30 Days of Ice Cream!!

No, I have not gone crazy. :)

I love ice cream, I really do. It's one of my vices. I am challenging myself to 30 days of good-for-you ice cream instead of buying the bad stuff. What do I mean by good-for-you ice cream? Well, I have kind of a formula for making ice cream that uses cottage cheese, sugar free pudding and whey protein as the base. My challenge is to have a different kind every night for 30 days.

To join me on this quest, you're going to need an immersion blender, a freezer safe bowl with a lid, and lots and lots of cottage cheese!

Tonight's recipe is one of my favorites. Kind of an old standby. I'm trying to branch out more, thus the 30 days of different flavors. :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Ice Cream"

1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
1 T (about 8g) sugar free butterscotch pudding
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese (or low fat if you prefer)
1 T peanut butter (or 1 T PB2 powder)
1/4 oz (about 6) almonds - see note below*
1/4 cup water
1 packet Splenda or Stevia (optional)
1/2 T sugar free hot fudge topping (optional)

1. Blend all of the ingredients except for the almonds and fudge topping with an immersion blender or in a regular blender. Either blend right in your freezer-safe bowl, or transfer it after you blend. I like to mix the ingredients with a spoon without the water first, and then add the water when I use the blender.

2. Take the almonds and give each of them a little tap with a hammer or meat tenderizer. Just enough to crack them into 2 or 3 pieces each. Sprinkle the almonds on top and then take a spoon and push them just below the surface, smoothing the top with your spoon.

2. Put on the lid and freeze for at least 2 and half hours. When ready to serve, warm the fudge topping and drizzle on top.


*A note about almonds. When I say almonds in a recipe, I mean raw almonds that I have baked in the oven myself. Spray a large jelly roll pan with a light coating of cooking spray. Place raw almonds on pan and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, giving them a little shake half way through.

With my particular ingredients (I use the PB2 powder), each bowl has approximately:

291 calories
28.5g protein
9.6g fat
22.2g carbs
3.1g fiber

A lot of calories for a bowl of ice cream, I know. But this is a protein packed, fuel-my-muscles bowl of ice cream. Not a sugar-filled, I'll-be-hungry-in-30-minutes-and-want-more bowl of ice cream.

So grab a spoon and join me for the next 30 days of ice cream. I know I am excited to try all sorts of new flavors!