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First published 5/13/14
I’ve said it countless times before and I’ll say it again: I am addicted to ice cream. I love food in general, but those who know me know that ice cream is a particular weakness of mine. But eating healthy doesn’t mean that you have to cut out ice cream, as this recipe proves. Oh, it’ll never be the same as store-bought, sugar-laden ice cream – but I’ve come to enjoy it a lot, and like it better even. You can feel good after eating this.
There are a lot of healthy ice cream recipes out there that are better than this one, I’ll be the first to admit. However, I personally focus on several things in my food preparation, and in turn, for this blog: 1) ease of preparation, 2) economy, and 3) how the food affects my body. Most of the ice cream recipes out there are extremely rich and quite expensive. Sure, if you add enough heavy cream to something it *has* to be good – but enough fat is enough sometimes, especially if you want to put peanut butter on it. And making ice cream solely out of almond milk, like the Tummy Tucking Ice Cream (which I love) from the book Trim Healthy Mama, isn’t very economical for some people. So here is a solution – a solution that I am very thankful for.
Using this recipe, you can either make a nice thick milkshake or a creamy, soft-serve ice cream. The ice cream is definitely better in a soft-serve form; if you freeze it too hard it gets rather icy. My favorite way to serve it is after freezing for about 50 minutes.
This single-serving ice cream recipe does not require an ice cream maker. However, if you have an ice cream maker and want to use it, check out my larger Basic Ice Cream Recipe.
Just for your information, my Mock Arby’s Jamocha Shake is made with this recipe. Give it a try; it’s one of my favorites!
Here you see this Basic Milkshake Recipe used as the base for my favorite shake: the Peanut Butter Birthday Cake Shake. To the Basic Milkshake Recipe, add 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. each of almond and butter extracts, 1-2 T natural peanut butter, and an optional drop of blue food coloring to make it an authentic “birthday cake ice cream” color. In the picture, I actually made a FP version of the shake by using defatted peanut flour instead of the peanut butter; the FP version isn’t as good. 😛
My sweetener of choice is THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder (which can be purchased from the Trim Healthy Mama online store). It doesn’t spike your blood sugar and it has a nicely rounded flavor, not bitter.
You can pin this post here.
You can find this recipe in my cookbook, Necessary Food.
- 1 cup crushed ice
- ⅓ cup low-fat cottage cheese
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½-1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- Rounded ¼ tsp. glucomannan
- 2-3 doonks THM Pure Stevia Extract Power (Start with 2 and taste as you go. I generally use about 2.5 doonks.)
- Extracts/add-ins of choice
- Blend all ingredients together until smooth. (You can add a little more almond milk to get it to blend if you need to, but the less you add, the thicker it will be.)
- For a milkshake: you're done! Pour it into a glass and enjoy. Yields one large milkshake.
- For ice cream: Freeze in a freezer-safe bowl for 40 minutes to an hour, stirring twice within the first 30 minutes for optimum consistency. Serve once desired consistency is reached (alternately, freeze until hard and then defrost in the microwave for 10-20 seconds). Makes one very large serving, or 2-3 dessert servings.
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Hi Briana,
Such a yummy and versatile recipe! Have used it as a base for different smoothies and shakes. You are a very talented recipe developer! Love your blog💕
Briana,
Just thought I’d let a fellow ice cream lover know!! I made this recipe last night, but I didn’t exactly follow the recipe… I rarely do!! Sometimes I stumble onto something amazing when I change the original! (And sometimes it flops and I am stuck with a not so pleasant dish to try and eat… serves me right! But who wastes food??
Anyway, I added 1/4 t. Watkins Peppermint Extract, two drops of food coloring, and 1 oz. roughly chopped Moser Roth, and it actually tasted better then the real thing, considering that my waist was much happier!!!
By the way, I think I may quite possibly be your biggest fan. I love chocolate, and ice cream, and we seem to have some things in common…This trim healthy teen admires your creativity! Hoping to follow in your footsteps someday!!
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Kaitlyn, and for sharing your tweaks!
Briana,
Going to try this tonight!!
Thanks so much for your creativity and for having this available for those kinda nights when I don’t feel like creating anythingðŸ¤
This saved me this evening. It’s raining and cold outdoors, but it’s Never. Ever. Too. Cold. For . Ice. Cream!
I completely agree with that!!
Man this was good and I needed it. I have had a day of cravings and this hit the spot. Thank you!
You bet! Thanks for trying it!
Thank you for your wonderful recipes and the fact that they are printable.