Healthy Vanilla Ice Cream

So a couple days ago I had one of those not so good days, where I usually cave to any temptation that comes my way especially ice cream (my one true weakness). I was offered ice cream 3 different times and I was sooo surprised that I didn't want it because on days like that is where calories and junk food don't count!
For the past month and a half I have had "white" sugar once or twice, it was definitely hard and I had such a hard time when anyone ate ice cream in front of me especially the king kong cones!

It's true I use to eat those! UGH! But let me tell you, I now feel amazing and don't even crave it anymore! I was so addicted to sugar and I hated the way it made me feel. So being off sugar made the once beloved ice cream not so appetizing with all it's artificial, sugary ingredients!

I still love ice cream though, don't get be wrong just not all the overly processed ones like I use too. So here is an ice cream I can have on bad days or good days and feel guilt free about eating it, knowing that it is not creating havoc in my body. And it is oh so delicious & healthy for you!

Healthy Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 can of coconut milk

1 cup milk (I used so delicious vanilla sugar free coconut milk)

1/4 cup agave*

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together, chill, & put into ice cream maker and use according to manufacture's directions. (while the ice cream was churning in the machine, my little boy kept hovering over, mmm that smells yummy!)
Serves: 6 (1/2 cup) servings

 Serve plain, with fruit, healthy chocolate syrup, or any toppings you want. If you freeze it, you will need to let it thaw before eating it again.

*You can substitute for any sweetener you want. You can probably reduce the calories by doing half stevia half agave.

Health Tip:
Never thought you could lose weight with ice cream?! Now you can due to the benefits of the fabulous coconut! (In moderation of course!)
Coconut promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate. 
 Check out more coconut benefits: .
When Fat is Good For You!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip

This was a huge HIT at a girl's night we had at Erin's (my sister in law) house.

So here is how the chocolate peanut butter dip came about. This is the recipe to the original fudge recipe I used to make my healthy fudge recipe, except with less peanut butter & agave. Well with my fudge recipe you need to keep it in the refrigerator or freezer to keep its form, but we kind of left it out on the table for our girl's night and it did not keep its form too well. We started eating it out of the bowl with our spoons and boy was it delicious! Then it hit us! This would be a great dip! All we need is pretzels, apples, and whatever else our little hearts desired!

Who knew eating healthy could taste so good?!

 Check out what eating chocolate could do for you! 
More Chocolate Please!  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cacao
1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup agave

¼ cup unrefined coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together until blended well.
Serve with apples, bananas, pretzels, graham crackers, etc.!

Chocolate Covered Bananas

This recipe was posted by my sister in law Erin!

So one of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to eating healthy is my late night sweet tooth! Actually,  my mid morning and late afternoon sweet teeth are big culprits too! I saw this idea on neverhomemaker and then adapted it to be my own. 

These little bit of heaven are so good! If you ask anyone I know, who eats treats with me, they would confirm that my favorite flavor combinations are chocolate, peanut butter, and banana! So you can imagine my joy when I found this idea! These are so perfect and guiltless I could cry! I am so in love with them! Here is what you need to make them yourself!

Chocolate Covered Bananas

3 bananas

2 teaspoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons all natural peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips

unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

First slice your bananas to your perfect bite size. I had about 9-10 slices per banana. I like them kind of small.  Place on a plate and freeze. Meanwhile, get out your double broiler (in my case it is a small pyrex bowl and a sauce pan) heat the water on medium low heat for a few minutes, until it starts to steam. Add the coconut oil, peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir ingredients together until it is a smooth liquid. Add your chocolate chips. Make sure that your have your heat on medium low and that you are watching your chocolate carefully. I burned mine the first time. :) Stir your mixture constantly until all the chocolate is melted and you have a smooth creamy mixture. 

Now it's time to dip your bananas! By this time your bananas should be pretty frozen on the outside, this makes it easier for dipping. I just got a toothpick to pick the bananas up and dipped them directly into the double broiler, then set them on wax paper in a cookie sheet or cutting board. You are going to want to move these so make sure they are on something transportable.  While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with coconut flakes.  The amount of chocolate is perfect for this amount of bananas. I ended up scrapping chocolate from the bowl to top the last few bananas. 

