Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream

I'm a die-hard chocolate ice cream fan. To the point of being obnoxious about it, I'll admit. I do not want vanilla ice cream, & get very upset when it somehow ends up in my bowl, especially when I thought what I ordered what chocolate & was led astray.

This ice cream, however, is a game changer. I saw the idea for it on Jessica's blog & couldn't get it out of my head. Her recipe calls for heavy cream & whole milk, both ingredients that I don't eat, but I had this feeling that I could do something similar with canned coconut milk. I probably considered making this for over a month, all the while knowing that I had 6 blueberry muffins waiting in my freezer. It was the perfect coincidence. I had to make this. 

It was far better than I expected it to be! While it does take some time (especially if you have to bake the muffins first), it's totally worth it! It's just the right amount of sweet, perfectly creamy, & chock full of blueberry muffin chunks.

This spells summer to me. You have to try it! And if you don't have an ice cream maker, this just might be the reason you needed to go out & get one. I got the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment for my birthday last year. It was really the gift that keeps on giving because not only do I get to enjoy making  healthified ice cream, we also get to eat it! I store the bowl in my freezer, just in case, because it must be frozen for a full day (15 hours, I think) before you can actually make ice cream. You just never know when the mood will strike! Anyway, if you don't have an ice cream maker & don't want to buy one, find a friend who has one. :-)

Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream
Adapted from How Sweet Eats
Serves 6-8
Easily made vegan & gluten free

2 T unsweetened original almond milk
1 1/2 T cornstarch
3 T cream cheese, room temperature (use vegan cream cheese if necessary)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 3/4 c unsweetened original almond milk
1 1/2 c light coconut milk (1 can)
2/3 c evaporated cane juice (or regular sugar)*
2 T agave nectar 
1 T vanilla extract
6 of your favorite blueberry muffins (I made these - they're gluten free & yummy)

Whisk together that cornstarch & 2 tablespoons of almond milk in a small bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, salt, & cinnamon with a fork. Set aside.

Pour 1 3/4 cups almond milk, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, & agave into a large saucepan. Whisk together, then cook over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a low boil. Stir often, simmering for 4-5 minutes. Slowly drizzle in the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to simmer for another 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Pour about 1/3 of mixture into the bowl with the cream cheese. Whisk together until cream cheese melts. Pour remaining mixture into the bowl, whisking until it is all smoothly blended together.

Clear a spot in your freezer large enough for a 9x9 baking pan. Pour ice cream mixture into the pan & freeze for about 1 hour. Once it is cooled completely, pour into ice cream maker & churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Using the KitchenAid attachment, mine took about 20 minutes to change to ice cream. Crumble 3 muffins & add to ice cream. Continue to churn for about 2 minutes, or until well mixed. Put ice cream back into the 9x9 baking pan & fold in remaining 3 crumbled muffins. Place a layer of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream to keep it from forming ice crystals. Cover pan with foil (or I used one of those elastic plastic covers that look like hairnets). Freeze for 2 hours, or overnight. The longer you wait, the harder the ice cream will be, so judge accordingly.

*When I make this again, I'll probably only use 1/3-1/2 cup sugar. We loved it, but I doubt we would have noticed if there was less sugar, and that would make it a healthier treat. You may also want to vary the amount of sugar depending on the muffin recipe you use - the one I used was very low in sugar, but if you use one with high sugar content, it may add enough sweetness to really cut back even more on the sugar in the ice cream. Part of the flavor comes from the sugar caramelizing while it cooks with the milks, so don't eliminate it!

Eating Whole Foods: Breakfast

Two of my friends recently asked me about helping them eat a healthier diet. I love that kind of stuff, so I decided to do a segment on the blog about it.

One of the first questions was about breakfast, and since that's the first meal of the day, that's where we'll start. 

Tip #1: Don't skip breakfast. Ever. 

When you wake up, you most likely haven't eaten for at least 8 hours. That's fine when all you're doing is sleeping, but your body needs fuel to carry you through to lunch.

Tip #2: Eat a piece of fruit.

If you really can't handle eating in the morning, at least eat a piece of fruit. No, it's not really a big enough breakfast to tide you over until lunch, but at least you are eating something healthy to start the day. I like to add fruit to whatever I'm eating, like a banana on pb toast or peaches on oatmeal.

Another option is to make a smoothie. They're a great way to get in your daily servings of fruit and veggies. It's easy to make your smoothie the night before and keep it in the fridge to grab on the way out the door in the morning,

Kale Green Smoothies

Tip #3: Learn to like oatmeal. 

For me to talk about breakfast, I have to do an ode to oatmeal. Just hear me out.

I didn't always like oatmeal. My mom ate it for breakfast pretty often and I thought she was crazy. Then one day I thought maybe this was something I should try, so I asked her to get me some packets of cinnamon oatmeal, please!

It was like eating running, clumpy, sugary goo. Back to cereal and english muffins, thanks.

Then one day I had baked oatmeal when we were out. This stuff is incredible, like a muffin and cereal all rolled into one food. I figured maybe I could like oatmeal then, so I kept trying. I made my own baked oatmeal a few times and ate leftovers for a few days, but oatmeal still wasn't part of my daily breakfasts.

When I started reading more blogs, I got some great ideas that looked like they'd make oatmeal better. Making it on the stove or in the crock-pot with old-fashioned or steelcut oats tastes so much better than the packets.

Best discovery ever: top it with peanut butter!

Crock-Pot Steel Cut Oats

Oatmeal for Breakfast (with Wheat Berries)

Tip #4 Aim for whole grains.

