9 weeks spent in another mom's shoes

I'm a mom of four beautiful, healthy, smart, independent kiddos. My blessings are innumerable. When my eldest was born my life changed. I was no longer priority number one. Heavenly Father gifted us a perfect babe and charged us with her care. As more children joined our family I discovered new aspects of motherhood. I've learned how to multi-task, how to keep children entertained, how to cook, how to hold my tongue, how to love more deeply. I'm not perfect at any of these but I'm no longer the same woman I was 7 yrs ago. And after my latest life lesson I'm a changed woman again.

9.5 weeks ago my entire family enjoyed the warm summer evening. As my hubby bbq grilled our meatloaf for dinner (best way to cook in the summer!) I rested my weary feet and soaked in the beauty of childhood giggles floating through the air. My swollen belly inhabited our second son who would join our family in a few weeks time. My sweeping yard contained my three wild ones racing and swinging. Before I knew it my real life dream was shattered. The sound of a twig snapping as my son fell from the monkey bars broke my spirit. Instantly, I knew his leg was broken. The wails tore through my heart and knotted my insides. The x-ray confirmed it and abruptly our summer came to a close. No more days on the sand jumping waves. No more roller coasters on the boardwalk. No more trips to the playground.

I went through some dark days. The struggles were tangible. Through prayer and patience the sun shone again. My sweet son began to learn new skills. He learned how to get into bed, how to climb on the toilet, how to go up stairs, how to get into a chair and onto the couch. We take our two functioning legs for granted. He rarely cried in frustration, but I still did. He scooted through the house on his bum raising his casted leg in the air. We referred to it as his Tarzan crawl, always on his knuckles. And best of all he learned to operate a wheelchair. I should say he mastered it.

His wheelchair provided us all with welcomed freedom. And this is where my new pair of shoes comes in to the story. For a moment I stepped into the shoes of a mom raising a child with a disability. I've learned these amazing mothers love their children. These moms yearn for their child to be included in the games and fun. Their hearts sing when their child finds freedom and happiness in the world. Their heart aches as their sweet one struggles.

Preschool began and my boy proudly rolled into the classroom. I missed his first day and I fretted about him whilst I snuggled my day old baby in the hospital. He reported that school was awesome and everyone loved his blue cast and his wheelchair. As weeks past he got a green cast. One day while wheeling out of the building he pointed to one of the many school banners on the wall. It is several feet long featuring children of a variety of races and ability levels holding a welcome sign. "Look, Mommy. There's a wheelchair. That says I'm allowed to come here." He beamed. This sign meant acceptance.

Politically correct and all-inclusive posters were so cheesy and over the top. I'd never understood why there needed to be such a variety on every sign papering the hallways until now. My heart leaps every time we pass that welcome sign. My eyes fill with happy tears as I recall the comfort it brought my boy to see a kid like him with his hand on the wheel of his independence. I spent 9weeks glimpsing the life of a mom with a disabled child. And I'm a changed woman. I no longer see healthy children as perfect. I now see all children as perfect.

Brough Babes: Unplugged

Sounds like an album we'll be releasing soon, but in fact it is our current state of being. Let me paint a picture of recent events that led to our latest album lifestyle.
The curly toddler awakes at 2am, sneaks downstairs and watches Netflix waking her kind, loving and always sometimes rational parents.
The Power Ranger loving preschooler who repeatedly "hi ya"ed his mother because she tried to put him in the van when he didn't want to leave.
The wannabee teenage first grader who made her little people talk to each other and say "Why were you kissing another woman? I'm your wife!" (truthfully, I still haven't figured out where that one came from but I like to blame Netflix.)
The knock down drag out fights over whose turn it was to hold the magical device while watching what others consider kid friendly shows.
The weeping and wailing when they were refused tablet time. The continued wailing after they were told "no" again and again and again until they were finally ignored and the wails turned into screams and physical blows to the mother's kneecaps.

You get what I'm trying to say now?

Our house is overflowing with toys that should be amusing my children. From the wooden blocks and puzzles to the Barbies and Rescue Heroes, we have more toys than I'd care to admit to owning. Its those yard sales that get me....but that's another story. My children were so obsessed with the soft glow of the screen and when they'd enjoy it next and who could ask first they were forgetting everything surrounding them.

