Wow, its been a long time since I did a recipe post! We were sort of in transition for a while, in our food philosphies, and we've been adapting and learning how to cook in new ways, and I think I'm finally back to the place where I feel comfortable sharing some edible ideas. Unfortunately, I don't think I can totally stand behind most of the recipes I've shared in the past, though with slight ingredient tweaks most of them can be made Real Food compatible. We're slowly phasing pasteurized dairy and refined flours and sugars out of our diet, which eliminates most conventional desserts. Ever since being pregnant with Indy I have developed a serious sweet tooth, fortunately nature provides us with plenty of sweet treats which also happen to be good for us. When we first lessened our refined carbohydrate intake I seriously went through withdrawal. I did not realize how addicted I was! The good news is, my palate is adjusting, and I'm more and more satisfied with the sweetness provided by a drizzle of honey or a piece of fruit. Without further ado, here is one of the wholesome treats we've been enjoying recently:

Banana Milkshake:

• one banana, peeled, wrapped in saran wrap, and frozen
• unsweetened organic peanut butter (Whole Foods brand is soooo smooth and yummy)
• organic virgin coconut oil (if you haven't jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon, JUMP, its so declicious and so good for you!)
• raw, local honey
• raw whole milk
• real vanilla extract

* A word about honey. Why raw and local? Not only has raw honey been shown to have a lower glycemic index than pasteurized, but it also has amazing anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties, and is full of beneficial enzymes and vitamins. Pasteurized honey is a dead food. Buying local honey can help with seasonal allergies, and also ensures you're getting the real deal (imported honey can sometimes be sketchy). You can find raw local honey on craigslist, at farmers markets, online, or even sometimes in endcaps at the grocery store. 

This recipe is completely adaptable to your own tastes. Feel free to leave out everything but the banana and milk, or use whichever ingredients you want in any combination. 

Break frozen banana into chunks and add to the blender. Add milk to cover, a drizzle of honey, a heaping spoonful of peanut butter, a couple of spoonfuls of coconut oil and a splash of vanilla. 

If you like a thick milkshake, use less milk. If you like it extra cold and icy, throw in a few ice cubes.

(Indy with a messy egg mouth and a battle wound from playing on Auntie Kate and Uncle Joel's back porch).

Indy knows exactly what I'm doing and is getting a little impatient.

A treat I can definitely feel good about giving her.