When I was a little girl and visited my lovely grandparents, in the evening after dinner one of our favorite pastimes was sitting out on the screened-in porch, listening to the Cardinals baseball game and eating a bowl of cherry vanilla, neopolitan or mint ice cream. Oh how sweet it was! In my life I've been a lover of all types of ice cream treats: from frozen eclairs, to Dairy Queen Blizzards and of course Ben & Jerrys! In the last couple of years, I've tried some of the more lowfat ice cream alternatives and even started making my own fruit smoothies to fulfill my ice cold, sweet treat craving. Here are a few of my "healthier than ice cream" picks for frozen treats! PLEASE NOTE: Some of these treats contain sugar, cane sugar, brown rice syrup or corn syrup for those of you watching your sugar intake.
- Tofutti Cuties - These little individual treats are just like the ice cream sandwiches we had as kids, minus all the chemicals. This product is milk free, no butterfat, lactose free.
- Rice Dream - I enjoy all of the flavors of this treat which comes in 1pint servings or quarts. It has flavorful, natural ingredients and no dairy. Rice Dream is also not "too sweet." If you don't like alot of sugar, this is a good treat for you. My favorite flavors are: carob almond, cookies n' dream and mint chocolate chip.
- Rice Dream Frozen Pie: Hhhhhhm! My favorites: chocolate pie and mocha pie. Absolutely delicious on a hot summer day!
- Haagen Dazs Fat Free Sorbet: One more way to enjoy your favorite fruit flavors. My favorite is mango!
- Natural Choice Organic Frozen Fruit Bars: These wonderful frozen fruit bars come in a variety of flavors. My favorite is strawberry!
- Now for my scrumptious and nutritious fruit smoothie:
- Measure 2 cups of frozen fruit (pineapple, strawberry, and/or wild berries): Cascadian Farms or Dole brand varieties and place in your blender
- Add 1 tablespoon of honey or brown rice syrup or agave to sweeten
- Add a dash of nutmeg or cinnamon for a spicy kick
- Add powdered vitamin c and/or protein powder
- Add 2 1/2 cups of soymilk (plain or vanilla), or rice milk or fruit juice
- Now blend all of your ingredients until you have a smooth and creamy consistency. You may have to put your blender on liquefy just to get all of the frozen smooth nice and blended with your sweetner, juice and spice. You can taste it just to see if it's sweet enough for you. This mix makes 2-3 servings depending on the size glass you use. Enjoy!
Yours in a sea of green,
DuEwa Frazier