While venting about the latest round of tears to my handsome hubby he simply said "They get no more tablet." At first I brushed this off. That is often their punishment for misbehaving. But as I continued my motherly duties I thought on it and at dinner we announced to the kiddos "The tablet is taking a vacation." You can guess how well that went over.
Two days have passed and I am loving it. Is my life easier? A little bit. Are those mountains of toys getting their fair share of fun? You bet! Are my children happier? This mama says yes.
My son has asked twice to play tablet. Both times I asked him why the answer is no. He responded mournfully "Because its on vacation for 100days!"(insert sob)
Originally, I said it would return around Thanksgiving, but we'll see about that. For now I'm enjoying the sounds of children playing school and detective, performing song and dance shows and fighting about other silly things kids deem unfair.

Disclaimer: Unplugging has led to children waking mom before the sunrises so they can eat breakfast instead of being amused by a screen. Unplugging has found a toddler attempting to serve herself breakfast by emptying the fridge of its contents and eating her older sister's school lunch that was already prepared on the counter. Unplugging has encouraged snuggles on the couch, as well as more pleas for visits to Grammy and Pop's house because they have cable.

I know this isn't a permanent solution but it helps today. My kids still get the occasional movie in dvd format. They see shows "On Demand" at my parents' home. I cannot forever control what images go into their developing brains, but for now I'd like them to be full of family life lived by the real people surrounding them that love them so much it hurts.

Complain no more!

This year has been.....how shall I put it? Eventful. My pregnancy was rocky. In our family we've had a broken leg, kidney stones, dehydration requiring hospitalization, and a car accident involving a deer. Kind of a lot to handle.
    I am now a mother of four. Count 'em 1, 2, 3, 4! I've always heard "after three it is all the same. You're already out numbered, the older ones are helpful and life doesn't get any harder." I believed these mothers. And perhaps it was true for them. But I declare THEY LIED! My life with four has been crazy hard.
I believe Jim Gaffigan described four children best as "Imagine you're drowning and someone hands you a baby."
    I am tired with my newborn who wakes every two hours to eat. My back still aches from my epidural. My back gets no relief as I lift my 50lb son with his long leg cast into/out of the car/wheelchair/tub. My 23month old daughter is a crazy person cleverly disguised as a curly headed angel. She is touching everything from her new brothers eyes to the pot of water on the stove to the sharp knives to my cell phone updating my contacts with ppoijwkjleh,mhd. No, I don't know that person. She escapes out of the house, she drinks the dishwater from the sink, empties the silverware drawer, dumps all the puzzles and climbs into the baby swing with him still in it.
    My children like most siblings are wonderful playmates until it becomes more amusing to torment their sister/brother. Never thought I'd have to yell "Do not lick his toys!"
    Some days I cry because this is all too much for me. Some days I sulk because I have to change another diaper and pin the toddler to the floor to do it. Some days are spent mourning the laundry that didn't make it into the dryer in time and now smells gross. Some days I spend too much time yelling and not enough time loving. I sit on a couch that is uncomfortable and dream of the couch I can't afford. I'm forlorn over the vacations that we won't be taking. I second guess every decision I made for the last week: what I ate, who I called, who I didn't call, how I punished the kids, how I didn't punish the kids, what I bought, my ability to mother.
    Here is what I've concluded. My life is hard, but my focus on the hard doesn't make it easier. It doesn't make it more enjoyable. It changes nothing. My worries can't heal my son's broken leg. My gripping won't bring me a new couch. My yelling won't stop my children from fighting.
    Complaining almost feels like a relief at first. The first time I confided in someone how difficult four kids has been for me I felt better. But each time I expressed it again that relief didn't come, only guilt. I feel guilty for not jumping up and down and saying "I adore my children. I'm so blessed to have a healthy body that can create life. They live with me everyday of the year. I don't have to send them to daycare or pack them up for holidays. I get to kiss them goodnight. I get to teach them the gospel. I get to be their mama." I feel guilty that I may discourage another family from having more children because "Mel said it is too hard."
    There is little I can control and change in my life. But I get to choose how I cope with it all, the words I speak and the actions I take.
    Baby steps helped me through today. Instead of yelling across the room for the kids to clean up, I sat on the floor with them and zoomed cars down a ramp. Instead of crawling under the table to clean up macaroni after dinner, I helped my son complete a floor puzzle of the USA. Instead of checking facebook, I stared into my 3 week old son's big blue eyes and talked about our day together. Instead of listening to the radio in the car, I  listened to my 1st grader freely talk about the colors of the sky at sunset and her opinion of Twizzlers.
    Today, my children still cried. My to-do list still grew longer. My back still aches. My life did not get easier, but it did seem brighter.
 Today, I recognized what needed to change
and it was me.

