BIG NEWS!

Pin It This week has been crazy for me...  One night I finally admitted to myself that I was in the wrong major.  The next I was furiously researching and trying to figure out what in the world I wanted to do with my life.  Then I found realized Winona doesn't have the major I want...hence more frantic researching trying to find a school I could transfer to.  I was an emotional wreck at this point and felt totally lost.  Why didn't I realize I was in the wrong major two years ago? How could I waste so much money?  Would I ever find a subleaser for my apartment next year?  How could I just pick up and leave all the friends I love in Winona?  What in the world did God have planned for me?!?!  All I knew is that I had to change my major.  I could not be a Health and P.E. teacher the rest of my life. It just didn't say "This is Kara."  For those of you who know me even a little can probably guess what I changed my career path to... it's practically the definition of who I am.  For those of you who haven't figured it out already, I am a nutrition freak/fanatic/guru/whatever else you want to call it.   I am going to be a Registered Dietitian!
The best news of this whole ordeal is that I don't actually have to transfer like I originally thought!  Today was a good day let me tell you.  I was so relieved to learn I didn't have to transfer this morning after my meeting with my advisor.  My plan is to finish my degree in Health Promotion here, graduate next year, go to graduate school and get a masters degree in Human Nutritional Science, and then do my internship to become a Registered Dietitian.  It's a lot of school, but I am so excited!  I can't wait to share more of my nutrition knowledge with you guys. :)  :)
So in honor of my big decision, I am going to share some of my latest peanut butter creations.   Peanut butter + Nutrition + Giraffes = <3 

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MICROWAVE CAKE

I'm sorry to report that I will not be sharing the recipe of this one today.  It still needs a little tweaking to get it just right.  I will give you a sneak peak at one of the secret ingredients though!...Buckwheat flour!  It gives the cake a little more protein than the average chocolate cake.  Stay tuned for this recipe!

OIAJ (OATS IN A JAR)

Have you ever gotten frustrated with all the little streaks of precious peanut butter left over in you jar?  Personally, it drives me crazy.  The jar it too small for me to reach my tongue in there and take care of it (my mom loves when I like my bowls clean...but hey its good stuff!) and I hate sticking my hand in there because then the peanut butter gets all over the back of my hand and it ends up getting wasted anyways.  I first heard of this idea on a few of my favorite blogs, so I thought I'd give it a whirl of my own (adding a few healthy Kara tweaks of course). 

PB2 OIAJ

The first two OIAJ pictures are two different jars of peanut butter in case you were wondering...I can easily finish off a jar a week.  YUM. 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Old Fashioned Oats

1-2 tbsps PB2

1/2-1 packet Stevia

Dash vanilla extract

1/4-1/3 scoop Vanilla whey protein powder (optional but highly recommened being as protein is a great way to start your day =])

1/2 - 3/4 cup Water (depending on how thick you like your oatmeal)

1 almost empty Natural peanut butter jar

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a microwavable bowl (make sure the bowl is BPA free!).

2. Microwave for 1 minute and stir.

3. Microwave for another 1-2 minutes stirring occasionally and keeping an eye on it so it doesn't overflow the bowl.

4. Pour into peanut butter jar and dig in!  The peanut butter will easily wipe right off the sides with the warm oatmeal.  My mouth is watering...

Nutrition Facts:

Will vary depending on ingredients used and amount of peanut butter left in the jar.

CHOCOLATE OIAJ

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Old Fashioned Oats

1 tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder

1 packet Stevia

Dash vanilla extract

1/4-1/3 scoop Chocolate or vanilla protein powder (optional)

1/2 - 3/4 cup Water (depending on how thick you like your oatmeal)

1 almost empty Natural peanut butter jar

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a microwavable bowl (make sure the bowl is BPA free!).

2. Microwave for 1 minute and stir.

3. Microwave for another 1-2 minutes stirring occasionally and keeping an eye on it so it doesn't overflow the bowl.

4. Pour into peanut butter jar and dig in! 

Nutrition Facts:

Will vary depending on ingredients used and amount of peanut butter left in the jar.

CHIA PBJ OIAJ

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Frozen strawberries

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 cup Water (or more milk)

1/2 tbsp Agave (or stevia/preferred sweetener)

2 tbsp Chia seeds

Vanilla protein powder (I didn't use any in mine, but it might make a nice addition)

1 almost empty Natural peanut butter jar

Directions:

1. Mix up berries, milk, water, agave, and chia seeds in a small bowl the night before.

2. Cover and place in fridge.  If you are able to give it another stir in the next half hour or hour that would be best, otherwise the chia seeds tend to clump at the bottom.

