Homemade “Nice Cream”: The Key to a Healthy Kid’s Heart

If there’s one food that’s synonymous with summer, it’s ice cream. As a kid, my friends and I used to constantly beg our parents to load up the mini van and drive us to the local ice cream shop. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, and everyone in town got their ice cream at a place called Homer’s. The shop is still there, and it’s ice cream is something of a local legend–especially the peppermint flavor.

In adulthood, I haven’t lost my affinity for ice cream. I have, however, gotten to know my body a little better, and have come to realize that milk and sugar don’t always agree with me (as much as that pains my ice-cream-loving heart).

Like a surprising number of women my age, I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which is a wide-ranging disorder that can manifest in different ways in different people; in me, in caused infertility (womp, womp). There’s not a lot of research being done on PCOS (despite how widespread it is), but the stuff that is out there seems to point to abnormal insulin-receptor activity on the ovaries as a major culprit. Thus, cutting sugar and other inflammatory foods can often help ease the symptoms. (And you thought this was just a post about ice cream…)

Enter, “nice cream,” or dairy-free, refined-sugar free, ice cream. While it doesn’t taste exactly like ice cream (the taste is a little more reminiscent of a smoothie), it’s a close enough substitute. My kids (3.5 and 1.5) also can’t seem to tell the difference, which I consider a huge win.

The recipe I’m including here is for the peppermint nice cream, but I will probably come back and update this post with some additional flavors as the kids and I continue to experiment.

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Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, sliced and frozen overnight (The riper the bananas, the sweeter the nice cream, so I recommend waiting until they are slightly brown)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut cream
• 1/4 cup milk of choice (we used Ripple pea milk)
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (I like it pretty minty, so you may want to start with less)
• A small handful of spinach (for color AND nutrition)
• Chocolate chips (this is a matter or personal preference, so I won’t tell you what to do. BUT, I choose to use Hu Hunks, which are made with coconut sugar, so they’re low on the Glycemic Index.

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. If you are using a blender, I recommend using a pretty heavy duty one, like the Vitamix. (This brand is very expensive, but totally worth it; I use mine all the time. You can also buy them refurbished on Amazon for much cheaper, but good as new.)

2. Blend until a smooth texture is achieved.

3. Pour the mixture into a glass or silicone (freezer-safe) loaf dish. Cover and freeze overnight.

4. Let thaw for 20 minutes before serving. And ENJOY!