No matter what you're having for breakfast, be it pancakes, muffins, bagels, toast, etc., have the whole grain version. If you're buying it, look for the first ingredient on the list to say whole grain. If you're making it, use white whole wheat or regular whole wheat flour in place of all or at least part of the flour. Unrefined carbohydrates give you energy for a longer period of time.

Stacked Strawberry Pancakes

Tip #5: Add protein to the meal. 

As much as it pains me to dwell on protein, since Americans are always hung up on it and actually get much more than is needed, it really does help keep you full longer. If you're going to eat breakfast, it should be worth your while. No one wants to be hungry 2 hours later. My favorite way to incorporate protein is by topping my breakfast with nut butter, but there are a lot of ways to get some protein. 

I like my breakfast to be on the sweet side, but if you like savory, eggs are a great option. They make a filling, protein rich breakfast and they're very versatile. Add some veggies for extra nutrients! 

Yogurt can also be a good way to get in some protein, but watch the sugar content because some of the varieties are full of it!

Dried Cranberry Yogurt

*I am not a nutritionist, these tips are simply what I have picked up through much research and personal experience. Everyone's bodies are different, so listen to your own body's needs.**

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

We always have muffins at our house. The Bup likes to eat one for breakfast every morning and I aim to please. It's a good excuse to bake! I make a dozen at a time and keep 4 out. Then I freeze the rest so they stay fresh for later in the week. Since this is his breakfast, I try to use natural sweeteners instead of lots of sugar. I want to make him healthy muffins, as crammed full of nutrition as possible.

• chia seeds & walnuts for omega-3's
• buckwheat flour for protein and iron
• whole wheat flour for all the nutrients in whole grains
• molasses for iron and other minerals
• banana for vitamins B6 & C, potassium and fiber
• pumpkin for alpha- and beta-carotene plus lots of nutrients
• raw honey for its many phytonutrients

These muffins turned out moist and only slightly sweet with a hint of buckwheat that reminds me of buckwheat pancakes. I think I'd skip the sugar and add more molasses next time. It compliments the buckwheat well.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 12

1 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c buckwheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 T chia seeds
1 small banana, mashed
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c raw honey
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
1/3 c almond milk
1 T lemon juice
2 T canola oil
2 T molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a 12 muffin tin with muffin liners.

Mix together flours, baking soda, salt, spices and chia seeds.

In a separate bowl, mash banana and mix with remainder of ingredients (except walnuts). Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the wet. Stir until combined. Add walnuts and stir in.

Spoon into lined muffin tin (cups will be very full). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Mmmm cake!

Some days you just need cake. 

So I made some. Excuse: My parents are coming for dinner tomorrow.

In my defense, I invited them to come tonight but they had meeting and chiro appointments and all that silly stuff. I forgot to tell them about the cake or they might've cancelled all that.

Sorry Mom & Pops, I tried to stop him. We had to dig in without you. At least I convinced him to let me cut it first. We'll try to save you a few pieces.

Here it is: dense, moist, & oh-so-chocolatey with a hint of sweet. Enjoy!


Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
adapted & changed from bread to cake from Carrotsncake.com

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 flax egg (1T ground flax + 2.5 T hot water)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Preheat the oven to 325*F. Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans. Mix flax egg and let sit for about 5 minutes. Combine all ingredients in bowl of an electric mixer and beat until combined. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Invert onto cooling racks. Cool completely before icing and stacking.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Icing
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 T almond milk

Beat together first 4 ingredients with an electric mixer until combined. Add milk 1 T at a time until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

 We did eat dinner first. Chili, a quesadilla twist on these, and carrot sticks. The Bup is scraping and shining our dining room floor so we took dinner into the living room. I don't love eating on tables that are level with my chin, which is what always happens when I sit on a couch with a tray table. The food was still good but the movie we followed it with wasn't. Sleeping With the Enemy was creepy. I was proud of Julia Roberts' character for getting away but her husband was eerie. I hate thinking that people live with abuse like that.

Earlier I made the Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger from Orangette. 

It was super easy, aside from chopping the ginger. Man that stuff is sticky!

I made muffins instead of bread because the Bup like muffins for breakfast best. He's spoiled, what can I say.

  

Baking in the New Year!

From Christmas, full of food, worship, family, cards in the mail, and fun!

To weddings...Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Lynch and to Mr. & Mrs. Kraft!

December was a busy month! I'm ready for another year full of joy. Happy New Year!

I'm starting off 2011 the right way. By baking! I love the way the house smells when you walk in after something was in the oven! Walter likes it so much he started fixing the light switch just so he could stick around longer during his lunch break.

We made a resolution for the new year: no trips to the emergency room. Let's pray we can keep this resolution!!

I tried a new bread recipe this morning called Universal Bread. I can't remember where I copied this from, but credit it due to that author. The recipe is really flexible, allowing the baker to make the bread savory, sweet, or more like your standard sandwich bread.

Garlic-Onion Wheat Bread
Yield: 1 loaf & 6 sandwich rolls


1 cup water
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup clover honey
1/4 cup sugar
1 T granulated sea salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
4 tsp yeast
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

Mix first 8 ingredients. Heat in microwave until warm, about 45 seconds. Add yeast, stir, and let set 5 minutes or until mixture starts to bubble. Add flour, mixing well. Knead on a flour dusted counter until smooth and elastic. Cover and rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Shape as desired and place in greased pans. Cover and rise until slightly smaller than you want your finished product. Bake at 375. Rolls bake for 20-25 minutes, loaves for 30-35 minutes.

Of course, I couldn't stop with just bread! I found a great recipe for Doughnut Muffins at multiplydelicious.com and had to try them. The only change I made was to substitute coconut oil for the canola oil, which worked well.