You know how sometimes you can have a rough day and all you can think of to cope with your mood is ice cream? I know I’ve been there, and I hear it often from so many of my clients. We all love it… and so many of us can’t live without it. In fact, of all the decadent, diet-side-tracking-treats out there, ice cream is number one!
But having ice cream as a way of coping with stress or sadness is actually counter-productive to your mood and stability long term because it is completely disruptive to your serotonin levels. While it can quickly boost serotonin, providing an immediate sense of relief, it is short lived, for as the effects wear off, serotonin comes crashing down, making you feel miserable again AND even more upset because now you have also thwarted your best intentions for healthy living. But there is a way to enjoy this creamy, icy treat without the calories, fat and sugars that are usually associated with the traditional version and in today’s video I am going to show you how to satisfy your ice cream craving while boosting serotonin production with a natural, sweet and healthy alternative that is delicious, easy to make and won’t leave you feeling guilty nor sick for your indulgence. I recommend this recipe to my clients regularly and it is a hit every single time!
If you love chocolate and nut butters then you will definitely want to check out this weeks video. Made with all natural ingredients and no added sugars, this frozen dessert will satisfy even the most intense cravings, yet still provide plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals, essential fats and plenty of yum factors! Plus, the ingredients contain Tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin, so not only do you get to indulge, what you are indulging in will naturally make you feel better in the short AND long term. Minutes to make with basic ingredients, you can whip it up, get your fix and walk away feeling satisfied and guilt free!
And now I want to hear from YOU! Is there a frozen raw or guilt-free dessert that you just love? Or are you a client of mine who has tried this recipe and love it? Share your comments below so we can hear from you and be inspired by your experience!
Enjoy! And have an awesome Monday!
xo
B
Raw Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls cacao powder (depending on preference)
- 1 tablespoonful cashew butter plus ½ tbsp peanut butter
- A dash of vanilla extract
- 1/8 cup vanilla rice milk
- 2 tbsp chopped raw hazelnuts or cashews
Directions
Blend first 5 ingredients in food processor or VitaMix until smooth. Stir in chopped hazelnuts. Store in plastic container and freeze for about two hours. Serve alone or with fresh berries. Enjoy!
Finally got to make this yesterday. We all loved it! (and the kids had no idea that it wasn’t ice cream :))
How fantastic!! You made my day Mike! To fool a kid is a true endorsement indeed!
Have a great day!
B
This is so delicious! I just made it and absolutely love it. I don’t have rice milk around so I just soaked a handful of raw cashews in water for a few hours, strained it and made cashew milk to use for the liquid base of my frozen treat. I also added a dash of cinnamon, which I think adds an excellent element of complexity. Thanks Barbara for another great idea!
Yum!! Love that you made your own cashew milk! And the hint of cinnamon….thanks for that suggestion! So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for sharing your comment~
Have an excellent end of summer~
xo
B
Just letting you know that I made this recipe again with the cinnamon and it was outstanding! Really kicked up the flavor, especially of the banana and vanilla! Yummy! Thanks Amy~
We make something very similar at home. I chop and freeze bananas before they go bad. We use fresh and frozen bananas, along with a little bit of peanut butter and milk and blend. We add protein powder too, occassionally. My boys LOVE it! If they’re not looking, I sometimes throw a carrot in there too 🙂
Love it! You can also sneak in spinach if you also add bluberries. The blue will cover the green and they won’t even taste it!
Hope all is well with you!
xo
B
It looks wondeful! We are looking forward to enjoying it.
Thank you! Let me know what you think when you try it~
xo
B
I don’t care for sweets, but I looove ice-cream. As you know I have not had it in my freezer for years, because if I did, I’d be 300 lbs! Therefore, the recepe in today’s blog looks and sounds terrific. Can’t wait to try it! Have to go and buy the cacao, but better still I am going to wait for you to visit us and make it for the old folks! How does that sound?
Love,
Dad
I am not fond of sweets, but icecream is my weakness. Never tried your recepie but it sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
I always enjoy your videos but this one, to me, is fascinating because I will be able to indulge myself without the guilt.
Keep up the good work.
Dad
Thanks dad!! You will love it!
Love you~
This sounds delicious Barbara! Thanks again for your videos, I always forward them to several friends. I have some questions about bananas. Do banana’s have higher calories when they are very ripe? Do they have more sugar when they are frozen?
Hi Aisha! Thanks for your comment and for sharing the videos!
The riper the banana, the more sugar it contains. As for more calories, I can’t say that the calorie count would change that dramatically. And frozen bananas don’t necessarily have more sugar (that would depend on ripeness :D) but it does crystallize the sugar, making them taste sweeter~
I hope this helps!
B
Thank you Barbara!
love it! i make something like this every morning – frozen bananas, almond milk, almond butter, cashew butter and cacao powder. delicious! apparently i need ice cream every day!
Yum! If you do it every day, consider adding protein powder
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks Mary! Let me know what you think~
Thanks Barbara,
Since I am a client and had that recipe before, I am so glad you decided to share it on your videos. It’s fantastic everyone!! You’ll be glad you tried it.
Thanks again!
Jon
Hi Barbara,
My best regards to an old friend from Dr. Fratellone’s.
This sounds too good to be true. Can it be used by diabetics since the almond milk contains rice starch and, bananas are usually proscribed by diabetics? What would the carb and sugar content be for a serving?
Hey Mike! Good to hear from you~
While I have not done the nutritional breakdown of this, I would say that the bananas are likely too much sugar for you to eat this regularly (even though it is balanced with the nut butters). But if you ever find yourself needing a sweet snack and the choice is between this and something that contains actual sugar, then this would be a better alternative….
I hope this helps!
B
I will be making it this weekend! Thanks.
Let me know what you think of it when you do 🙂
So yummy!!
When I need a quick chocolate fix, I make a similar recipe but with a frozen banana and coconut milk. I’ll occasional add a scoop of plant based protein powder too.
Mmmm, I call it mommy’s chocolate shake and tell my kids to back off:)
LOL! That’s great!
Good Morning Barbara!
My 3-1/2 yr. old, Anya and I just watched your ice-cream video and we’re going to make it together — great alternative for parents to offer their children especially during the summer and it’s a fun family project! Thanks 🙂
Catherine and Anya
So glad to hear that Catherine! Enjoy it and let me know what Anya thinks~
xo
B
I can’t wait to try this! I just put the ingredients on my shopping list. It will definitely be two tablespoons of cacao powder. I’m assuming you mean raw cacao?
Yes, raw cacao…. enjoy!
xo
B
Happy Monday Barbara! I can’t wait to try this – guilt free yummy goodness 🙂
Enjoy! And let me know what you think when you’ve tried it!
Have a great Monday Anna!
xo
B