A Reflection on Pantry Living Take 2

Pantry Living ended 2 weeks ago. I've been grocery shopping twice since and I'm surprised by a few things I learned this year.

Pantry Living at the start

Pantry Living at the end

•  We really had a ton of food left at the end of the summer. I love my pictures tracking my shelves so I can visually compare week to week. At the end of last year I had pretty bare shelves. This year was a different story. This brings me so much joy because if this wasn't a choice and I was forced to live off our food storage I know that we could do it! And we could do it for quite a bit longer. 
• I am in control of what goes into our bellies. Before the summer began I bought a few packs of cookies and goodies. At the end of the summer we had so much of those left because I rarely would bust open a pack. My family knew no different either. I guess it is another reason I love my pantry that is separate from our kitchen, out of sight out of mind (and belly).
• I was a baking maniac this summer. You probably already noticed how many treats I baked cause I had to use up my zucchini (I still have 2 sitting on my counter). Next year I need WAY MORE flour, sugar, and brown sugar. Those are the items I went through faster than I could count. 

• I should check out my basement freezer more often. I typically only went there to get meat and maybe a bag of french fries, or a box of butter. I totally forgot about all the frozen veggies and other items I'd stashed away. 
• Canned fruit is something I need to store more of, Katy adores it! She can eat an entire can of mandarin oranges and still want more. 
• We use a lot of salad dressing. Obviously for salads, but I cook with it more than I'd realized. Ranch and Italian are great, especially combined over chicken.
• We still eat lots of 
• cereal: 44 at the start, 5 at the end
• peanut butter: 1 large jar a month
• jam: 1 large jar every 6 weeks 
• mayo: 1 large jar a month
• Our garden was wonderful and I will definitely grow one next year! The plan is for 1 zucchini, 3 green beans, 2 tomatoes, and a cucumber.

 I love my experiment and I'm looking forward to next year. Beforehand I created a master inventory list of items we keep on hand and recorded the start amount and the end amount. Those figures will definitely help in preparation for Pantry Living Take 3. I made a master list for the fridge and freezer as well but I never filled in those amounts. Next year I want to focus more attention on how much of those cold items we use.

Thank you for following my summer journey! I hope it inspires you to be prepared. If ye are prepared ye shall not fear!

Happy Autumn!

Pantry Living Week 10 and then some

IT IS OVER! My hubby returned to teaching middle school today which means my pantry living guidelines are done, finished, kaput.

First the update:

• Boxes of cereal after week 9: 10.5
• Boxes of cereal after week 10+: 5.5
• Allowable purchases: milk, eggs, ice cream, sliced cheese, shredded cheese
• Cash purchases: Burger King, earrings for Lilia, skateboard for Max(to ride on his belly), plastic drawers, clothes for Katy, long handle grabber for Max to use
• Cheats: rotisserie chicken from Sam's, pizza, cartoons for the kids, milk shakes to reward Max for his bravery during the cast, clearance flip flops for Lilia, clearance beach towels, toy speed boats to amuse kids, fabric for a new nursing cover and sling for myself and baby
• Necessary Items with credit card: duct tape and blue sticky tack for Dave's classroom, plastic cast protector to shower Max,
• New bags/jars opened: chocolate chips, sugar ice cream cones, flour, shortening, cocoa powder, syrup, sugar, chips, marshmallows

We survived. I cheated too much and by the end I was really tired of cooking dinner, if you couldn't tell. I spent the summer baking, playing with my kids and saving money. I love this experience and am excited to go through my inventory list and see how much we really used of our pantry.

Happy Summer's End!

My cup is overflowing

My life is more interesting lately than seems necessary. Five days ago I was back to school shopping, signing my son up for soccer, and washing new born baby clothes. In the past few days my energetic 4yr old son broke his leg, got a blue long leg cast, and I've just about lost my mind. I've averaged 5 hrs of sleep each night and have sought therapeutic relief from heating pads, chocolate, and caffeinated sodas.