3. Let sit in the fridge overnight as the chia seeds swell up and create a pudding like texture (kind of like tapioca). 

4. In the morning, pour half or all of the chia pudding into the peanut butter jar and enjoy a protein packed breakfast!

Makes 1-2 servings.

Nutrition Facts:

Will vary depending on ingredients used and amount of peanut butter left in the jar.

THE END RESULT?

Whats your favorite kind of oatmeal? 

Ice Cream: The Cure All.

Pin It Ice cream cures everything. Plain and simple.  Just ask my family...
Headache? Ice cream. 
Sore muscles? Ice cream. 
Bored? Ice cream. 
Rough day? Ice cream.
Good day? Ice cream.
Breakfast? Ice cream.
Hot summer day? Ice cream.
First date? Ice cream.
Monday? Ice cream.
Stressed out? Ice cream.
PMSing? Ice cream.
Dealing with a woman whos PMSing? Ice cream.
Got accepted to WSU's Nursing Program? Ice cream! (Congrats roomies!)
State gymnastics?......ICE CREAM!  (Congrats to my sister and the gymnastics team from my home town for making it to state tonight! I hope you are all celebrating with ice cream!)

Ok I think you get the picture right?  Or must I go on...because i definitely could!
You might be wondering why I am promoting such an unhealthy food about now huh?  It's a little think I like to call mental health.  Eating your favorite foods can boost your mood and relieve some stress.  While I am a huge advocate of eating a healthy well balanced diet, I still believe it is ok to let go on occasion and indulge in the things you love.  The key here is not to over indulge...which can be quite hard to do sometimes when it comes to things like ice cream.  I mean seriously... Whens the last time you had just a half cup of ice cream (the recommended serving size on most packages)?  That's like two spoonfuls...hence, the reason I have created a variety of healthy ice cream recipes.  This way I can have a heaping bowl full and not feel a single ounce of guilt.  :)  If you haven't already checked out my healthy Apple Pie Ice Cream, I'd encourage you to do so.  So good and family approved!
 The recipes I am about to shared, however are a little bit different.  I recently invested in a personal sized ice cream maker with some of my birthday money.  I found it on clearance at Target the other day and I have already gotten my moneys worth.  It's so quick and easy and it creates minimal dishes, which is perfect for an ice cream love like me. Be on the look out for more information on the ice cream maker on my blog!  I am working on a page dedicated to all my favorite things. :)  Ok enough blabbing...here are the recipes...feel free to adapt and change them to suit your own taste buds.  Also, feel free to comment with you favorite ice cream flavor and I'll see what I can do to make a healthy version for ya!  Oh and I should add that if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can add a few ice cubes to the mixture and blend to create a smoothie like ice cream.

GOOD FOR YOU ICE CREAM

Here's my cute little ice cream maker. :)  It hold about half a pint of ice cream.  Again I'm sorry for the picture quality...but you get the picture.

Flavors:

• PB2

• 1/4 cup Weight Watchers vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup Skim milk
• 1 tbsp PB2 (or natural peanut butter)
• 1 packet Stevia
• Splash vanilla extract
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Guar gum (Guar gum helps thicken the ice cream...you could leave it out, but I would recommend leaving it in.  You can find it at you local health food store.  I might seem pricy, but trust me a little goes a long way.)
• Plum

• 1/4 cup Weight Watchers vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup Skim milk
• 1-2 tbsps Plum jam (I used my Grandma's homemade jam.  Yummy!)
• 1 packet Stevia
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Guar gum
• Frozen Yogurt
• 6 oz of your favorite low sugar yogurt
• 1/4 cup Skim milk
• 1 packet Stevia
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Guar gum
• Jello
• 1/4 cup Weight Watchers vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup Skim milk
• 1 tsp of your favorite sugar free jello
• 1 packet Stevia (optional)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Guar gum
• Chocolate Protein
• 1 cup Skim milk
• 1/4-1/3 scoop Chocolate protein powder (Can be omitted just add more cocoa powder)
• 2 tsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 packet Stevia
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Guar gum
• Shamrock Protein
• 1 cup Skim milk
• 1/4-1/3 scoop Vanilla protein powder
• 1 packet Stevia
• Splash vanilla
• Few drops peppermint extract
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Guar gum
• Chocolate Peanut Butter (without the peanut butter...MAGIC!)

