real banana pudding

In the past two months I have had the pleasure of getting to know the parents at my son's new school. The energy and enthusiasm I am witness to as we all work to make a fabulous school even more fabulous is inspiring and awe provoking.

I have been sitting on every committee meeting I can manage, we've been in conversation about grant writing, discretionary funds, government council members and policies, and through it all we are forming a marvelous community. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this process and to be able to get to know these amazing people.

Did you see the recent Sunday NYTimes Magazine article written by Mark Bittman about teaching our children to eat well? This has further inspired me to think about how food is presented in schools and how we can offer healthier options for children when they are not under the supervision of their parents. I for one remember using all my lunch money to buy candy and am worried that if the schools do not offer only healthy options children will follow their taste buds and not their parent's guidance.

The fact that the DOE offers chocolate milk as an option, because they are being strong armed by the dairy industry, blows my mind. Hopefully we can remedy these issues. If not for all school than just one at a time. 

Now that I am writing this I wonder if my banana pudding recipe would taste okay without the added sugar. I should try it out. I have only tried this with cows milk but I don't see why it couldn't be made with soy or almond.

Real Banana Pudding
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk of your choice

Instructions

1. Mash bananas well.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a saucepan. Add wet ingredients. Heat pan on medium heat and stir continuously until pudding boils and thickens. 
3. Pour into bowls and refrigerate until cooled.