Perfect Cottage Dessert: Gluten-free, Grain-Free Fried Banana Split with Fresh Berries And Toasted Coconut
For the month of July, my family and I travelled to Ontario, Canada to visit friends and relatives. We had a wonderful time, travelling to different locations on Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, Lake Ontario, Stony Lake and we also made time for Wasaga Beach which is one of my favourite beaches in Ontario. The weather was gorgeous, the lakes were warm and this along with many beautiful sunsets made this a memorable vacation.
Now, we are back home in British Columbia, Canada enjoying the fresh ocean breeze and taking advantage of all the fresh blueberries for sale. Local blackberries are also in season, growing wild alongside the edges of most fields and country roads. Every year we fill a few containers with berries to make blackberry jam and one of our favourite desserts, a pan fried banana split. This dessert is great for the kids while travelling to different houses or cottages because it is easy and the ingredients are simple to find at local fruit markets and grocery stores. As well, it isn’t expensive and can be shared with everyone for a tasty treat to be enjoyed while spending quality time with family and friends.
To Make One Fried Banana Split
Step 1: Take 1/4 cup of shredded coconut and mix it with 1/8 cup of brown Demerara sugar. Then fry it in butter or coconut oil until toasted and brown (on medium heat). Supervise closely as it can burn easily. Once it is toasted remove all coconut form the pan and put it in a bowl.
Step 2: Take one banana, cut it in half and fry it in butter or coconut oil. (in a pan at medium heat).
Step 3: While it is frying, sprinkle some white sugar on it
Step 4: Once fried and a bit brown on both sides, remove the banana from the pan and place on a plate with both pieces parallel to each other.
Step 5: Place 2 scoops of gluten-free, grain-free ice cream (vanilla or strawberry works well) in the middle between the bananas.
Step 6: Put desired amount of blueberries and blackberries on top
Step7: Put toasted coconut as a topping.
Step 8: Find a comfortable chair beside someone you would like to spend some quality time with, share and enjoy:)
Gluten-Free Organic Garden Update
Our garden is off to a great start. All of the seeds germinated well, the seedlings are growing, and we have even been harvesting the quick growing salad greens for fresh organic salads. The greens taste so crisp and flavorful when they are freshly picked and consumed with a few vegetables topped with a healthy dressing.
Many of the herbs have been used for cooking and some of the transplanted strawberry plants have produced berries. The berries are so juicy, no sugar is required. As well, medium sized blueberry bushes that we purchased from a heritage sale have lots of green berries that will eventually turn blue. My children seem to be enjoying the process of watching everything come to life in the garden and are asking many questions about the plants and how long we will have to wait to eat everything, especially the berries.
Our two bunnies haven’t taken an interest in the plants, but our Australian Sheppard is quite interested. Unfortunately, she is attracted to the smell of the mushroom manure and is digging holes throughout the garden. We are not really sure how to distract her from her persistent interest in this soil, we thought we may put some soil in another area of our yard to distract her (it will be her area) from the garden. A small fence around the garden may also help to deter her from this area. Hopefully, these strategies will work. Have you had problems with pets in the garden? If so, how did you deter pets from taking an interest in the garden?
Perennials Currently Blooming In Our Flower garden
Posts I’m Working On Over the Summer
1. Crohn’s Disease And Food Antigens, Is There A Connection?
2. The Celiac Disease And Scoliosis Connection
May Is Celiac Disease Awareness Month
Annually, May is celiac disease awareness month. I value this month because it brings everyone together to focus on an important topic, celiac disease (CD) and gluten intolerance awareness. After suffering for many years, I was finally diagnosed with celiac disease in 2004. I consider myself lucky because only 3% are diagnosed. The other 97% are unaware that their symptoms are related to the ingestion of gluten (wheat, rye, barley, and for some people oats) and, unfortunately, are living a decreased quality of life with the risk of multiple complications. As well, many are living with a non-celiac gluten intolerance which is also very under recognized and under diagnosed. Combined, this can lead to unnecessary suffering, increased doctors visits, increased hospital visits, and possibly death due to all the possible associated complications. This can drastically reduce an individual’s quality of life and adds an additional strain to an already overstressed healthcare system. Collectively, we need to increase awareness to effectively address this public health concern.