• 1 cup Skim milk
• 1/4-1/3 scoop Vanilla protein powder
• 1 packet Stevia
• 1 tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4-1/2 tsp PEANUT BUTTER extract (My latest find on my grocery shopping extravaganza...)
• Splash vanilla extract
• 1/4-1/2 tso Guar gum

Directions:
1. Wisk all ingredients together in a cup.
2. Pour into ice cream maker and turn on for 8-10 minutes until thick and creamy.
3. Enjoy!
OR
1. Pour all ingredients with a few ice cubes in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Enjoy!
OR
1. Wisk together all ingredients and pour into an ice cube tray.
2. Freeze for a few hours.
3. Take out of freezer for a few minutes and blend until smooth.
4. Enjoy!
Makes one heaping cup to eat all by yourself.

Nutrition Facts:
This will depend on each individual flavor and the brand of the ingredients you choose, but most of the ones I created were under 150 calories and very low in fat.  The nutrition can be boosted by adding ingredients high in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.  Be creative and have fun experimenting!

 





Toe-May-Tah Soup

Pin It I can't say I've always loved tomato soup or even tomatos in general. Oh, but how things have changed!  I pretty sure I heard once that we have a completely new set of taste buds every 7 years, but I am not sure how accurate that is so don't quote me on that one.  Mine must have changed someway or another because I am in love with vegetables (carrots, red peppers, and peas to be specific haha).  I don't care if people think I'm a freak.  I love vegetables.  Plain and simple.  I eat them morning, noon, and night, all  day every day.  Yum!  Alright alright I think you get it right?  Back to the tomatos!  I think my love for them started a few summers ago when I was introduced to a fresh from the garden tomato sandwich.  Check this puppy out:

Good inch thick slice of fresh tomato with cucumbers, cream cheese, and homemade pesto on a everything bagel.  I can't wait till summer!

This afternoon I attempted to make my own tomato soup.  I could have went all out and used fresh tomatos, but due to the load of homework I had yet to complete...canned tomatos it was!   Instead I cut back on the sodium by using dried chickpeas in place of canned chick peas.  The chick peas are totally optional by the way, I just thought it would add a little meat and substance to the soup.

TOE-MAY-TAH SOUP

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Chicken soup base (preferably low sodium)

4 cups Hot water

1 lb. 12 oz. can Crushed Tomatos with oregano, onions, and garlic

1 lb. 12 oz. can Petite cut diced tomatos

1 1/2 cup Dried chick peas

2 packets Stevia

Basil to taste

Directions:

1. Add the first four ingredients to the slow cooker and wisk to combine.

2. Stir in the chick peas.

3. Cook on high for several hours until chick peas are tender and cooked to your liking.

4. Stir in stevia and basil.

5. Serve with whole wheat grilled cheese and enjoy!

Makes 10 cups.

* Note: To make soup creamy add in a little skim milk.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 56

Total Fat: 0.6 g

     Sat. Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 201.5 mg

Potassium: 93 mg

Total Carbs: 10.7 g

     Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g

     Sugars: 3.4 g

Protein: 3 g

Vitamin A: 8.6%

Vitamin C: 11.5%

Calcium: 2.5%

Iron: 5.5%

Something Fishy is Going on in my Kitchen

Pin It As soon as I open a can of tuna or pop a bowl of Shrimp and Artichoke Soup in the microwave, I get instant complaints from my roommates.  "It smells like fish in here! Gross!"  "Yea, but it sure tastes good!" I always reply to their whining.  I do have to admit the shrimp I used in my lastest soup did have kind of a fishy odor, but as long as it tasted good I didn't care!  Wanna know something sad? I forgot to take a picture of the final product... I am kind of upset because it actually looked pretty appealing for once (unlike the Southwestern Spaghetti Squash picture...). Haha.

SHRIMP AND ARTICHOKE SOUP

Ingredients:

6 cups Hot water

3-4 tbsps Chicken soup base (preferably low sodium)

2 cups Onions, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1 (9oz.) package Frozen artichoke hearts

1 cup Quinoa, dry

12 oz Frozen salad shrimp

4 cups Fresh baby spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Pour water into slow cooker and wisk in the soup base.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, cook onions until tender.