Once your bananas are all dipped, put back in the freezer for about an hour. 

Then you can taste the yummy deliciousness you just made! These will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth! And there is no sugar in them and you can feed your body all the wonderful nutrients found in cacoa and bananas!! These are 100% nutritional! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!

*As a side note, IF you have any left over, store in an air tight container in the freezer. You may have to let them sit out for a few minutes before you can just bit into them... However, I am not patient so I just popped on in my mouth and sucked on it until I could bit it! That was good too! :)

Candy Corn Milkshake

This recipe was posted by my sister in law Erin!

Here's a little healthy Halloween treat for ya!

Candy Corn Milkshake

Bottom Layer: Pumpkin

2/3 cup vanilla yogurt (I used greek)

5 tablespoons pureed pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon milk

blend until well mixed. Pour into a cup or bowl and place in freezer for 30 minutes.

Middle Layer: Vanilla

2/3 cup vanilla yogurt (again I used greek)

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons agave

Follow the directions for previous layer

Top Layer: Banana

2/3 cup vanilla yogurt

1 banana

a scant amount of turmeric to add yellow color, or just a few drops of yellow food coloring

Blend until well mixed. Pour into bow or cup and place in freezer for 30 minutes.

So what I did, was started out with the vanilla flavor, because I knew that it would blend well with all the other flavors, and I wouldn't have to wash my blender between flavors! Then I followed with the banana layer, and then the pumpkin. If you do it this way, you will use very little milk for the subsequent layers, because the liquid left over from the previous layer will be sufficient for the next one. 

Once your layers are chilled for about 30 minutes, they are perfect consistency for a milkshake. If you don't want to wait, add ice and you'll have more of a smoothie texture, but it will still taste great! Enjoy!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

These are delicious! Oh how I love cookie dough! I secretly like making cookies just so I can nibble on the dough!! Now I can do it guilt free.

I have tried SEVERAL different recipes for healthy chocolate chip cookie dough and none of them hit the spot until I came up with these. I tweaked several different recipes, taking things out, lowering the calories, making them healthier, not having them taste like whole wheat, or pureed beans, etc. etc.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cashews

1/2 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

couple dashes of cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon stevia*

3 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup or liquid sweetener of your choice*

1/4 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips or chocolate chip of your choice

Directions:

Blend cashews and oats in the blender or food processor until flour like consistency. Pour in a bowl and mix well with the remaining ingredients. Eat dough as is or form into little balls about a teaspoon each. Should make about 30 cookie dough balls if you haven't already nibbled on the dough. Freeze cookie dough balls on a plate so they don't stick together. After they are frozen, toss them in a bag and keep them in the freezer.

 *I used Joseph's Original Sugar Free Maple Syrup. You could also try substituting it with maple syrup, honey, or agave. If using a different sweetener you can probably omit the stevia.

Did you know eating nuts like cashews lowers your risk of weight gain?! In moderation of course!

Although nuts are known to provide a variety of cardio-protective benefits, many avoid them for fear of weight gain. A prospective study published in the journal Obesity shows such fears are groundless. In fact, people who eat nuts at least twice a week are much less likely to gain weight than those who almost never eat nuts.

Read more health benefits of cashews: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=98

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Sandwich

During this time of year I usually get a huge craving for pumpkin pie. This time around I've been craving pumpkin pie ice cream, so I thought I would make pumpkin pie frozen yogurt since that's what I had on hand and it's healthier! As I was making this, I thought it would be yummy to eat it with a graham cracker and whip cream and this kind of fell in my lap! Okay I know it says ice cream sandwich and it's not really ice cream. I just thought frozen yogurt sandwich sounded a little weird!

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Sandwich

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yogurt

Healthy graham crackers (no hydrogenated oils)

Healthy whip cream

Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yogurt Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup Greek yogurt

6 tablespoons pumpkin puree

 6 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup or other sweetener to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice* (or to taste)

Directions:

Combine pumpkin pie frozen yogurt ingredients in a freezer safe bowl and mix well. Set in freezer for about an hour or until it firms up a little bit.

