Guiltless Brownies and Ice Cream

If you think in order to lose weight, you have to deprive yourself of treats, you are wrong, my friend...very....very...very....wrong. I am a HUGE dessert lover. Actually I might have the biggest sweet tooth on planet earth....seriously. 

The trick is finding ingredients that contain low amounts of fat and sugar but with high amounts of protein. I have been making this ice cream for about 2 years. Actually I started making it around the time my local Red Mango closed down. It was actually one of the saddest days of my life. So not only did I start making it myself, but I recreated a MUCH healthier version. My family begs me to make this on Sunday evenings, because that is how much they love it.

Also it is nearly impossible to have a brownie without some ice cream. Am I right? The only special kitchen gadget you might need is an electric ice cream maker. I'm sure you could use a rock salt one, but trust me and electric ice cream maker is where its at. Twenty minutes later and BOOM! Pure magic. Ice cold magic. 

This is the link to my favorite Ice Cream Maker. Once you start making homemade ice cream you won't ever buy store bought again. Especially when it tastes this good. ENJOY!

Dark Chocolate Dream Brownies

1.5 cups dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)

1 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup stevia in the raw

¾ cup oat flour (measure after blending oats)

·      Preheat oven to 350

·      Coat 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray. Set aside

·      Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir in coconut oil

·      Mix in yogurt. Blend well

·      Stir in vanilla, salt, soda and stevia

·      Add oat flour to chocolate mixture. Spread in pan evenly

·      Bake for roughly 27 minutes

·      Allow to cool completely. Place in fridge until right before serving

Vanilla Greek Yogurt Ice Cream

 4 cups plain nonfat greek yogurt

Coconut or vanilla extract

Unsweetened Almond milk or water

1/2-3/4 cup Truvia baking blend

Real Vanilla Bean scraped (optional)

·      Mix the yogurt with the trivia in a medium bowl, add in extract to taste. If you have a vanilla bean, add the scrapings here.

·      Thin "ice cream" base out with either almond milk or water (should only take about 1/4 cup or so. you want the consistency to be that of a normal ice cream base)

·      Allow to site in fridge for at least an hour so that the stevia/sugar blend dissolves.

·      Place in ice cream maker until soft set, about 20 mins ( i like mind more on the harder side, it will melt fast as you serve it)

·      Store any remaining leftovers in freezer.

When thawing ice cream, it will take longer than regular ice cream sue to the high protein content

Healthy Holiday Treats

Did you know that the average American gains between 5-7 pounds during the holiday season? If you are like me, and love treats, but hate to see the scale go up, have no fear! I have just released my latest Chapbook with over 30 pages of recipes to keep the cravings at bay. Click on the link to find out more!

Skinny Milkshake....wait, what???

I know its hard to imagine anything decadent being "skinny." But trust me, this is guilt free sweet treat to keep your cool this summer. The secret ingredient??? Arctic Zero. What is that you ask? It is gluten free frozen dessert loaded with 12 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. And the best part? The entire pint is only 135 calories. 

That's right my beautiful friends, I said ONE-HUNDRED-AND-THIRTY-FIVE-CALORIES. Not only do I love eating this stuff right out of the pint, I take it one step further into ice cream bliss. Let the pint thaw on the counter until it slides easily into your blender. Then add splash of unsweetened almond milk, about 1 TBSP of dark chocolate chips and some ice cubes. Then blend on high until you reach the consistency of a spoonable shake. And if you are a lover of toppings, go ahead and add some Walden Farms Calorie Free Carmel Syrup on top. 

Feel free to pat your self on the back because you just saved yourself about 800 calories compared to a normal milkshake.  Arctic Zero comes in many different flavors and all of them are delicious! You can find them at your local retailer or go to their website and search a store near you!!

XO
Veggie Lisa