Our Backyard Creation: A Gluten-Free Organic Garden
On the Easter weekend, we started to build an organic garden in our backyard. With this new garden, we are hoping to grow high yield gluten-free crops to support our goal of eating fresh, local, organic produce. My husband, a mechanical engineer, is quite talented with our home based projects and he is doing a lovely job with this garden. We now have water barrels to collect rain water, a composting system, a new gardening preparation area, and a garden that is ten times larger than the small children’s size garden that we previously had. We are hoping to grow, tomatoes, broad beans, peas, potatoes, carrots, beets, leeks, onions, parsnips, asparagus, berries, grapes, various types of lettuce, and many different herbs in our new garden. We are currently researching types of plants, planning the layout for planting, and reviewing various sites to buy seeds for new types of plants.
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Life Events That Inspired Me To Create This Blog And A 12 Part Series About Celiac Disease And Gluten Intolerance
Recently, another blogger asked me how my blog evolved and what inspired me to write the 12 Part Series about celiac disease and gluten intolerance. I sat down and re-lived my story through words. For me, it re-confirmed how much I have learned, how much I have grown as a nurse and as a person, and how much healthier my family and I are now. All of these positive changes are due to my increased awareness and the maintenance of a gluten-free diet.
Does Celiac Disease Or Gluten Intolerance Increase The Risk Of Having An Immune Reaction To Nanoparticles In Food?
Nanotechnology involves altering or manipulating tiny particles on a molecular and atomic scale, that are about the size of one billionth of a meter (called a nanometre). These incredibly small particles can be changed into a powder, added to a liquid, gas or other substances and used to create new materials or devices with many various applications. There has been much excitement about the future use of these fascinating nanoparticles, since the possibilities and supply seem endless. Their potential use is valued in biotechnology, certain industrial applications (ex. electronics, computers, plasmonics, energy production) and in medical applications (ex. timed released and targeted medication, immunizations, enzymes for catalyzing reactions, surgical applications such as nanoscale valves, DNA computers, nanorobots that could diagnose with sensors and treat illness by targeting certain organs). As well, these particles are valued in the food industry for their potential effects in stabilizing or preserving food (ex. coating on an a piece of fruit) and increasing the taste of certain food products. I find the subject of nanotechnology very intriguing and it is exciting to think that many past fictional ideas could actually become a reality in the future. Life might be much easier with all of these new gadgets, tools, and resources (1,2,6,7,15,21-27).
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Is A Gluten-Free Or Grain-Free Diet Healthier For Dogs?
Is a gluten-free or a grain-free diet healthier for dogs? It seems reasonable to suspect that dogs would be healthier if they ate a natural diet, close to what their canine ancestors ate. Dogs have canine teeth (to assist with consuming meat), historically preferred meat and likely their ancestors ingested very little grains. Some digested grains might have been ingested from the stomachs and bowels of the herbivores they ate. These grains would have been altered and broken down by the digestion process in the herbivore and are therefore different than the undigested grains currently added to dog food. The digested grains may have been tolerated better by dogs historically or perhaps they still did react to the digested grains to some degree.
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My Gluten-Free Dining Experience at “Real Food Daily” in Santa Monica And West Hollywood, CA
Recently, my husband, my 3 children and I went to Los Angeles, California, USA. We did the typical tourist activities with visits to Disneyland, California Adventure World, the Hollywood Kodak Theatre, Universal Studios, the San Diego Zoo, and both the Santa Monica and Venice beaches. The weather was warm, sunny and overall it was a wonderful family trip that, as usual, went by far too quickly.
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Podcast 3: Benefits And Concerns With A Gluten-Free Diet
This is the third podcast in a 3 part series. In this podcast, my personal experience with the gluten-free diet is discussed. As well, Erin Elberson and I discuss the benefits and concerns with eating gluten-free and share steps we take to improve the nutrient value of our diet.
Podcast 2: Analysis Of Diagnostic Tests For Celiac Disease And My Daughter’s Story
This is the second podcast in a 3 part series. In this podcast, diagnostic tests for celiac disease are analyzed. As well, my daughter’s experience with undiagnosed celiac disease and some tips for children who are eating gluten-free are included. I hope this podcast helps to outline the difficulties associated with ruling out celiac disease and gluten intolerance. There are many underlying reasons for false negative results.
