I love being right, which makes my life such a pleasure, because it is the rare occasion that I'm wrong. Yes, this attitude could be a large contributing factor to the state of my love life, but on this matter, I will take being right over an obnoxious boyfriend to please any day. The improvement in my grandparents' health in just a few months is startling. It's not just weight-loss that is requiring my Papa to get an revamp his wardrobe, but it is improvement in their blood work. My grandmother's a1c reading for diabetes has DROPPED by over half a point. Usually this reading only ever goes up, creeping over time - now she is hoping to come off medication in a year's time. My Papa's cardiologist is looking into paleo for himself because of how impressed he is with my Papa's change. My mom has kept these creepy undiagnosable allergies that ruined her life for over a year at bay and that first grandma to jump on the train? Well she keeps me at the gym every morning, lest my grandmother be skinnier and more youthful than I.
This is all fantastic, but more fantastic is that it made Christmas shopping so easy this year - paleo cookbooks for everyone! Even MORE fantastic is that it takes the stress out of holiday eating. I got to have a fully paleo Christmas dinner without having to be a brat, cook a second meal or starve. So what was on our holiday menu?
Standing Rib Roast
Garlic Tomatoes (paleo and non paleo)
Mashed Potatoes (non paleo)
Carrots with Walnuts
Carrots with Walnuts
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
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| Lets get closer up on that roast. |
Brownies
As my dear mother has taught me to say, I'm a big fat cow - moo.
I'll spare you the details of the whole menu, but lets do talk about the banana pudding for a while. My Papa always makes banana pudding at Christmas and I wasn't going to let this one pass without it. By combining our forces - his banana pudding expertise and my paleo wisdom, we were able to accomplish a freaking awesome banana pudding dessert that was loved by paleo and non-paleo eaters alike. It took some saving and finagling, but I honestly cannot get this dessert off my mind and all the possible variations of it. The key components of a true banana pudding are:
1. Banana pudding: My papa was in charge of making this recipe of banana pudding - FYI not only did he say it was a pain in the rear end, but after several hours the pudding still hadn't set. Never fear, we added some Great Lakes gelatin (red can), poured it into individual containers and threw it into the blast chiller (freezer, but its more fun to say blast chiller). Later, he shared that the reviews for the recipe all expressed similar issues. So I will go ahead and suggest you add in a tablespoon of gelatin if you make the recipe. Thankfully, the puddings then set up and chilled beautifully into a fantastic custard.
2. Bananas: Two tips on the bananas -1. buy them a few days in advance so they are very ripe and sweet. 2. As you cut them sprinkle lemon juice over the slices to keep them from browning.
3. Sweetened Condensed Milk: Don't even waste time thinking about the way that creamy sugary goodness sticks to a spoon - it is a a cliff you will never come down from. Just sub Coconut Milk and move on. Trust me, its still delicious.
4. Nilla Wafers: I had leftover cookie dough from Primal Palate's Ginger Snaps, so I baked up some ginger snap cookies and they were perfect for these little puddings.
5. Whipped Cream: Coconut Whipped Cream - This was my most successful attempt at coconut whipped cream yet; it honestly whipped better than heavy whipping cream. Put your canned (full fat) coconut milk in the fridge for at least a day, then turn them over and open from the bottom. Pour out the water from the top and scoop the cream into a bowl. Add some cinnamon and take the beaters to it until it forms stiff peaks. This stuff turned out perfect!
Assembly - we decided to assemble these in a somewhat "deconstructed" individual banana pudding way, rather than in a casserole dish. We started with a main layer of the banana pudding, then crumbled two ginger snaps on top of it, about 1/3 of a banana sliced, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and another ginger snap for decor.
I cannot reiterate enough how satisfying and delicious these were. Not only that, but I didn't "accidentally" eat fifteen of them - I was happy and satisfied with one. I cannot wait to make them again and cannot wait to make different flavors. I highly encourage you to give it a shot when next making a guilt-free something sweet for yourself or your friends and family.
As my dear mother has taught me to say, I'm a big fat cow - moo.
I'll spare you the details of the whole menu, but lets do talk about the banana pudding for a while. My Papa always makes banana pudding at Christmas and I wasn't going to let this one pass without it. By combining our forces - his banana pudding expertise and my paleo wisdom, we were able to accomplish a freaking awesome banana pudding dessert that was loved by paleo and non-paleo eaters alike. It took some saving and finagling, but I honestly cannot get this dessert off my mind and all the possible variations of it. The key components of a true banana pudding are:
1. Banana pudding: My papa was in charge of making this recipe of banana pudding - FYI not only did he say it was a pain in the rear end, but after several hours the pudding still hadn't set. Never fear, we added some Great Lakes gelatin (red can), poured it into individual containers and threw it into the blast chiller (freezer, but its more fun to say blast chiller). Later, he shared that the reviews for the recipe all expressed similar issues. So I will go ahead and suggest you add in a tablespoon of gelatin if you make the recipe. Thankfully, the puddings then set up and chilled beautifully into a fantastic custard.
2. Bananas: Two tips on the bananas -1. buy them a few days in advance so they are very ripe and sweet. 2. As you cut them sprinkle lemon juice over the slices to keep them from browning.
3. Sweetened Condensed Milk: Don't even waste time thinking about the way that creamy sugary goodness sticks to a spoon - it is a a cliff you will never come down from. Just sub Coconut Milk and move on. Trust me, its still delicious.
4. Nilla Wafers: I had leftover cookie dough from Primal Palate's Ginger Snaps, so I baked up some ginger snap cookies and they were perfect for these little puddings.
5. Whipped Cream: Coconut Whipped Cream - This was my most successful attempt at coconut whipped cream yet; it honestly whipped better than heavy whipping cream. Put your canned (full fat) coconut milk in the fridge for at least a day, then turn them over and open from the bottom. Pour out the water from the top and scoop the cream into a bowl. Add some cinnamon and take the beaters to it until it forms stiff peaks. This stuff turned out perfect!
Assembly - we decided to assemble these in a somewhat "deconstructed" individual banana pudding way, rather than in a casserole dish. We started with a main layer of the banana pudding, then crumbled two ginger snaps on top of it, about 1/3 of a banana sliced, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and another ginger snap for decor.
I cannot reiterate enough how satisfying and delicious these were. Not only that, but I didn't "accidentally" eat fifteen of them - I was happy and satisfied with one. I cannot wait to make them again and cannot wait to make different flavors. I highly encourage you to give it a shot when next making a guilt-free something sweet for yourself or your friends and family.
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