If you’re anything like me, this may sound very familiar…

You’re in the middle of an intense work-out, it’s waaaay hot, you’re sweating bullets, working really hard, giving it your all, then suddenly, you get a major craving for this:

That craving is so intense, it’s all you can think about. Oh how you wish you could just give in and indulge in a great big bowl of ice cream right after you’re done suffering. But there’s no way you could possibly do that and ruin all those efforts that you’ve just put into it, now, could you?

Then you start thinking: Why oh why isn’t ice cream healthy and good for you? Why in the world wasn’t it created that way? How very unfair!

Well, you see, I like my ice cream so much that I decided to start working on that…

What you are looking at now is actually my first attempt at making ice cream that is good for you. I would even go as far as saying that I would actually highly recommend this one as a post work-out snack!

Would you believe me if I told you that an 85g scoop of that beautiful ice cream will supply you with over 16g of protein? Yet, it will only set you back a little less than 120 calories and 4 grams of fat, most of which comes from the almonds and coconut, so that number could easily be brought down still if you wanted to…

This ice cream is in fact nothing more than a protein shake with a few added goodies, that I took for a little spin in my ice cream churner, with very satisfying results; I mean, the taste is simply out of this world, right up there with the best ice creams I’ve had the pleasure of tasting in my life. The texture, however, might need a little bit more work…

I don’t know if it’s because of the high protein contents, but this one really freezes rock solid. And I do mean ROCK solid.

Even when it was just done churning, there was this thick layer that had clung solid to the walls of the tub and I had to actually let it melt some in order to finally be able to remove it… Then, once it sat in the freezer for a while, it got so hard that it was absolutely impossible to scoop it out. I had to let it soften up on the counter for a few hours, scoop it onto a cookie sheet that I had lined with parchment paper, then put the pre-scooped ice cream back in the freezer. When the scoops were frozen solid, I transferred them to an airtight plastic container.

It’s not such a bad thing though… all you need to do is take it out ahead of time. You take 2 or 3 frozen scoops out of the freezer and leave them in the fridge for an hour to an hour and a half. So by the time you are done working out, your ice cream has had just enough time to, in my opinion, get to the perfect consistency. Nice and firm but quickly melts in your mouth.

Or, if you need your fix in a hurry, 15 minutes on the counter will get you very similar results.

All in all, for a first attempt, I must say that I am fairly satisfied. Now I need to work on a way to have this baby “dig in whenever you want even if it’s first thing in the morning” ready.

Oh, the dream! To be able to eat ice cream for breakfast and not feel guilty about it in the least! 🙂

 

INGREDIENTS
(Yeld 14 scoops)

  • 500g 1% cottage cheese
  • 2 cups unsweetened soy milk
  • 4 scoops (120g) chocolate whey protein powder
  • 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 40g toasted almonds, crushed
  • 30g fresh coconut shavings
  • 75g frozen raspberries

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a food processor, blend cottage cheese until it becomes really smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides several times to make sure you get every last bit of cheese.
  2. Add soy milk, protein powder, cocoa powder and vanilla. Continue blending until very well combined.
  3. Transfer to ice cream churner and let the mixture turn until it sets, about 20-25 minutes. Add almonds, coconut and raspberries and continue churning for about 30 seconds.
  4. Transfer the ice cream to a plastic container and put in the freezer to firm up, about an hour. If some of the ice cream has clung to the churner’s tub, let it sit until it’s soft enough to be removed then incorporate it manually to the rest of the ice cream that is in the freezer.
  5. Form nice ice cream scoops and place them on a cookie sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper. Put the scoops in the freezer until they are completely set, at least 2-3 hours.
  6. Transfer pre-scooped ice cream to an airtight plastic container.