It’s safe to say that summer has arrived despite the long delay! And when I think summer, I think icey treats! Who doesn’t love a nice big bowl of ice cream on a hot summer day? Since summer has now arrived, let’s enjoy this summer treat we have all loved since we were kids. As I am focusing on family nutrition, I love to create recipes I know would work for kids and families on a busy schedule. This is such an easy recipe and takes about 5 minutes to make!
Quality
Remember quality is key here, raspberries and bananas are heavily sprayed fruits, so buying organic from your grocery store or from a local farmers market is important. As stated on EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) site, raspberries were ranked 27th and bananas were ranked 32nd on pesticide residue levels.
Freezing
Frozen fruit is great to buy! Some companies use what’s called flash freezing where they pick the fruit at its peak ripeness and then freeze almost immediately. Check for packages that say ‘picked and flash frozen within 4 hours’ and make sure to check the ingredient label for any added sugars. Freezing that quickly after being picked will preserve and trap the nutrients at its most optimal level so your body can enjoy the benefits it needs and deserves.
The Benefits
What’s so good about raspberries and bananas anyways? Well, bananas are high in potassium as well as vitamin B6. Also, the vitamin C and manganese content found in bananas provide antioxidant protection against free-radical damage. Also, this delicious fruit is high in fibre! Raspberries include phytonutrients such as ellagic acid and flavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol. They also contain anthocyanins, which give rasberries their deep red colour among countless other health benefits.
Stephanie xo
- 2 organic frozen bananas
- 1 cup of organic frozen raspberries
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. unrefined coconut oil
- Throw all ingredients into a blender.
- Blend until smooth or desired texture is reached.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop three large servings of ice cream into a bowl.
- Sprinkle any desired toppings such as walnuts, almonds, pine nuts or cacao nibs (optional).
- I enjoyed my ice cream as is, without any added ingredients on top and it was delicious! However, feel free to add nuts in order to add some protein to complement the quality fat and fibre in this tasty little treat.
- Enjoy!
• The World’s Healthiest Foods, George Mateljan
• Environmental Working Group, Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php#