Take frozen yogurt out and scoop some onto each half of a graham cracker.

Top frozen yogurt with whip cream and place the other half of graham cracker on top.

Put sandwiches back in the freezer until desired firmness.

ENJOY!

Here is a yummy variation:

Pumpkin Pie Smore

Just melt some grain sweetened chocolate chips and spread on one side of the graham cracker.

*Don't have pumpkin pie spice?!
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice= 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon cloves

Did you know pumpkins have an excellent source of fiber; one-half cup serving contains 5 grams of fiber?! Fiber helps reduce bad cholesterol levels, protect the body against heart disease, control blood sugar levels, promote healthy digestion, and plays a role in weight loss.

Read more at Suite101: Health Benefits of Pumpkin: Nutrient-Rich Fruit with Anti-Aging and Disease-Fighting Properties | Suite101.com http://jennifermurray.suite101.com/health-benefits-of-pumpkin-a153140#ixzz1aiHglQLD

Here's the whip cream & sugar free syrup I used.

Healthy Almond Joy Ice Cream

Look how DELICIOUS & CREAMY that looks and it was made WITHOUT an ice cream! When I discovered all the health benefits coconut has to offer I knew I had to make a healthy coconut ice cream to satisfy my sweet tooth. This did the job & then some by offering a bang of nutrients at the same time!

Healthy Almond Joy Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 can (15 ounce) coconut cream

1 can (15 ounce) coconut milk, regular or light

2/3 cups raw cacao

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup of almonds, slivered, toasted

½ cup of grain sweetened chocolate chips

Top with unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted, (optional)

Directions:

Mix ingredients together. Pour in an ice cream maker and use according to directions.

Better yet, I made this without an ice cream maker. I put the mixture into my freezer to chill before putting it in my ice cream maker & I kind of forgot about the time. When I finally remembered I pulled it out of my freezer and it was so dang creamy & yummy!

Top with unsweetened coconut flakes. Enjoy!

(It will eventually get hard in the freezer, but it will turn back to creamy, yumminess if you let it sit out for a little bit before eating.)

Did you know coconut supports thyroid function?!  

Recipe adapted from: the nourishing gourmet

Healthy Fudge

BEWARE!!

These are very, very addicting!! They are one of my husband's favorites. The first time I made them, he kept questioning me, 'these are healthy!?' Yes, they are! Check out all the benefits of cacao & coconut oil.
These are a stable in our house! My friend Alyse & I are always making them.

Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cacao

½ cup natural peanut butter

½ cup honey or agave (or more if you don't like dark chocolate)*

¼ cup unrefined coconut oil (to get the coconut flavor)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped nuts (optional)

oats (optional) I have used rolled & steel cut oats, yum!

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together until blended well. If you like it chunky like I do add the optional ingredients (as much as you would like in I usually do 1/2 cup of each)! Line 8x8 baking dish with wax paper. Firmly pack fudge in baking dish. Place in freezer until firm, take out and cut into squares. Store in freezer or fridge.
*I just recently have been doing 1/4 cup agave and 1/4 cup stevia to cut the calories more. AMAZING!

Meet his cousin!

Almond Butter Fudge

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cacao

½ cup natural almond butter

½ cup honey or agave (or more if you don't like dark chocolate)*

¼ cup unrefined coconut oil (to get the coconut flavor)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped nuts (optional)

oats (optional) I have used rolled & steel cut oats, yum!

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together until blended well. If you like it chunky like I do add the optional ingredients (as much as you would like in. I usually do 1/2 cup of each)! Line 8x8 baking dish with wax paper. Firmly pack fudge in baking dish. Place in freezer until firm, take out and cut into squares. Store in freezer or fridge.
*I just recently have been doing 1/4 cup agave and 1/4 cup stevia to cut the calories more. AMAZING! 

Pineapple Delight

This is one of my favorite desserts my mom makes, except I cleaned it up to make it a little healthier. It is so light & REFRESHING!

