teacher, the student feels better too.
So yes, I think medications are overprescribed and I think other interventions should be tried first, but sometimes medication IS what is best for the child.
(This is similar to the meds for depression debate - yes, some people don't really need them and they shouldn't be used as a quick fix, but if you've known someone who is truly depressed before and after medication, you know what a miracle it can be and how crucial it is to their well-being).

Sorry for this being so long... :)

Claudia said...

No meds, I think meds are a quick fix that in the ends makes things worse.
My son is very busy and as my friend would say "JUST a BOY" and when he was 3 they tried to tell me at daycare that I should take him in to get him checked out for ADHD. I think he was just making them work for their money(too much for them to handle). He does not have ADHD, he is a perfectly normal 7yr old.
A friend of mine, her son has ADHD and she has completely changed his diet and it's amazing to see how far he has come with no meds. He is a different child.

Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly said...

My husband was an ADHD kid and he did not take medicine. I think he wishes that he had. He didn't completely grow out of it either...he is still a very ADD adult. But there was some research done that a GF (gluten-free) diet helped. We have been GF for about 3 years and I really do see a difference!

Christine @ Grub, Sweat and Cheers said...

I have not had to deal with this, but as a mom of two I would try every other alternative available before going down the meds route.

pegasuslegend said...

wow another great ice cream treat this looks scrumpticious thanks for posting!

Erica said...

love the flavors of this ice cream!!!!Sounds perfect!

Katie said...

I love that you bake for your kids! I'm totally going to start doing that :)

Stacy said...

Love this ice cream!

I agree with most people, meds as a last result. I can say that I see a lot of changes in behavior when diet is changed...but of course I am biased.

Megan @ Healthy Hoggin said...

That strawberry/chocolate combo looks awesome!!

I had a friend who was diagnosed with ADHD in high school, and he was immediately prescribed meds for it, without any concern to diet changes or anything else! I didn't think anything of it then, but now I'm shocked by the way they just gave him pills and sent him on his way!

My sister-in-law works with autistic children, and has seen DRASTIC improvements in their concentration and behavior by simply changing their diets! (sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free) I'm not familiar with the Feingold diet, but I would imagine a diet change would help ADHD as well!

Fit Chick in the City said...

I don't even know how I feel about your question. I kind of feel like I myself could be diagnosed with ADD (no joke) and I'm pretty sure I had it when I was a child, but maybe ADHD is a lot different. I do think there should be changes made to diets and activity levels. I wouldn't be quick to medicate a child.

Rhia said...

Hey, I was just thinking of making your scone recipe(because it looks soooo yummy), and thought I should post a comment here. I have no experience with ADHD and any special diets, but I can tell you my two year old son is a MONSTER when he eats red jello. My son is very active and strong willed but generally listens and behaves very well. I really believe what the Feingold diet is all about. I can notice a huge difference in my son within 10 minutes of him eating red jello. He doesn't react that way when I feed him homemade treats even if they're full of sugar. From what my husband tells me my little sister in law(who is FAS) could not eat red food dye either or her behavior would be unbelievably bad. We mostly eat all home-made foods so when my son does eat something with food dye or preservatives it's a big difference. I would try to avoid medication at all costs. I don't believe drugs are the answer.

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