The cast will remain for 6-8 weeks. My due date is in two weeks, and my hubby returns to teaching in one week. The math is not in my favor. And added bonus: As we pull into our driveway from the orthopedic surgeon we notice our street is full of dump trucks, excavators and various construction vehicles that will be digging our street for the next 45 days. See, I told you it is more interesting than necessary.

So here are the contents of my "cup": swollen belly, heavy immobile child, two other energetic girls desiring my attention, and a partially accessible street. Upon first glance it appears only half-full of lemon juice. But upon closer observation the sugar is added.
1tsp sugar- My baby within is active and healthy. Honestly, the hospital stay may be more like a vacation.
3tsp sugar- My son's sturdy blue cast now allows him to start rolling over and giving his healing bone more support so the pain killers are no longer necessary.

The latest in preschooler fashion Blue Long Leg Casts!

7tsp sugar- Social media has once again blessed our lives. A sweet angel saw my need for a pediatric wheelchair and acquired it for free. He is now getting around the house better and able to join us for meals at the table. He loves his new ride!

Not the best shot of the wheelchair but it is glorious! And they are enjoying wind up motor boats I found on sale today in dishes of water.

3tsp sugar- Kind friends and family have showered us with love and concern. My little one's received get well cards, toy trucks, a movie and a giant get well cookie. 

So awesome!

4tsp sugar-My girls are beautiful and maddening all at once. They make me smile and grit my teeth in the same breath. 

my girls are good helpers.....most of the time.

10tsp sugar- the variety of construction vehicles roaming our small street is loud. My children's ears perk up at each engine roar and horn blast. This requires us to race to the front porch. We sit and wave as the workers pass. We try to imagine what their next move will be. Breakfast is enjoyed to the blaring sounds of a concrete cutter. Afternoon popsicles cool us as the two-story tall excavator is delivered.

My cup isn't perfect. It is covered in sticky finger smudges. The rim is lipstick stained. The lemonade is sometimes cloudy, but it is sweet to the taste. Our Heavenly Father blesses us more than we deserve. He carries me through the dark days and holds my hand through the sunny ones. I'm still tired, my patience is short and my back aches. But my heart is full, and for that I am grateful.

Life can be hard

I'm a bag of emotions. I feel pain for my son who is splinted from foot to hip after his fall from the monkey bars. Guilt washes through me as I recall how I told him from a distance he could accomplish them all by himself without me as he cried for help. Relief calms my soul as I remember the tender mercy of the Lord because I bought a phenomenal extra wide single stroller at a yard sale yesterday morning for only $10. This stroller is my little man's "wheelchair" at the moment. Financial peace is granted as I hand my insurance card to everyone we meet. Embarrassed as the nurses wrap his feet and see the dirt smudges from his barefoot adventures. Laughter fills the air as the pain killers calm him and we can see the silly side of life and pretend every superhero has a broken leg too. My superhero is temporarily out of commission. My heart aches as I reflect on his muscular form in his new Captain America costume he wore most of the day yesterday. He flexed throughout lunch and would respond to all our questions with a thumbs up and a deep voice. Concern and confusion take over as I contemplate my life for the next while.

Four hours of interrupted sleep is all that's in my fuel tank this morning. Today life seems hard. My back is sore, my ankles are swollen and my baby within is getting anxious. The last few weeks I've encouraged my baby to make his debut, how quickly that changed. I need this baby to wait as long as he can and perhaps add a few days beyond the due date.

But the Lord continues to bless me. He swept my little man off to dream land after many hours of writhing in pain. He brings my hubby to the rescue when my words and back aren't enough. He granted me wonderful parents who fill in all my gaps and missing links. He allows me social media to reach out to family and friends who in return offer prayers and well wishes. He soothes my soul during all of this. He forgives my wrongs and lifts my chin reminding me I get another chance.

Today life is hard, but at least I know I'm not left alone.

Pantry Living Week 9

We're almost done Pantry Living Take 2! I can hardly believe it. Only one more week to go.

