If Cavemen Ate Pies, They'd Eat This One

I've missed this place. Since my last dreamy post consisting of chicken pot pie and cooking nights with friends, things have been a LOT less warm and fuzzy. The last several months consisted of 17 hour study days for board exams, 3:30am wakeups for clinical rotations, and the eating and exercise habits of someone who does not write a food blog. Don't get me wrong-- the first and second years of medical school were my toughest years to date, but now we're a bit more exposed to the real world. By real world, I mean waking up before the sun does and getting home without a shred of energy left in you let alone the motivation to study and cook a gourmet something-or-other (<-- And that's a good day!) But over the last few weeks, I've come to realize that, for me at least, cooking and working out every morning is part of what makes me me. Without dabbling in the kitchen every week, sharing food, and working out regularly I start to lose my sense of self and that feeling of well-being-- aka I become a bit grouchy. This process of becoming a little less human is exacerbated by wearing scrubs 2 sizes too big for you every day, attending physicians who don't know you but already don't like you, and that pesky issue of sleep  lack of sleep. On my way home one day I realized how completely enveloped we are in non-food food that also makes you feel, well, not your best (and decided to take pictures). 

Full disclosure: My bad eating consisted of cafeteria turkey burgers, cookies, dirty chai lattes, sausage biscuits, frozen meals, and occasionally popcorn or cereal for dinner. So the default for those whose health is most vulnerable and those who (in theory) should be setting an example for how to maintain one's health is...the QuesaritoTM! Okay, okay...maybe that's not fair. There is a salad bar in the cafeteria. But try giving iceberg lettuce to a patient's worried family member or a stressed out surgeon or an even more stressed out resident after an involuntary 8 hour fast-- they will throw said lettuce at you! These experiences have made me even more aware of the very real obstacles between every day people and the healthy, whole lives we want to lead. I know that my future blog posts will be heavily influenced by this because I am-- from what I eat to how I fit in some extra physical activity not just to stay healthy but to keep being me. This recipe is something I made recently to remind myself of how much I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. It is great for those of you who love banana cream pie as much as I do but can't justify the refined carbohydrates and saturated fat. This recipe is gluten free and Paleo! Maybe you can make this for that Caveman Labor Day party you have coming up...

Paleo Banana Pudding Pie

Serves 12

Almond Meal Pie Crust:

2 Cups Almond Flour

¼ Teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

1 Egg

1. Preheat your oven to 350°
2. Place the first 2 ingredients in the food processor and pulse to combine
3. Add the oil and egg and pulse until it forms a ball of dough
4. Press the dough into a pie dish or tart pan
5. Bake the crust for 10 minutes
6. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely before filling

 Banana Chia Seed Pudding:

2 Cups Reduced Sugar Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Very ripe banana, chopped up

3 Tablespoons Honey*

3 Medjool Dates, pitted

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

¼ teaspoon Salt

6 Tablespoons Chia Seeds

2 bananas for garnishing

1. Put all the ingredients in the blender except for the chia seeds. Blend until smooth
2. Add the chia seeds and pulse the mixture once or twice to just incorporate the chia seeds
3. Pour mixture into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour
4. Pour the thickened chia pudding into a cooled pie crust and chill the pie in the refrigerator for an additional hour
5. Garnish with sliced bananas right before serving or cover with saran wrap immediately if you are not serving the pie right away

*You can replace the honey with pure maple syrup for increased sweetness or you can increase the amount of honey if you’d like it to be sweeter.

Crust Recipe from http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-pie-crust/

Photo Credits: KiwiConfections

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