Almost Fat-Free Peanut Butter Banana Soft Serve and an Event @ Maggiano's Little Italy

This past weekend my entire family got together at Maggiano’s Restaurant for my cousin’s Graduation Party.  

Now he is officially a M.D. which is a HUGE milestone.  Everyone who attended the Graduation Party was so proud of him.

The event took place at a Banquet Room at Maggiano’s, quite honestly, I wasn’t even aware Maggiano’s had banquet rooms.  I was pleasantly surprised since the rooms were nice, cozy, and intimate for private events. 

As soon as I saw the plate setting I was super excited we would end the night with coffee/tea, yeah, I know, I’m always thinking about dessert!

Here is a menu card which actually resembles a medical prescription you would receive from a Doctor – so cool, I loved the idea.  I found the address quite funny… Hard Work Avenue and No Sleep Street.  Well, having a sister who is a doctor I can certainly attest to that… becoming a physician is seriously one of the most difficult careers to pursue which requires a lot of time, dedication, and sleepless nights.  God bless those who actually follow through and are committed to saving lives, I certainly couldn’t do it.

I started off with a glass of red wine, at least it’s kinda healthy, right? 

For appetizers, I had some buttered bread and salad. 

Each table was served a family style dinner, here were my 2 favorite entrees.  On the right. the Eggplant Rollatini was superb made with a slightly sweetened sauce and soft pieces of eggplant.  On the left we have Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo which was creamy and delicious, you can’t really go wrong with this dish. 

Next up was the Baked Ziti with Veggies, this appeared to be a more light Baked Ziti, I know this doesn’t resemble the traditional Baked Ziti, but it was light and flavorful.

Lastly, here is the Herb-Roasted Chicken Cacciatore made with peppers and onions.  Every bite of the chicken consisted of herbs and spices, however I didn’t quite enjoy this dish as much as I had hoped to.

Here is my first serving… and I went for seconds, of course. 

Of course, there had to be !

I ended the night with a cup of coffee alongside Tiramisu and Spumoni which is a fruity gelato.  The Tiramisu was exceptionally good. 

My husband, cousins, and I later stayed over at my sis-in-law and brother’s home.  It was like hanging out at a Bed & Breakfast since we had great hosts who made freshly brewed morning coffee/tea for us.  We also enjoyed my baby niece playing the piano for us… she may just be the next Beethoven.   Overall, we had a blast at the PARTY!

And now food, this awesome recipe was inspired by Gena over at Choosing Raw.  This Almost Fat-Free Soft Serve turned out really good, but of course, it didn’t taste as rich and sweet as real soft serve.  I added my own touch by using milk, vanilla extract, peanut butter, and walnuts. 

Having said that, this dessert will easily satisfy your sweet tooth on those days you want something cold and sweet, but not quite as rich and unhealthy.  You will enjoy this! 

NUTRITION:Bananas are a very good source of Vitamin B6. They are also a good source of Vitamin C and Fiber. Peanut Butter is high in fat and should be eaten in moderation, however it is a good source of Fiber, Protein, Folic Acid, and Vitamin E. Walnuts are an excellent source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

INGREDIENTS (inspired by Gena @ Choosing Raw):

DIRECTIONS:

1. Here are 2 frozen bananas sliced up.

2. In a food processor, add the frozen banana.

3. Blend for 1-2 minutes.

4. This is what you should have, it’ll be a little crumbly.  It’s ok!

5. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and peanut butter.

6. Blend for 3 minutes until the soft serve is smooth and creamy.

 

7. This is what you should have. 

8. Chop the walnuts.

9. Transfer the soft serve into a bowl. 

10. Top with walnuts. So creamy and delicious.

TELL ME: What are some of your favorite frozen treats without a ton of fat or sugar?