3. Add minced garlic to onions and cook another minute.

4. Add onion mixture to slow cooker with artichoke hears, quinoa, and shrimp.

5. Cook on medium-high heat for several hours until quinoa "pops" and is cooked all the way.

6. Stir in the spinach and season to taste.

Makes 9 cups.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 151

Total Fat: 1.8 g

     Sat. Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 73.3 mg

Sodium: 307.8 mg

Potassium: 113.9 mg

Total Carbs: 20.9 g

     Dietary Fiber: 3.4 g

     Sugars: 1.1 g

Protein: 11.7 g

Vitamin A: 28%

Vitamin C: 7%

Calcium: 3.2%

Iron: 14.9%

Cookin' With Cat

Pin It This afternoon I had the honor of cooking dinner with my lovely roommate Catherine.  We decided to use one of our favorite foods...spaghetti squash!  For those of you who have never heard of it before here is a visual:

 It super easy to cook.  Simply poke a few hole and pop in the microwave for 6 minutes a side and then a few more until tender (thanks Cat for showing me this simple way of cooking it!).  The squash peels out of the rind like spaghetti noodles, hence the name spaghetti squash.  You can use it as a low carb and calorie substitution for pasta in a ton of dishes.  I usually just pair it with my favorite spaghetti sauce and add in some ground venison or cut up chicken breast, but tonight Cat and I decided to be adventurous.  I found a Southwestern Pasta Dish recipe and we went from there.  The end result?  DELISH (and nutritious of course)!  Check it out!

SOUTHWESTERN SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Sorry for the poor image quality.  It was dark in out kitchen when I took this photo, but as you have probably already noticed...none of my photos are that great.  But that's not my focus here.  There are plenty of other blogs out there that have wonderful photos for you to look at if that's what you really want.  The purpose of my blog is to share my love of cooking, baking, and nutrition with you in hopes of inspiring you to love what you eat and eat healthy too.

Ingredients:

About 3 1/2 cups Spaghetti squash

1/2 Green pepper, chopped

1 cup Sliced onion

1/2 cup Frozen corn

1 can Black beans (Try to find reduced sodium or no salt added beans)

Salt and pepper to taste

3-4 tsp Chili powder

1 tsp Garlic powder

Directions:

1. Cook the spaghetti squash until tender.

2. Saute the pepper and onion in a large pan until tender.

3. Add the corn and beans to the mixture and cook until heated through.

4. Mix in the squash and seasonings.

5. Cook another 4-5 minutes until hot.

6. Serve with salsa on top. Enjoy!

Makes  large 4 servings.

*Note: This would be really good with the addition of lean ground chicken, turkey, buffalo, or venison.  We just didn't have a big enough pan to add it...haha.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 176

Total Fat: 2.4 g

     Sat. Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 253.7 mg

Potassium: 247 mg

Total Carbs: 29.1 g

     Dietary Fiber: 9.5 g

     Sugars: 5.6 g

Protein: 8.5 g

Vitamin A: 18.8%

Vitamin C: 36.8%

Calcium: 8.8%

Iron: 13.8%



I'm a Cookin'/Bakin'/Stirin'/Measurin'/Choppin'/Mixin' Machine!

Pin It It's Friday! Yes!  You know what that means?  I got a big pot of my latest experiment cookin' on the stove while my piles of homework gets pushed to the back burner.  (Haha get the joke?  Back burner...stove...cooking...haha I'm lame I know! :P)

I've been in the kitchen baking and cooking for the last 4 hours and I loved every minute of it.  I made meatloaf, lentil tacos, buckwheat taco shells, puffed quinoa bars, almond butter, and buckwheat crackers.  I think I made enough food to feed a family of 10...  A true cook doesn't cook a single serving of anything.  Go big or go home, right Dad?  Now you are probably wondering what the heck I am going to do with all that food.  No worries.  Let's just say I love to eat (eat healthy that is). :)

This weeks recipes feature some of my new favorite products I've discovered at our local Co-op and Wholesale Foods store.  First up...puffed quinoa!  I had never heard of it before until I got to taste it in Nutrition Club a few nights ago.  It's just like puffed rice or wheat (a few of my other favorite foods), except it is made out of quinoa.  You can use it as a yogurt topping, in cereal, in bars, or even cookies the possibilities are endless.  Today I made Almond Peanut Butter Bars with my puffed quinoa and according to my favorite taste testers the recipe was a success!

