It's National Pie Day!!

Not that I need an excuse to celebrate anything - okay, I look for excuses to celebrate anything, lol.  But I decided this year that I was going to celebrate silliness.  I'm hoping to bring a little sunshine out, okay?  So anyway, today is national Pie day and I made pie.  ;)

I decided (for those of you who haven't read previous posts) that I'm giving up processed sugar and white flour.  This also means I'm being creative in the cooking department again.  Yesterday was blonde brownie day, so I made brownies from a recipe out of Lean and Free 2000 cookbook and left out the cocoa - they turned out a little dry, but very edible.  I like them...so that's all that's important, right?  lol.

I was thinking on the way home from work the phrase "have your cake and eat it too" doesn't make a lot of sense.  If we are holding a piece of cake, aren't we going to eat it??  Wouldn't it make more sense to say, 'make your cake and eat it too?' I think so.  Anyway, my desire in life is to make it possible to not only make our cakes but to eat them too.  And have them be of a healthy variety that doesn't make anyone feel guilty or like they've fallen off the wagon, so to speak.  ;)

So anyway - I digress (as usual)
Today's recipe is yet again a little different twist on the recipe I found Here.  It seemed the simplest at the time, and I've kind of stuck with it.  This is my initial remake of it at Sparkpeople.  But today I felt like doing something different.  Unfortunately, my brain didn't transmit the need for the skim or low fat canned milk to my son when I asked him to get it...so, alas, it's not as healthy as I would like, but it's still better than the original.  :)  I haven't put the whipped topping on it yet - so it looks a little naked, but it's still good.  ;)

Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie

Crust - I didn't use one!  If you want one, go ahead and use your favorite kind.  The one I made before had vanilla wafers as the crust.

filling:
2.5 cups canned milk (next time I'll used the low fat variety)
1/2 C Land O Lakes Fat Free Ultra-Pasteurized Half & Half
1 egg
Xagave, 1/4 C
Cornstarch, 4 T
1/4 C powdered Stevia
Vanilla Extract, 2 tsp
Banana, fresh, 3 medium
1 Tsp butter

Combine the milk, cream and egg together, whisk till well blended.  Combine the sugar and the cornstarch in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the milk mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.  (don't ask me why she does this...but well, go with it)

After 5 minutes stir the mixture constantly until it comes to a boil , about 5-7 minutes. (I ended up turning the heat up a little, and I admit, I didn't stand there and stir it every second, like she says to.) Boil and stir the mixture for one minute.  (it got really thick at this point, and it wasn't much of a boil - more like an erupting hot pot)

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and butter.

Let the filling cool down a bit before adding the sliced bananas. When cooled, add the sliced bananas and pour into the pie shell and smooth.

Now - I didn't let it cool.  I sliced the bananas and lined the pie plate with them, so they are kind of the crust.  Then I poured the filling on top.  I'm letting it cool before I put the whipped topping on, which is going to be Spiffy whip.  Have you ever heard of it??  It's amazing stuff, I tell ya.

Anyway.  Good stuff.  Enjoy!

New Year Vow

First - I'd like to say thank you for all your kind thoughts on the passing of my father.  Thanksgiving and Christmas was really different, and his Bday was empty - but I know he's totally happy and going about doing awesome things, so I'm good.  Life definitely goes on, you know?  ;)

Now - If you've read my blog at all before, you'll know that I don't hold much by way of New Years Resolutions.  I think they just bring more stress and frustration than anything else, and they are usually broken before the end of the month.  I DO believe in goal setting and determination.

Several years ago I determined that I was going to be more consistent in brushing my teeth.  A minor thing, you might say, but it was something I felt I'd been inconsistent on long enough and I cared about my teeth enough to decide I didn't want them falling out before I was 70.  (I HOPE) lol.  That is what I mean by determination.

Also, about 5 years ago, I started on a path to loose weight.  I've commented now and then about how it's been a struggle.  I found success for the first 2 years - hiring a personal trainer, etc., and managed to drop almost a 100.  Well....it's found it's way back.  Not all of it, but enough that I want to just sit down in a corner and cry.

At least I'm keeping myself from "eating cookies and cakes and blowing up like my Aunt Roberta...".  sigh.  (anyone name that movie?  Hm?)

But - it's desperation time again.  I've got to figure out what to do, and what it's going to take.  So today - for starters, I'm going to publicly denounce ALL white flour and refined white sugar.  I would say brown sugar too (which is only white sugar with molasses, did you know that?) but I can't be sure I'll hold to that one, I bake too much.  sigh.  I'm working on it though.

I realize that it's a small thing - we already eat wheat everything possible - but it does help when you think of sweets.  One of my biggest failings is the pastry.  I can not eat one for YEARS...but when I see one and it's calling my name...I have to have a bite.  I can actually eat only a partial piece, but ya know.  It's still there, haunting me.  At least I got the boys to eat the rest of the goodies my sister-in-law sent home the other night...UGH.

Anyway - so.  Not that anyone will care, lol, but I am making this commitment and sending it out into the world. 

Wheeeee!!!    ;)