I’m very anxious to share this scrumptious but quick recipe especially after such a long break… 2 weeks! After my 10 days of social media detox, I am back! In my last post, I promised to give you a few ideas for easy, gluten-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free and dairy-free recipes that everybody can enjoy.
Since the heat of summer is finally here - homemade, berry ice cream is where I want to start. Look, I get it. You love your creamy Haagen-Dazs and as far as treats go, they aren’t too bad. But still… making your own with real food is so much healthier and it can be a lot of fun too! Trust me - once you try this yummy berry ice cream you won’t look back. I made this ice cream for a dessert during a family gathering. My whole family loved it including my baby niece who is gluten and egg intolerant. In fact, this ice cream provided a perfect introduction to the primal diet and showed my family that going Primal or Paleo doesn’t mean giving up on favourite treats.
Why berries? Well… summer is here and with it the abundance of fresh strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries, and blueberries. Since I can pick fresh blueberries from a forest near my family home, these bad boys fitted the bill perfectly. Having said that, the combinations are limitless and you can use any fruit you love to make this deliciously creamy ice cream.
Blueberry Ice Cream with Mint Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups blueberries or any fruit of your choice
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight (BPA-free) or full-fat cream (if you can tolerate dairy) or coconut cream
- 2 tbsp. raw honey
- 2 tbsp. of chia seeds (mini nutritional powerhouses that thicken the texture and give extra creaminess)
Mint Cream
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight
- 1 tbsp. raw honey
- a big bunch of fresh mint
Instructions
For the ice cream- place all of the ingredients (except for chia seeds) into your food processor or a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the chia seeds and blend it again. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If you don't have an ice cream maker, then scoop up the mixture into a large freezer safe container for at least 2 hours. Note that to prevent ice crystals from forming, you need to stir the mixture every 30 minutes. Or if you prefer softer ice cream put it into a fridge for at least 4 hours for the chia seeds to gel everything together and to give you a creamy ice cream like texture. If you’re using frozen berries and are looking for instant gratification, then you can eat this frozen treat right out of the blender.
For the mint cream - place all the ingredients into your food processor or blender and blend until well combined.
Serve the ice cream with the mint cream that compliments the berries flavour beautifully.
Enjoy!
If you’re interested in healthy eating get more recipes here.
Happy Summer,
Izabela
Your Certified Primal Health Coach
P.S. It was hard to stay away from social media for the entire 10 days. Although, I was visiting my family home and was looking after my 19-month-old niece (very rewarding but hard work ;-), I found myself at times, lost without the Internet. I was so tempted to check my WeChat moments and Facebook to see what is happening in Shanghai. Perhaps the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) syndrome kicked in again. Overall, it was a nice experience for me and I am sure my family appreciated it. The greatest difference I noticed was my sleep quality. With no blue light coming from my phone, laptop or TV I was sleeping like a baby. Now, I am back online and have decided to set manageable limits by switching off my phone every day from 8pm until 7am and stay away from constant ‘check ins’. If you have any suggestions on using electronic devices wisely do share tips or comments under my previous blog post.
P.P.S. Because I was going on a 3 week holiday I needed to find some easy to carry cosmetics. Jungle Lily provided me with some of their basic natural skincare products. The results…well I loved the charcoal soap and the coconut cream body scrub. The soap didn’t strip my skin from its natural oils and left my skin clean and soft. The soap also doubled as my travel shampoo bar. Although it didn't lather like a regular shampoo it left my hair manageable and soft. The soap is 100% natural for this reason it is also safe for babies. In fact, I shared mine with my baby niece. When using the soap just make sure you put it into a container that allows for excess water to drain after each use. In this way the soap will remain fresh and last longer. When it comes to the body scrub, it left my skin silky and smelling like a coconut. For these reasons I highly recommend both products, especially the soap as it is easy to travel with. Have you used Jungle Lily products? If so, what are your thoughts? Please share the results. Anyway, you know me - I only promote products I use and love! So I can honestly say I love the natural products Jungle Lily provides and if you are looking for ways to minimise chemicals exposure in your life, this is a good start.
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