Pantry after week 9

Here's the update:

• Boxes of cereal after week 8: 15
• Boxes of cereal after week 9: 10.5 (again the stack of individual servings make the .5)
• Allowable Purchases: bananas, blueberries, apples, 
• Necessary purchases: school supplies (my 1st grader is ready to learn)
• Cash purchases: ice cream cones, a few clothes for my post prego body, a new skirt for Lilia, 
• Cheats: jammies for my upcoming hospital stay, and a post prego dress, and some slimming under the clothes things for my soon to be flabby belly. Truthfully, I consider each of these necessary, (and reminder they're considered "cheats" cause I used my credit card.)
• Opened jars/bags- sugar, spaghetti sauce, lasagna noodles, chips, raspberry lemonade mix, 
• Confession: I'm losing my mind. I usually refer to it as "mommy brain". Lately I've become so consumed with my impending labor I forget to start the dishwasher. I almost (I repeat almost) forget that I've invited people over. I forget to re-diaper my overactive toddler until she jumps on the couch and her bare bum is revealed. I forget to pee... this may sound particularly bizarre but all of a sudden I'm super uncomfortable and realize its cause I've needed to go for over an hour and just kept putting it off and so my belly has a contraction to remind me. Seriously, I'm this forgetful!!! So this also flows into the blog and keeping track of the "purchases", "cheats", "opened jars" etc. I try desperately to think back over the last 7 days but I'm sure things have been forgotten or added to the wrong week. oh well. 

We're nearly at the end and I'm excited to grocery shop again but at the same time I love my Pantry Living obligation. I love sending the kiddos to retrieve a new bottle of dressing or a can of veggies. It is exhilarating to know we can survive.

Happy Summer!

Lasagna Rolls with invisible zucchini

Tonight as I pull our dinner from the oven I hear the words "Not zucchini again!" I carefully responded with "I made lasagna." hehehe little did he know it had 2 cups of zucchini hidden within. We spent the lovely day at the beach. Yup, four hours playing in the waves and digging in the sand. Life is good. Life is especially good when I plan ahead and make dinner before leaving the house. I tried out this awesome new recipe called Three Cheese Zucchini Lasagna Roll. DELECTABLE!

Before they went into the fridge for the day. But they are ready to be baked!

Ready to enter my belly!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 10 lasagna noodles, cooked (that was 1/2 of the box)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• A couple spoonfuls of minced garlic
• 2 cups zucchini grated
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• a few shakes of pepper
• 1 3/4 cups Marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Directions:

• Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
• Cook lasagna noodles according to package, drain and rinse in cold water.
• In a medium nonstick skillet, sauté garlic and olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute; add zucchini, salt and pepper to taste and cook about 4-5 minutes, until soft.
• Combine the zucchini, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  
• Lay out the lasagna noodles on a clean work surface. Make sure noodles are a little dry. Take 1/4 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over the noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. 
• Ladle the remaining sauce over the lasagna rolls and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until the inside is heated through and the cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil if desired and eat hot.

My family gobbled it up and no one found any trace of the zucchini. I'm a sneaky one! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

Happy Summer!

How does your garden grow?

Last year I had one cherry tomato plant in a pot on my deck. After I killed it I dug a hole in the yard and tried to transplant it. The roots and plant separated from each other in my hands. I shoved them back together, buried it with dirt, and turned my back on it for the rest of the summer. Without my black thumb it flourished and provided us with delicious tomatoes through Sept.

I was more ambitious this year even though I know my tendency to kill plants. Pinterest to the rescue again! I found lots of great tips for a raised bed garden and I bought all the plants from our grocery store. We built the perimeter with concrete blocks, turned the earth, and added fertilizer and soil. I inserted six 36" wooden posts to hold up our green plastic garden fence. I used zip ties to attach the fence to the posts and left one side accessible. Where the two ends met I closed it with strips of velcro for easy access.

My hubby turning the earth

Our garden this year was:

Our garden after about one month

• 1 zucchini plant
• 2 green bell peppers that magically grew into pablano peppers
• 1 cherry tomato plant
• 1 tomato plant
• 1 plum tomato plant
• 2 green bean plants
• 2 cut onions
• 2 cilantro plants
• 1 raspberry stick that would theoretically turn into a bush (in a side plot)

Our raspberry stick

Our results:

• Oodles and gobs of lovely zucchini. Probably 10 or so with a few more still growing
• 7 pablano peppers
• a bushel  of cherry tomatoes, we were able to keep up with them.
• a bunch of slicing tomatoes that tend to outgrow their skins. unfortunately I've had to chuck a lot of them. they rot too quickly for us.
• more plum tomatoes than I could ever handle, I'm researching tomato recipes today cause I brought in tons of all three varieties this morning. 
• a few meals worth of green beans. they are delish but the yield isn't high enough
• one onion rotted in the soil the other grew 2 small bulbs the size of bouncey balls
• somehow I killed the cilantro. I tried to keep up with them and pop the buds off regularly but they never grew the round flat leaves while I had them, only skiny ones. and eventually it became brown sticks.
• I still have one brown raspberry stick. 