ALMOND PEANUT BUTTER BARS

Adapted from Vegangela

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Almond butter

1/4 cup Natural peanut butter

2 tbsp Honey (or agave)

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 - 1 1/2 cup Puffed Quinoa

1/4 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips



Directions:

1. Stir together the almond butter, peanut butter, honey, and agave until well blended.  You can pop this in the microwave for a few seconds to help get the mixture nice and smooth.

2. Fold in the quinoa until well coated.

3. Press mixture into a greased 9x9 pan.

4. Freeze bar while you melt the chocolate chips (in microwave or on stove).

5. Spread chocolate on the top of the bars and put bars back into the freezer.

6. Once bars are firm, cut and enjoy!  (Store in fridge or freezer for best results)

Makes 16 bars.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 71

Total Fat: 4.3 g

     Sat. Fat: 1.1 g

     Poly. Fat: 0.9 g

     Mono. Fat: 1.6 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 15 mg

Potassium: 29.7 mg

Total Carbs: 8 g

     Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g

     Sugars: 5.2 g

Protein: 1.9 g

Vitamin A: 0%

Vitamin C: 0%

Calcium: 1.5%

Iron: 2.4%

Next up, buckwheat flour!  Love love love it!  Its high in fiber and  protein and it has many other nutritional benefits such as:

     1) Contains phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese

     2) Contains a rich supply of flavonoids, particularly rutin

     3) Lowers glucose levels and is beneficial for managing diabetes

     4) Has been found to lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol

     5) Is a gluten-free alternative to grains

Plus, it has a unique flavor making it Nutritious-n-Delicious. :)  I went a little crazy with buckwheat flour tonight making Cinnamon Buckwheat Crackers and shells for my lentil tacos.  Gotta love that buckwheat!  (Note: Buckwheat not only comes a flour, you can also buy it as groats, but they're a whole other can of worms that I'll have to tackle another day. )

CINNAMON SUGAR BUCKWHEAT CRACKERS (or CEREAL?)

Inspired by Edible Perspective

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Buckwheat flour

1/2 cup Water

1 tbsp Coconut oil (you could try subbing another oil)**

2 tbsp White sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp Ground cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla extract

**Note:  I have to admit I had fallen to the common misconception that coconut oil is a healthy oil.  I knew that it was high in saturated fat, but all my favorite bloggers out there use it all the time.  They all claimed that it was a healthy oil, but as I learned in Nutrition Club from a Registered Dietitian coconut oil is not healthy.  Just because it comes from a coconut does not mean the saturated fats are good for you.  Not even if they are claimed to be "medium chain fatty acids."  If you still have questions feel free to let me know, but for now I am  just going to have to suck it up and finish up the jar I bought (it's too expensive to just throw away!). 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.

3. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper or grease well.

4. Spread the batter out evenly on the pan and sprinkle a little extra cinnamon and sugar on top.

5. Bake for 20 minutes until edges begin to brown.

6. Slide large cracker onto a cookie sheet and use a pizza cutter to cut crackers into desired size and shape.

7. Spread crackers out so they are not touching and return to oven for another 3-5 minutes.

8. Flip crackers over and bake another 3-5 minutes.

9. Let crackers cool completely (they will become crisper as they cool).

10.  Eat up! ***

Makes about 48 one inch crackers.

***After testing these on my roommates, one suggested that I cut them up smaller and make the crackers into cereal.  I think this just might work, although I am not sure they'd stay crisp very long in milk.  Personally, I hate mushy cereal, but I know some people that refuse to eat their cereal until it's completely mushy. 

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size: 10 crackers

Calories: 94

Total Fat: 3.8 g

     Sat. Fat: 2.5 g (Like I said...its the coconut oil. =[ )

Sodium: 0.2 mg

Potassium: 3.5 mg

Total Carbs: 16 g

     Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g

     Sugars: 6.7 g

Protein: 1.7 g

Vitamin A: 0%

Vitamin C: 0.3%

Calcium: 1.3%

Iron: 4%

And last, but not least tacos!  These tacos are jam packed with nutrients.  Kale, lentils, and buckwheat!  What more could you ask for?  Delicious taste? You got it!

