Have I mentioned how much I love desert??? I used to want it all the time!! But about 5 years ago I gave up refined sugar (aside from the occasional cheat) so it can be tough finding a desert to fit my “diet”. I gave up refined sugar to work on my issue with ongoing headaches/migraines. I can’t remember exactly when I started getting headaches but at LEAST since I was 9. They were/are SO painful. I finally did some digging into the root cause when they started becoming more and more frequent and a lot of what I was reading was pointing to the inflammation caused by my sugar intake. Since the big change in what I eat I have cut them down from weekly (sometimes daily) to only once a month, if even that, and it has been pretty life changing. I also have cut down on grains immensely but sugar for me is the real headache trigger. That said I DO still use honey and pure maple syrup occasionally but I will not use any artificial sweetener or anything I can’t pronounce. I have a whole arsenal of healthy deserts now and honestly I don’t really even like the taste of things sweetened with refined or white sugar anymore. Here is one of my favorites and I hope you all try it!! #glutenfree #dairyfree #Vegan

Frozen Banana Cream Pie

• 6 ripe bananas – peel, cut in quarters, and freeze (it will take 6-8 hours to freeze fully)
• 2 cups unroasted, unsalted almonds or walnuts
• 1- 2 T maple syrup
• sea salt
• almond milk or other type of milk (optional)

Once your bananas are frozen bring them out onto the counter to let them thaw a little bit while your prepare the crust. You will need a food processor or strong blender for the crust. Put your almonds or walnuts ( I think I prefer walnuts but either would do fine) and add about a tablespoon or two of pure maple syrup, drizzling finely to cover the nuts than sprinkle with a little sea salt. I think I usually end up using 2 tablespoons of maple syrup but less is more, don’t overdo it. Blend it all up until it is combined really well… but don’t do it too long or you will have almond/walnut butter! It should be able to form a ball at this point. Place this mix into a pie dish and press it down evenly coming up the sides a little bit. Now For your bananas! I usually use the same food processor I used for my crust without washing it so a little of the nuts get mixed in with the banana. Start with six banana pieces. If they are a little thawed already they should blend up well but if they don’t add a little almond milk or other type of milk or even water to get it started. It will take a few minutes and should blend into a creamy texture. Very similar to soft serve ice cream. Put this batch into the pie crust and continue this same process with the rest of your bananas until all are blended up nice and smooth. You can cover your pie with some fresh bananas or other type of fruit or homemade whipped cream or chopped nuts, coconut, drizzle with dark chocolate, lots of ways to do it up! Or just serve it plain. I prefer to eat it right away when its smooth and creamy but some prefer to pop it in the freezer for a bit more like a hard ice cream. It will store fine for a few days in the freezer.