One thing I learned during our kitchen renovation was that low maintenance assembling of food was the easiest way to go.  Even though during most of the work on the house, the contractor left our oven hooked up and in the shell of the kitchen, it was always surrounded by nails and dust and dirt.  Not the most appealing place to prepare a meal.  Plus, without running water, a work space or a fridge, it became a marathon of going up and down stairs just to make an omelet as I have mentioned in my kitchen diaries.

While we were in the heat of the final month of summer, and the final month of renovations, I put together this little ditty.  I had started stocking lots of dried fruit and nuts as they were quick sources of vitamins and proteins that did not require a kitchen.  The kids actually enjoyed this version of a banana split more than the real one!

One large scoop of all natural vanilla ice cream goes down in a nice glass vessel.  Pour on homemade strawberry sauce (made without a stove!), add some dried cherries, swirl on some Hershey’s syrup, then finish with pecans, banana chips and whipped cream (they’re young, they can burn it off).  Voila!  Dessert without having to use the stove or cut board (except for hulling the strawberries) and you even sneak in some calcium, protein and vitamins.