Ice cream alternatives

[Hinotori]

I get in the mood for ice cream every now and then, but I don't keep any in the house to prevent temptation. So I'd started doing what are basically smoothies, but what my husband thought was a milkshake.

Well it does have milk in it sometimes depending on mood.


In a blender I start with frozen strawberries for the base, but most frozen fruit works. Toss in a banana or a sliced apple for filler. Add enough milk or liquid to make it blend. I toss in a tablespoon or so of homemade jam for sweetening.

I've done this using frozen pineapple, banana, and pineapple juice. That one was hubbies favorite.

Today's was frozen strawberries, yogurt I made, some spiced unsweetened apple butter from last year, and a bit of apple cider.

My only question is why don't they sell apple flavored frozen things? This is really good.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Sounds delish! I need to try a few of those ideas. About to have milk again, which means I can make yogurt again - I foresee a few of these in my future!

Thanks for the great idea!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Mm I'm fighting the sugar fight with my DH (and my mother who thinks my daughter needs boat loads of the stuff, ugh) at the moment. This is awesome, thanks for sharing!

 

[Hinotori]

I don't think that commercial strawberries have much flavor. It's easy to overpower them.

The strawberry and banana with milk and homemade strawberry jam for actual flavor is what hubby thought had actual ice cream in it.

 

[tortoise]

Thanks for the idea! I have apparently unstable blood sugar and have finally been sucking it up to eat low sugar / moderate carb diet. My ice cream replacement is whole milk plain yogurt with lemon curd made with half the sugar. 2 grams added sugar per serving, tastes rich, sweet and tangy.

 

[Hinotori]

Oh my that sounds good. And I have lots of eggs.


I have less issues with the sugar than I do with most grains. Rice will kill me followed close behind by corn. Wheat depends on how it's dealt. Same with rye. Barley is the only one I can eat on a regular basis, but I only use it for soup and meatloaf.

I sub whole cooked barley for breadcrumbs. Hubby likes it better too. Rice also works. Mom is allergic to wheat and hadn't made or had meatloaf in over a decade. Dad loves it. Mom was skeptical until she watched me make it and tried it. Other than the grains adding a little texture, there is no difference. Now Mom makes it occasionally.

 

[baymule]

We make fruit smoothies here in our Nutra-Bullet. DD has it right now because they make baby food for our 6 month old grand daughter. Fruit smoothies are good, but they don't take the place of Blue Bell Ice Cream. Got to have my Blue Bell!

 

[lcertuche]

Ooh love that ice cream but a smoothie is a great alternative. When I was dieting I would use almond milk with a tablespoon or two of sugar free instant pudding powder. Vanilla with a few drops of coconut extract and a half cup of pineapple chunks make a great pina colada (minus the booze of course) flavor. If you like a boozy taste I guess a few drops of rum flavor would work. Often it was cheesecake flavor and a few frozen berries or just plain chocolate. Dang I need to start doing this again since I've gained all my weight back! I really didn't miss the high sugar/high fat treats when I had one of these every day.

 

[MoonShadows]

Smoothies are great. I love them, but I start making them low-fat and low-sugar, and the next thing you know I'm slipping in a little of this and a little of that, and I may as well go out and buy ice cream. I've been on a diet since March 1st. Reading about your smoothies got me to thinking about them. I have cut out the obvious added sugars like cake, candy, cookies, etc., am eating reasonable portions, only a piece of fruit after dinner, and none of those great turkey heroes with cheese from the local grocery store for lunch. (I'm in the grocery store almost every day, and they have them about 15 feet from the entrance!) I've lost 8 pounds so far. Nothing motivates me more than seeing that scale go south! I could stand to lose a hundred more! I can't believe that when we moved here 21 years ago I was 170lbs and used to run 8 miles a day. That fell off with the early and long commute and owning a new house, and now 21 years later I'm a little over 300lbs! I recently stopped taking my statin drug for high cholesterol because I keep reading horrible things about their long term effects. Want to try and lose some more weight so I can exercise more (read: work around the house for a longer time without getting so warn out) so my cholesterol will come down naturally. So, I'll have to read this thread as a voyeur and not an imbiber. Enjoy the smoothies. Have one on me!

 

[baymule]

We took my husband off his statin drug because of memory loss. He doesn't need any help on forgetting! LOL It is slowly coming back to him.