Non-negotiables...

What's your non-negotiable? We all have them, what's on your list?  Dessert is one of mine, for sure.

I don't think that being healthy means being deprived. I think it means finding a happy medium, the middle ground, eating things in moderation.  That means eating a little of everything--not cutting any one thing out (like carbs or fat or protein), not eating too much of any one particular thing either (like dessert :).  If you balance your daily eating--with a little of everything , you have healthy eating  in your back pocket.

My favourite dessert, as I am sure you know by now, is cake.  Here is my favourite cake recipe--there are splatters all over pg 200 of Food that Really Schmecks--I am sure it will become one of yours too!

Banana Cake with Almond Icing
1/2 cup soft butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
1tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)

Cream butter, add sugar and continue creaming.  Beat in eggs until nice and fluffy.  Stir together dry ingredients and mix in alternately with milk and bananas.  Pour into  greased 9x13   pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes until cake tests done with a toothpick.

Tip: to sour milk, measure out quantity needed and squeeze in a little lemon juice.  Let it sit for about 10 minutes and there you have it.

Almond Butter Cream Icing 
3-4 tbsp soft butter 2 cups (or more depending on dryness and how much icing you want to make)  Icing sugar 3-4 tbsp milk 1/2 tsp almond extract
Cream butter and add some icing sugar.  Beat. Add almond extract. Continue to alternate sugar and milk  until the mixture is light and fluffy and will hold a "peak". Enjoy