Have you ever thought about how wasteful water fountains are? I have.
Fried ice cream doesn’t make sense in my mind. So I made up my own version. Because I can. And I can rant about random stuff. Like this crap below. I’m warning you, I’m on a soap box right now.
I want to talk to you about something. Just because I like to talk about feelings. Because I have a lot of them. It’s just something that has been looming on mind for a couple of months now. I think it’s absolutely crazy how much things can change in a year’s time. How much relationships can change. How much a mind can change. And how much a body can change. This time last year, I was training incredibly hard to try to make it to the CrossFit Games. Well, even though I did not make it that far, I placed 8th in Regionals in the Southwest, and did so by gaining almost 20lbs to be able to stand a fighting chance. Not that I meant to, but I somehow did. With lots of training and lots of workouts.
But after Regionals ended and I injured myself a couple times, I had to take a step back. I stopped doing the prescribed weights in workouts, I started resting more than I had in the past two years, and I started looking into more goals I had. More things I wanted to accomplish. More things I wanted to do. These injuries made me take a step back and look at my life. It made me stop and think about what JULI wanted instead of what other people wanted.
And when I took that step back, I noticed that I hadn’t been happy for a while. I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. And for me, that is very important. I started competing because it made me happy. And made me confident. I never cared if I did poorly, I never worried about not finishing a workout. I just tried my hardest and tried to smile through it. But when disappointment began to appear on others faces, I knew it was absolutely time for me to take a step back. I never want my performance in the gym to disappoint someone. That is not why I work out. I work out to better myself. To improve myself physically and mentally. Not to upset someone because I didn’t do all my wall balls unbroken. Or because I didn’t set a PR.
This has been a hard thing for me to come to terms with. I haven’t wanted to admit it, but I don’t want to compete right now. I don’t want to train to the point that I’m spending hours in the gyms, aching constantly, and gaining 15-20lbs to be able to keep up with the amazing CrossFit ladies in my Region. That’s not what I want nor is it what my body wants. And since I’ve stopped training to my max every day, I feel better. Even though I’ve lost a ton of strength and endurance, I’m happier. I feel better in my own skin and I’m finally not crying on a regular basis because I was unhappy with how I looked. Yeah, I cried because of that. No fun. I’m an emotional mess without that crap on my mind.
But I want to make one thing clear. I LOVE CrossFit. CrossFit is one of the biggest things in my life. It’s absolutely changed my life. I have a CrossFit tattoo on my ribcage for gosh sakes. It’s really changed me and how I look at things. I set goals differently because of CrossFit. I see food differently because of CrossFit. I view health differently because of CrossFit. If I didn’t know CrossFit, I wouldn’t know me.
But this year, in 2013, I’m doing what will make me happy. And that means eating fried ice cream. My version, of course.
Banana Fried Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the ice cream
- 2 (14 ounce) cans of coconut milk
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For the toppings
- 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- sprinkle of maple sugar or coconut sugar
Instructions
- Place 2 cans of coconut milk in a medium saucepan along with the honey, cinnamon, almond butter, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Add saucepan to medium heat and mix well until well combined.
- Once mixture is well combined and smooth, put in freezer until completely cooled.
- When the mixture is cooled, add to your ice cream maker and turn on.
- When your ice cream has almost completely thickened, place a small skilletover medium heat and add your coconut butter and bananas.
- Then add the cinnamon, coconut sugar, and a pinch of salt to the pan.
- Mix around in pan and cook until bananas are caramelized and soft.
- Top bananas on ice cream and sprinkle with a bit more coconut sugar.
- Eat. Emotionally eat.
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Wonderful honesty. We all need to check what motivates us and first and foremost should be what is best for our spirit and soul. Getting a new blender and wonder if this recipe would work in it?
Thanks for your honesty! These are also things that I’m dealing with in my own life. I have been afraid to start cross fit for some of those very reasons, although I work out hard on my own and do cross fit style routines. I eat a paleo diet for a year to year and a half, and although the exercise makes me strong, I just can’t lose the fat I’m want/need to! Recently I’ve become aware that it could be a stress response (cortisol) from the exercise, or possibly a food allergy…still working on it. And the banana fried ice cream looks amazing! I can’t wait til the end of my whole 30 to give it a try!
I don’t know you, but I love you!
Thank you for just being you. Thank you for your honesty. Thank you for encouraging the rest of us to be our best selves. And thank you for loving fried ice cream and sharing.
Much love, Juli!
I LOVE that you made this realization. I love your recipes. I love this blog. Without sounding condescending, I’m so proud of you! That is all.
Love, Your Really Cool Aunt LOL
I have to thank you for posting this. Timely for sure…I cried this morning after completing my WOD. This is the first time I have done this and totally not like me. I did because I have also dropped my weight and intensity the last 3 months to accommodate my pregnancy, one that I lost a week and a half ago. Different circumstances, yes, but still we are not alone. I love CF for that reason. I am very thankful for you being so open and being willing to share with us. And I was reading it because I for sure want ICE CREAM right now!! Thank you for the recipe!
I love you and you are my hero, I’ve been going thru pretty similar situations (minus the part about placing 9th in regionals at crossfit… I can’t even beat people at my gym). But it’s really inspiring to read you blogging about these things. It’s so important to be able to gain an objective perspective on your own life.
Plus ice-cream is like my go-to emotional eating food! haha I’m pretty positive that if we met, we’d be best friends!
decorative fountains= isn’t that water on a recycling pump? not wasting water just using some electricity.
it’s kinetic sculpture. brings emotional benefit to those that gaze upon it.
Fountains aren’t wasteful – they aerate water to prevent microbial growth and recirculate the water.
omg. just saw this post. beautiful! i don’t know what else to say but thank you for sharing these deep thoughts with all of your readers. it is comforting to know that there are others out there who are deciding to do what feels right to them and not what feels right to other people. i assume that this took a lot of courage for you to write and i really appreciate it! xoxo
(i complete 1/3 my workouts RX and 2/3 scaled. this is after almost 2 years of crossfit. it took me a while to get here but i’m glad i took the slow/steady route.. hoping to do more RX (if the body allows) in 2013
Juli,
I like CrossFit too.
I do not like “I just met you but we have to do a friendly hug moments” or being sore 100% of my life, or going to physical therapy for this or that. Which I’m headed to momentarily…
I want to compete but find everytime I’m on the cusp of breaking through — something is tweaked.
Someone just made popcorn at work so I’m having to smell it while I’m sitting here at my desk typing a response on a paleo blog….
What was I saying? O yes. I think moderation in all things is key and maybe I’ve gone a bit too far one way. A step back will be refreshing; which starts on the 20th for me.