I never was an ice cream eater, at least not that I can remember. Sure, as a kid I enjoyed an ice cream cone every once and awhile or we'd have sundaes as a treat on a Friday night - but I didn't eat it every night. Until about 3 years ago. I'd like to blame my husband for this, and ironically he blames me for the same thing (clearly we both have an ice cream problem). Despite how unhealthy I knew ice cream was, I allowed it into my home - with all of it's corn syrupy, creamy, fake-ness.
I am not going to lie to you, this truly became one of my weaknesses - I craved ice cream. A lot. When I look back at that time in my life, 3 years ago - I had a lot going on. My husband and I were purchasing our first home, we were planning a wedding, he had just moved here from Ohio, I had just changed jobs....there was a lot of big stuff going on in my life.
While I felt like we were eating healthy, I know now that just because I was cooking at home didn't mean I was eating healthy. We often ate frozen meals (my go-to lunch everyday was a Lean Cuisine) and we weren't eating near the amount of fresh veggies we should have been. And did I mention the ice cream? Or the gelato shop around the corner from where we lived?
Oddly enough, I was working out more frequently then I ever had before - but felt like if I ran an extra day that week- I could eat another bowl of ice cream. Especially if it was ice cream loaded with toppings. Geez Louise.
Sound familiar?
Of course the health coach in me has deconstructed each craving and made changes to my diet accordingly.
That being said, I still craved ice cream every once and awhile. However, I felt like I needed to give it up because I had become "smarter" and knew that the stuff you buy at the grocery store was not what I should be snacking on. I decided that I was going to tackle this one by making my own ice cream! I asked for an ice cream maker for Christmas and got to work - at least if I was going to eat it, I was going to know exactly what was in it. Along with the ice cream maker, my mother-in-law added The Spunky Coconut's Dairy-Free Ice Cream cookbook.
Even though they aren't in season (in Wisconsin anyway), the strawberries at our local co-op looked and smelled declicious this week. I love trying new flavors of ice cream (Rooibos Tea Ice Cream, anyone?) but this week I went more traditional.
I am not going to lie to you, this truly became one of my weaknesses - I craved ice cream. A lot. When I look back at that time in my life, 3 years ago - I had a lot going on. My husband and I were purchasing our first home, we were planning a wedding, he had just moved here from Ohio, I had just changed jobs....there was a lot of big stuff going on in my life.
While I felt like we were eating healthy, I know now that just because I was cooking at home didn't mean I was eating healthy. We often ate frozen meals (my go-to lunch everyday was a Lean Cuisine) and we weren't eating near the amount of fresh veggies we should have been. And did I mention the ice cream? Or the gelato shop around the corner from where we lived?
Oddly enough, I was working out more frequently then I ever had before - but felt like if I ran an extra day that week- I could eat another bowl of ice cream. Especially if it was ice cream loaded with toppings. Geez Louise.
Sound familiar?
Of course the health coach in me has deconstructed each craving and made changes to my diet accordingly.
That being said, I still craved ice cream every once and awhile. However, I felt like I needed to give it up because I had become "smarter" and knew that the stuff you buy at the grocery store was not what I should be snacking on. I decided that I was going to tackle this one by making my own ice cream! I asked for an ice cream maker for Christmas and got to work - at least if I was going to eat it, I was going to know exactly what was in it. Along with the ice cream maker, my mother-in-law added The Spunky Coconut's Dairy-Free Ice Cream cookbook.
Even though they aren't in season (in Wisconsin anyway), the strawberries at our local co-op looked and smelled declicious this week. I love trying new flavors of ice cream (Rooibos Tea Ice Cream, anyone?) but this week I went more traditional.
Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream
from The Spunky Coconut
2 c fresh strawberries
1 1/2 c coconut milk
1 c cashew milk
1/2 c honey
2 t vanilla extract
1 t lemon juice
1/2 t unflavored gelatin
Place all ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor. Puree until creamy and smooth. Freeze for about one hour or refrigerate until cold. Pour into ice cream machine per manufacurers instructions. Place in the freezer until ice cream is the consistency you prefer.
Of course I couldn't eat it without toppings. At least now I skip the broken up Snickers and Twix for fresh berries and organic dark chocolate.
from The Spunky Coconut
2 c fresh strawberries
1 1/2 c coconut milk
1 c cashew milk
1/2 c honey
2 t vanilla extract
1 t lemon juice
1/2 t unflavored gelatin
Place all ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor. Puree until creamy and smooth. Freeze for about one hour or refrigerate until cold. Pour into ice cream machine per manufacurers instructions. Place in the freezer until ice cream is the consistency you prefer.
Of course I couldn't eat it without toppings. At least now I skip the broken up Snickers and Twix for fresh berries and organic dark chocolate.
I mean, c'mon, that looks a ton better doesn't it? We've all got our weaknesses, it's just a matter of learning how to adapt recipes and still enjoy the food the way you used to. No corn syrup, HFCS or heavy cream here. This ice cream was made with ingredients I already had in my pantry...ingredients I can pronounce!
What are some of your weaknesses? How have you been able to revamp them and still feel like you're indulging?
XoXo,
Nicole
What are some of your weaknesses? How have you been able to revamp them and still feel like you're indulging?
XoXo,
Nicole
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