Mint Chip Super Food Ice Cream

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to churn up some creamy green goodness. I'm trying to avoid refined sugar so I used a combo of medjool dates and stevia to sweeten it. I added some avocado and spinach for the green as well as collagen, probiotics, and some green banana for the resistant starch. That's a lot of nutrition packed into a tasty frozen treat!

Mint Chip Super Food Ice Cream

1 14.5 oz can full fat coconut milk 

2 Medjool dates (take out the pit first!)

1 very small avocado (half of a medium or large one)
1/4 cup frozen spinach*
1/2 frozen green banana*
1/2 contents of one probiotic capsule
1 Tbs collagen
1 tsp powdered stevia
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp real salt
1/2 cup enjoy life chips

Blend all ingredients (except chocolate chips) -- I used my Vitamix. I blended it for quite some time because I wanted to make sure that everything was completely incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before churning it in an ice cream maker until it reaches the consistency of soft serve. Empty into a quart sized Tupperware container and mix in chocolate chips. Dish out a nice scoop into a chilled bowl and enjoy! Stick the rest in the freezer and get your super foods in each day for the rest of the week.

I prefer to make my ice cream really rich and creamy as opposed to lighter and less filling. I tend to only eat a tiny bowl of it at a time and really savor it. I find it's much more satisfying than something that I can eat and eat without getting full.

*You can use fresh/not frozen spinach and banana - just chill the mixture longer before churning.  

What I’m Reading plus MAC-N-CHEESE!

Here’s just a little sampling of some of the amazing info I’ve come across in my travels through the blogosphere today. Happy reading!

Check out these awesome pics of people reading Dietgirl's book all over the world. Come on Ducks, whoever has a copy of it now should snap a pic for sure and send it in!

Nora Dunn over at Wise Bread gets the captain obvious award for her compilation of travel resources that can be used as alternatives to buying guidebooks. LOVED this. It was a total "should've had a V8" moment. Why pay for info that's already out there for FREE???

Monica at Smarter Fitter Blog had a great post today all about how resistance exercises can be better not only for positive changes in body composition but for overall weight loss in general. I better get movin’ in that department, I guess.

I am drooling just thinking about the recipe posted on Cheap Healthy Good for Alton Brown’s Lightened Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese. Not only do I adore all things Alton, but Mac-n-Cheese must be one of the most glorious foods EVER. I think I might just have to stop at Safeway on the way home for some stray ingredients. I’m pretty much losing my mind just thinking about it.

In Other News

The idea of a Veggie Week fell somewhat flat. I guess it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, of course. I HAVE eaten way more fresh fruits and veggies than I normally do. Score one point! This has helped me stay well within my Points so far this week so I’m in good shape going into the weekend. I have a good chunk of Weekly Points to play with and I certainly will! I plan to head to Trader Joe’s again – I am totally addicted for sure. Otherwise, not too much on tap. I look forward to a great deal of relaxing over the next couple days. I am super tired for some reason.

So what are the big plans for the weekend? Are the DC folks all headed to the Cherry Blossom Festival?

Veggie Week

Well, the Cute Man is in high gear with his detox. GO CUTE MAN! He is doing a great job and is staying on track. Lucky thing DOES get to stay home and play his Playstation all day if he chooses (gotta love Spring Break), but still. It’s not easy to limit your diet to just fruits and veggies. In solidarity, I’ve pretty much been eating like a Vegetarian myself this week. I didn’t even start off trying to do so but now that I’ve noticed I think I’ll keep it up for the week.

Since I am not as hard core as the CM, I am lucky enough to enjoy some treats from Trader Joe’s like their awesome soups and some veggie chicken nuggets with hoisen sauce. That stuff rocks, BTW. I had no idea. Thank you Rachel Ray for introducing me to the wonder that is hoisen sauce. I think it’s the same stuff I love at the Chinese restaurant that they serve with Moo Shu (sp?) dishes. You know the ones that are like Chinese fajitas? Well, I never noticed what it was called but apparently, it’s hoisen sauce and it’s an Asian version of BBQ sauce. My apologies to the more astute who must have known of this treasure long ago. But at 25 calories for a tablespoon, this stuff is my new passion. But I digress…

As a result of this new fiber packed culinary expedition my midsection looks and feels like something akin to a bean bag chair, or at least a bean bag pillow. Same consistency. Hmmm… Hopefully, this will subside. I can only imagine how CM must feel although he has not complained so maybe it’s just me.

On that lovely note, I’ll sign off. Any Vegetarians out there with some experience on this front? Please share…