Ahhh, summer is here! It’s Memorial Day weekend and right on cue, Mother Nature turned up the thermostat and rolled back the clouds. And it’s Friday, so as some of you might know, this means, right on cue, we will be serving up dessert tonight in the Norwood household!
One of the easiest ways we started to slash sugar was by cutting out dessert during most days of the week. Early on while the kids were toddlers, B and I instituted a weekend-only dessert policy. (Funny fact about memories: My oldest “remembers” it as her good idea. I can live with letting her take the credit.) We felt it was important to restore dessert to its former role as an infrequent treat.
While helping us all eat better, it also cut out whining, begging and bargaining at dinnertime during the week. Bonus: I also learned to introduce new meals on weekends. With a “no dinner, no dessert” rule, the kids are more likely to try and eat new foods. One of my more brilliant parenting strategies, if I say so myself…
My kids love ice cream. What kid doesn’t? That’s their dessert of choice. We usually stick with the real deal: full fat, with the fewest ingredients possible, and a small portion.
But Brian and I are fond of fresh fruit with fresh whipped cream. You can make it however you like, but it takes only 10 seconds in a high powered blender (I use a Vitamix)!
Pour about a cup of whipping cream into the Vitamix, add about 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and a teaspoon of maple syrup, if desired. Turn on LOW and quickly increase the speed to about 7. Watch carefully, and you will SEE when it stops sloshing around as a liquid at the same time you HEAR the change in the noise the blender is making. After only about 10 seconds, it’s done! Stop then, or you’ll have butter. Spoon it onto your fruit (red, white and blue in this case, of course) and indulge!
Have a wonderful long weekend, remember our fallen service members, and enjoy time with friends and family. God Bless America!