Pineapple Delight

Ingredients:

1 (20 ounce) can of pineapple
½ cup honey
2 cups of nonfat plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 bananas, sliced
12 ounces of raspberries (if using frozen, slightly thaw)

Directions:

Drain pineapple reserving 1/3 cup of juice. Puree pineapple with 1/3 cup of juice. Add the honey, yogurt, and vanilla and mix well. Stir in bananas & raspberries. Pour mixture into the freezer bowl of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

ENJOY!

Did you know Greek yogurt is lower in sugar than unsweetened American-style yogurt?!

Greek yogurt is made by straining the whey off yogurt repeatedly to create its thick texture. Much of the natural sugar is removed during this process. According to Hobson, Greek yogurt has one-half the sugar of unsweetened, non-fat American-style yogurt.

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/233450-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-greek-yogurt/#ixzz1ZwhBXBKZ

Recipe adapted from: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Honey-Pineapple-Sherbet

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fall is definitely my favorite season! I know for a lot of people it is hard to see summer go, but I seriously get a surge of endorphins when I wake up to a crisp morning! Now don't get me wrong, winter is the pits, but I love fall! I think it must be the Alaskan in me... or maybe the fact that all the holidays are just around the corner, and I love the holidays! So what better way to bring on the "fallness" than with HEALTHY pumpkin chocolate chip cookies?! These are a hit! I have made them twice in the past week (for public consumption!) and they have been gobbled up instantly! You HAVE to try these! Best part?? THEY ARE ONLY 45 CALORIES!!!!!!!! It makes them taste even better!!

Serious... No guilt!

This recipe was posted by my sister in law Erin!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup canned pureed pumpkin

1 cup xylitol - this is a great sweetener you can find at the health food store. It has 40% less calorie than table sugar and a very low glycemic index!

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 cup oat flour ( w.w. is good too, a little grainier though)

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon milk

1-2 cups chocolate chips (dark, grain sweetened, milk, etc.)

Blend first 5 ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients except baking soda. Sift together. Combine baking soda and milk in a small bowl until dissolved. Add baking soda mixture to wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing well. Add chocolate chips. Drop small rounded spoonfuls (about the size of a small dinner spoon) of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. ENJOY!

This recipe yields about 50 smallish cookies made from a 1-inch heaping cookie scoop.

These are delicious right out of the oven, and you probably won't make it to this point, BUT if you have left overs I suggest storing them in an air tight container in the fridge. That way they don't get soggy.

* I calculated my nutritional data on nutritiondata.self.com

No Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

YUM, is all I have to say about these cookies. I definitely do not feel guilty about eating these cookies or giving them to my family. They are full of nutrients & sugar free (refined sugar that is)! Okay, I may feel a little guilty about these cookies only because I can't limit myself to one!

No Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup raisins

¼ cup cashew butter*

1/3 cup oatmeal

¼ cup of walnuts, chopped

½ teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Using a food processor or blender, puree raisins. Mix pureed raisins with the rest of the ingredients. Shape into cookies (roughly 2 tablespoon for each cookie.) Eat & enjoy!

I stored the cookies in the freezer, to decrease stickiness & hold form.
*You can substitute it with another nut butter if you'd like!

Did you know cashews are rich in antioxidants that help in the elimination of free radicals that may cause some cancer?!

Source: http://len7288.hubpages.com/hub/Health_Benefits_of_Cashew_Nuts

Peach Frozen Yogurt

One of my fondest childhood food memories was fresh peach ice cream in the summer time. Oh how I love fresh, ripe, juicy peaches! So I healthified my fond food memory and it definitely hit the spot and brought back wonderful childhood memories. I miss being a kid sometimes!

Healthy Peach Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

2 ripe peaches
1 ½ cups plain greek yogurt
¼ cup honey (could use 1/8 cup honey & 1/8 cup of stevia to lessen calories)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Puree peaches in food processor or blender until smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until well-mixed. Chill mixture in the refrigerator until cold. 
Then freeze according to your ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.
Yields four 1/2 cup servings.

Did you know the health benefits of peaches include healthy eyesight, cancer prevention and lung health?!
Rource: http://healthbenefits-of.org/2011/07/the-health-benefits-of-peaches.html

Recipe adapted from: tastykitchen