Ice cream is as much a part of summer holidays as mince pies are to Christmas. Without it, it wouldn’t be a true summer. In the past, I would happily buy ice cream anywhere and any kind without worrying about the ingredients. However, over the years, as I’ve become more conscious about my health, my tastes have refined, and “ordinary” ice cream no longer satisfies me because it’s full of sugar and other additives that are not only not good for me but also no longer taste appealing to me. When I’m on holiday, I like to seek out and indulge in authentic gelato made from good quality ingredients. But when I’m at home, my kids and I like to make homemade ice cream. And I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t simplify the process to the maximum
.We only need three ingredients: fruit, a sweetener, and a dairy product. Let’s look at them one by one. When it comes to fruit, we can use any kind – at the beginning of summer, strawberries are the obvious choice. If you have the opportunity to go pick-your-own and stock up, I highly recommend it. Of course, store-bought fruit works as well, and you can find various frozen berry mixes, for example.
As a sweetener, I most often use bananas. We love their taste, and it’s an ideal way to use bananas that are “on the edge.” This way, you save bananas nearing the end of their life. When you have bananas that are nearing that stage, get into the habit of freezing them and you will aways have some ready to go. But of course you can always use a bit of maple syrup or honey as well. I don’t think more than one tablespoon is needed, but it depends on individual taste.
Here’s my little trick: I measure out strawberries and bananas together into individual resealable bags, so I have them ready in the freezer. When we feel like having ice cream, I just take one bag out and there’s nothing else to worry about.
I throw the contents of the bag into a blender and add a dairy product. In the spirit of testing, I tried many different variants and combinations, and I am happy to report that I am yet to come across one that does not work. You can use almost anything you have at home: cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, kefir, plain yogurt. If you’re avoiding dairy products, coconut milk is a great alternative.
Now, all that’s left to do is to blend until smooth. The blending time will depend on the power of your blender. And that’s it—you’re done and can serve right away. The whole process takes no more than 5 minutes, but the result is worth it.
Ingredients
- 250 G Frozen strawberries
- 1 Piece Frozen banana
- 150 G Greek yogurt
- 80 G Double cream
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
Notes
I am a mother of three with a passion for cooking and healthy lifestyle. My goal is to show all families that it’s actually really simple to cook healthy, everybody can eat great food, feel great and never stress about food.
