5.-ADVANCED VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT: “ICE CREAM” WITH A PEEL
By Casey Seidenberg
(Bigstock) I love to take my boys out for ice cream. My friends are shocked
that I embrace such a processed, sugary food, but I relish witnessing my sons’
sweet, stained smiles in between licks. An ice cream cone on a hot summer day
brings me back to my childhood when pleasures were mostly sensory and entirely
simple. In my complicated adult life, I appreciate those simple pleasures.
But a serving of vanilla ice cream contains about
half the calcium of the same size serving of whole milk, and is higher in fat
and calories, so I limit our outings. Because my boys delight in the whole ice
cream experience, including the anticipation, we often make our own version.
This way they enjoy it without the health hazards.
I know, I know, you don’t have time to make your own
dinner let alone your own ice cream. Just try it. It takes very little time,
and kids of all ages will get a kick out the process.
The trick is a sliced and frozen banana. Slice a
bunch, freeze on parchment paper, and store for when the urge for ice cream
hits. To prepare, whip a handful of the frozen banana pieces in a blender until
creamy. Right here, you have the equivalent of soft serve without the
plastic-like aftertaste or the chemicals. Then blend in other foods such as
strawberries or pieces of dark chocolate to flavor. It is that simple!
My boys have concocted some rather unusual flavors.
Not surprisingly, chocolate is the big winner in our family. Peanut butter and
jelly, made with half a tablespoon of peanut butter and a handful of fresh
strawberries, was surprisingly good. Raspberry, lemon-lime and orange were
refreshingly sweet. I served a honey lavender flavor at a dinner party and had
to scoop out seconds. My boys also made some kind of kitchen sink variety that
combined seemingly conflicting ingredients but was surprisingly delicious. I
decided not to ask what exactly was in it.
If you aren’t sold on making these more healthful
alternatives to ice cream, consider this:
·
Many of the frozen treats you might buy from the ice
cream truck are made from 20-plus ingredients, many of which are chemicals.
They are not food; they are food products with minimal nutritional value.
·
Frozen yogurt might appear to be a more healthful
alternative to ice cream, but most frozen yogurts do not contain the beneficial
live and active cultures found in healthful yogurt (those that do often have a
“live and active cultures” seal on the label). Frozen yogurt is often created
like a soft serve ice cream by essentially blowing air and chemicals into a
machine.
·
If you’re buying from the freezer section, Haagen
Dazs produces a product with just five whole-food ingredients that gets my
vote. It still should be eaten in moderation, because it is high in fat and
calories, but being free of chemicals is a huge plus.
So start freezing those bananas!
Seidenberg
is co-founder of Nourish Schools, a D.C.-based nutrition education company.