 SPICY KALE LENTIL TACOS

Inspired by The Healthy Foodie

Ingredients:

Taco "Meat"

1 cup Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

Dash of salt

1 cup Green lentils, dry

1 packet Taco seasoning mix (or you could make your own)

2 1/2 cup Low-sodium chicken broth (I used Watkins Chicken Soup Base)

Taco "Shells"

1 cup Buckwheat flour

1/4 cup White whole wheat flour (or more buckwheat)

2 cups Water

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1 tbsp Flaxseed meal

Taco "Toppings"

Kale

Salsa

Directions:

1. Cook onions and garlic in a large saucepan until tender.

2. Add lentils and taco seasoning to pan and mix until well distributed.

3. Add broth to the pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.

4. Let lentils simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed (about 30 minutes).

5. While the lentils are cooking mix up the shell batter and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes.

6. Uncover the lentils and let thicken for another 5 minutes or so.

7. Heat a flat pan to medium-high heat.

8. Spray pan and pour 1/4 cup of the shell batter on the pan. Watch for edges of shell to "dry" and flip.

9. Cook shell until golden on each side.

10.  Serve lentil taco "meat" on a buckwheat shell with a piece of kale and a little salsa. Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings of taco "meat."

Makes 10 taco "shells."

Nutrition Facts:

Taco "Meat"                                     Taco "Shell"

Calories: 138                                    Calories: 53

Total Fat: 0.7 g                                 Total Fat: 1.1 g

     Sat. Fat: 0 g                                      Sat. Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg                             Cholesterol: 0 g

Sodium: 589 mg                               Sodium: 121.1 mg

Potassium: 253.3 mg                        Potassium: 0 mg

Total Carbs: 24.3 g                           Total Carbs:10.8 g

     Dietary Fiber: 4.7 g                           Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g

     Sugars: 2.2 g                                      Sugars: 0 g

Protein: 7 g                                        Protein: 2.2 g

Vitamin A: 11.3%                             Vitamin A: 0%

Vitamin C: 0.3%                               Vitamin C: 0%

Calcium: 1.7%                                  Calcium: 0.5%

Iron: 12%                                          Iron: 3%

HEALTHY Ice Cream...Say Wha??!!

Pin It So as most of my close friends know, I am obsessed with FoodGawker.com.  I am not one to waste my time on creeping on Facebook.  Instead you'll find me browsing pages upon pages of recipes...ask anyone who sits behind me in class if you don't believe me.  Whoops!  Newho, recently I came across a recipe for Apple Pie Ice Cream.  (see recipe here http://cravingsgoneclean.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/apple-pie-ice-cream/) Yum!  I just had to try it!  With a few of my own tweaks here and there, I made it my own.  After blending all the ingredietns together, I took a little taste test.  Results?  DELICIOUS (and of course nutritious!).  I think this is one of the BEST recipes I have ever made.  I could have easily eaten the whole batch right then and there.  My roommate liked it too although she suggested cutting back on the cinnamon a bit, but I disagree.  I love cinnamon...and lots of it. :)  Plus its full of antioxidants!  Did you know 1 teaspoon has as many antioxidants as a cup of pomegranate juice or 1/2 a cup of blueberries?  Crazy huh?  
Well here's the recipe.  I can't wait to try other variations and flavors of this recipe!

APPLE PIE ICE CREAM

Adapted from Cravings Gone Clean

Ingredients:

1 medium Apple, chopped into small pieces (I used a Gala apple)

1/4 cup Weight Watchers vanilla yogurt

1/2 scoop Vanilla protein powder

1/2 tbsp Cinnamon

1/2 tbsp Vanilla extract

2 packets Stevia

Directions:

1. Chop up the apple the night before and place in the freezer.

2. After the apple is frozen, add all the ingredients to a food processor (or maybe try a blender or magic bullet?).

3. Blend until smooth.

4. Enjoy!  It is best if eaten right away, but you can try freeze it if you have leftovers (highly unlikely!).

Makes 2-3 servings.

Nutrition Facts:

(based 2 servings)

Calories: 94

Total Fat: 0.6 g

    Sat. Fat: 0.3 g

Cholesterol: 16.9 mg

Sodium: 36.7 mg

Potassium: 164.8 mg

Total Carbs: 15.7 g

     Dietary Fiber: 3.8 g

     Sugar: 10 g

Protein: 7.6 g

Vitamin A: 3%

Vitamin C: 5.3%

Calcium: 9.6%

Iron: 4.8%