Recipe: Healthy, Homemade "Ice Cream"

While I was pregnant, I kept hearing about this new trend of banana "Ice Cream." I figured, I was hungry all the time, I was craving milkshakes, but I'm lactose intolerant. You see the dilemma!

So why not give it a shot....

Verdict: DELICIOUS!!!

Once I started making these I had one every morning for breakfast (or on my drive into work) and it would help keep me full, but be healthy and wholesome. And without using any ice cream, it tasted like peanut butter chocolate ice cream!

I saved some Talenti Gelato containers and now store the ice cream in the freezer. That way it looks like ice cream AND it's in individual containers already.

PS my favorite Talenti flavor so far is Sea Salt Caramel!

  Banana "Ice Cream"  

Ingredients:

• Bananas, sliced and frozen
• Peanut butter
• Cocoa powder
• Yogurt
• Milk
• Honey
• Flax Seeds

Directions:

1. Put the desired amount of all the ingredients in a shatterproof, flat bottomed container (I use a 4 cup measuring cup)
2. Using an immersion blender, blend everything up.
3. Either eat right away (kind of like a smoothie) or freeze for later (more like ice cream)

Variations:

1. I've heard you could use fruit to make it more like a fruity ice cream (strawberries for example) but I love the peanut butter and chocolate combo!
2. If you want to make it more filling, you can also add in some instant oatmeal (maybe a tablespoon or so per serving).

I've linked up with a few other posts so you can get some more insight:

• The Kitchn
• Skinny Taste
• Tree Hugger

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Couponing: Birthday Deals

May is my birth month, which means lots of birthday deals! I wanted to document the one's I'm using in case anyone else is interested! I've hyperlinked where you can sign up for the same deals.

May 1: Enjoyed a free regular bowl at Noodles & Co. and they even threw in a fountain drink! I also learned from a friend that sometimes soda can bother baby's tummy when mom drinks it, which I believe since it was my first soda since our little one was born, and she was screaming in pain from gassiness that night! Whether or not it's medically true, I'm staying a away from soda! Sign up for Noodlegram.

May 3: Used a $10 off coupon at World Market to buy some Torani vanilla syrup for use with our Nespresso. I got two large bottles for about $4 (compared to $16, because I also had 10% off!). Sign up for World Market Explorer.

May 13: Free Starbucks! Granted this was one I earned with 12 stars rather than my birthday drink, so that means I'll get another free drink this month. I didn't need more coffee today, so I bought a venti iced cinnamon dolce latte, took out the ice, and stuck it in the fridge for work tomorrow! Register a Starbucks card.

May 18: My actual birthday! The plan was to have a free medium coffee from Caribou (sign up for Caribou) but after making sure my little one was fed and changed, and okay with daddy, I drove out to the Caribou only to find it closed....and apparently ALL of them in VA are closing! For more information, see here. Quite the disappointing start to my day. So instead, I drove myself over to Starbucks and claimed my birthday drink!

I can still get a free single scoop of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, (sign up to be a ChunkSplunker), a free Benihana a dinner up to $30 (join Chef's Table), and a free burger at Red Robin (join Red Robin Royalty).