Impromptu Treat: Raw Ice Cream

It was a thrilling, long-planned Saturday night, doing laundry, sorting old and new clothes, whipping up a little kelp noodle salad and attending to some long overdue chores. I was happy to find myself finally at home, attending to details that are so easily pushed aside for more pressing issues like Summer fun and adventures. But one does get burned out from too many parties, and besides, my apartment needed some TLC. So I put on some music, cleared, cleaned and sorted and when it was all over, I was hankering for a treat.

My local health food shoppe, that sometimes carries raw ice cream, was closed at this late hour and Pure Food and Wine was way too far a distance to go. I thought of the individual serving of Peanut butter and Chocolate Häagen-Dazs down the road, whispering to myself that no one would know if I deviated from the raw food plan if I indulged myself… Yeah, no one except me, I snickered back (I can sometimes be so harsh and unforgiving of myself). So I thought about it some more and realized that I had everything I needed to indulge my craving in a healthy way which also didn’t compromise my raw food project.

In my freezer and cupboards I had more than enough ingredients to make an interesting substitute for the very decadent Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ice Cream I was looking to have. I even had a few extras to make it that much more healthy and delicious. Not only was I able to satisfy my craving for a treat, this home-made version was packed with protein, anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals as well as live enzymes. It also yields a proper portion so as not to be tempted to over-indulge (actually, two… but it is far less than the pint-as-a-portion option). While most definitely not low in calories, neither is ice cream. So if you are going to have the extra calories they may as well be healthy calories.

Ingredients

  • 1 frozen very ripe banana
  • ½ cup frozen blueberries or cherries
  • 1 tbsp raw almond butter
  • 1 tsp Artisana coconut butter
  • 3 dashes vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tbsp cacao powder
  • ¼ cup vanilla rice milk
  • ½ scoop Designer Whey Protein Powder, chocolate flavor

Directions

Pulse in food processor to preferred consistency and then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for an ice cream-like texture. I enjoyed right away, It was more like a very thick, very rich smoothie… Totally yum!