Day 8 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS: Chocolate banana pie

Today I found another reason to love my husband more. Let me tell you a story. six years ago on my 24Th birthday, when I was 5 months pregnant with our daughter, Nina, Rick took me out to one of Atlanta's best, Kava restaurant, to celebrate. After the exquisite fine dinning and great service from the staff we were off to the house where I couldn't wait to open up my birthday gift. Well, I am embarrassed to tell you I was a tad disappointed--even though I didn't show it-- with my gift because it was an expensive Cuisinart food processor. I was hoping for something you know, more romantic and definitely less expensive. But then he told me "Well, this is for when the baby comes and you can make it all these great homemade food." I did use it for Nina's food. She ate only homemade pureed baby food and I was glad then that I had it.

Little did I know that six years later I would find the other dual compartment of that food processor hidden beneath the kitchen shelf and yes, it had the 'S' blade my raw desert asked for. It had been hidden away all that time! It was a great birthday present after all and it took me six years to really appreciate it fully because today, Nina and I made our very first raw desert and boy is it TO-DIE-FOR Delicious, rich and very filling or as Nina said "Mama, this is delicious and nutritious". I love you, Rick and thank you for the best birthday gift ever. It was a great investment after all.

Today is day 8 and as you can tell, I am on top of the world. I wish I had tried this raw food lifestyle many years ago. What a way to live, what great abundance there is in living foods and how blessed I am to have the opportunity to eat all these wonders of nature.

Today's smoothie was my awesome Kale-Panana smoothie. Scroll down to Day 3 to get the recipe.

Here's our Chocolate banana pie recipe:

Ingredients for crust:

1 cup walnuts, soaked for 2 hours, rinsed and dried

1 cup almond, soaked overnight, then rinsed and dried

1/2 raisins or pitted dates (I used raisins, I LOVE raisins)

1/2 cup agave nectar or raw honey

sprinkle of salt

Chop nuts in a food processor with an 'S' blade. Then add remaining ingredients and process to thick and sticky dough. Press dough into 9-10" pie pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Ingredients for Filling:

4 ripe bananas

3 ripe Haas avocados (seeded)

3 Tbsp carob powder

5 Tbsp 100% pure cacao powder

sprinkle of salt

1/2 cup agave nectar or raw honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cut banana into thin, round slices and layer on top of crust (cover crust completely with banana slices.)

Add the rest of the ingredients into a food processor with 'S' blade and process till smooth. Then pour filling over banana layer and partially freeze or refrigerate. You now have yourself a guilt-free, delicious and nutritious desert!

~B