Our garden now, 3 months later

The plan for next year:

• Another single zucchini plant, don't think I could handle more than that.
• No peppers, they were tasty but not worth the water for only 7.
• Only two tomato plants. Three plants are too many for us. The plum are the most prolific this year but I like the taste of the other two better. So we'll see.
• More green beans. Forgot to add I had a lovely lattice in place for it to climb and discovered later the plant was bush beans not pole beans. Oh well. But I would love three or four plants next year. 
• The onions were an experiment this year, I won't do them again.
• I love cilantro but I may only do one next year and not add to the actual garden. I'm thinking the garden didn't mind when I ignored it for a bit but the cilantro was offended. 
• I will not dig up the raspberry stick for another year or two. Perhaps it will eventually decide to produce something. But I may invest in a real bush next year; I adore raspberries. 
• Cucumbers. I wanted to try them this year but discovered you have to do them from seed which I was not prepared to try. My kids recently got these "crazy cucumber seeds" in paper from McDonald's at National Night Out. You just plant the paper in the dirt and water it. It sounds like it may survive my black thumb. We shall see. 

Future endeavors:

• We have 2 random trees in our yard, a giant evergreen planted next to a flag pole and a half dead something near the fence. We hope to remove both of them and where the half dead one is I'd like to plant a fruit tree next year. I'm thinking peach.
• We have a great back yard with lots of room for more raised beds. We won't add another next year but perhaps as our family gets hungrier we'll add to it. 

Additional Lessons learned:

• We planted marigolds throughout the garden between plants and in many of the concrete blocks. They were beautiful and did the trick of keeping away the pests.
• Next year I'll need access to the garden from both long sides instead of just one. Weeding became acrobatic at times.
• The fence was great; it kept out animals as well as little "helpers". 
• Will need to research more about getting tomato plants to grow taller instead of bushier. That was a big issue this year but it didn't seem to hurt our harvest. 
• Watering the garden is therapeutic. I usually went out around bedtime for my kids (7pm) and would be able to reflect on our day as I watered the earth. 
• Frequent rain is much cheaper and more nutritious for the plants. I always noticed more growth after a rainfall. 
• Miracle Gro for tomatoes can be poured on all the plants. I did this maybe 3x this summer before the plants began to produce actual vegetables. I think they liked it.
• Gardening isn't my favorite activity but it sure is rewarding, especially baking and enjoying the harvest!

Decadent Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Zucchini Bread and muffins

Chile Relleno made from our pablano peppers

I'd love to hear what was in your garden and the tips and tricks that work for you!

Happy Summer!

Peanut Butter, Choc Chip, Honey & Banana ICE CREAM

Lately I buy bananas and hope for them to ripen faster so I can get creating in the kitchen. Last week I made this yummy ice cream that only called for 4 ingredients and bonus for any lactose intolerance people like myself, it is dairy free!

Peanut Butter, Choc Chip, Honey & Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1-1/2 peeled medium bananas, sliced into coins and frozen until solid
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons honey
1 rounded tablespoon dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Slice bananas into coins and freeze until solid.
2. Blend bananas in food processor or electric chopper until thoroughly smashed into a smooth pulp, like mashed potatoes.
3. Add the peanut butter and honey and mix thoroughly.
4. Remove from the food processor/chopper and place in a freezer-safe container. Add the dark chocolate chips and mix well by hand.
5. Freeze until solid. *note: the first night I was anxious so it only sat in the freezer for an hour or two. It was soft and yummy, kinda like soft serve. The next day I shared the leftover with the kids. They had a very hard ice cream. So it depends on how you like it. 

This is a small recipe. It really only yields two small bowls worth. I would recommend doubling it if you plan to share with anyone. 
My family loved it! I enjoyed it, but truthfully it still tastes a lot like bananas. I'm not the biggest banana lover so I was hoping the peanut butter would mask the flavor a touch more but it was still creamy and delicious. (note: when you bake with bananas it usually loses that signature banana flavor, which is my preference.)

Enjoy! Happy Summer!