:: Berry Good Ice Cream ::

Quick & Healthy Berry Ice Cream

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: quick & healthy strawberry ice-cream ::

It was my son’s first Christmas & we were at a family gathering at a dear friend’s house. We were all sitting around after a delicious luncheon and bursting at the seams but still had room for something sweet on a hot summer’s day. I was talking to Louise across the table & I heard, “Oh look, he loves it!” and “How adorable!”.... To my horror I looked over to the dramatic scene of my husband feeding my son his first ever food.... ice cream. The look on my face must have been priceless & one of absolute shock as I was about to fall on the floor, but no one was paying attention to me, all eyes were on my baby with is face half planted into a cone of vanilla bean goodness. You’ve got to understand, only pristine breast milk had past my baby’s precious lips prior to this event. I had extreme anxiety thinking he was going to go into anaphylactic shock any moment, but had to reassure myself that there was a qualified doctor & nurse at the table ready to take action if needed. “Calm down” I told myself. “He is six months old, he will be fine” as he took another nose dive right down to the waffle cone. “Oh no.... he is going to die....” But sure enough, Gloria & Graeme both assured me that he would be OK, and you know what? He was.

And yes, ever since this day my son’s weak point has been, you guessed it, ice cream. After each meal he suggests it like it is a new idea that no one has ever thought of before. “Ice cream? Oooh! Ice cream!” he exclaims, trying to contain himself in his high chair. I feel I have cheated him with this one, as it is mostly berries & yoghurt, so I put some chocolate sprinkles on top. This Jamie Oliver inspired recipe is a must this summer for a quick dessert for both the big & little kids.

1 x 500g pack of frozen berries, I like strawberries
3–4 tablespoons runny honey
250g of natural or vanilla yoghurt

250g of vanilla ice cream
a few sprigs of fresh mint
ice cream cones (I use baby ones for the kids)

:: fresh strawberries from the market to go into the ice-cream ::

:: frozen berries ready to blend in the KitchenAid food processor ::

:: mr whippie or home made goodness? ::

Kitchen Notes
:: When keeping it in the freezer like I do, mix it with some actual ice cream so it is smoother & doesn't crystallise, but it is still oh so healthy! If serving straight up from blending, use 500g of vanilla yoghurt. Try it out & have fun!
:: I try & avoid fruit with large seeds, such as rasberries & blackberries, when blending in this quick method. To extract the seeds, boil the desired quantity down with 2Tbs of water in a pot on the stovetop until soft, then pass through a seive. Freeze the berry mixture & add to the blender next time.

Serve

:: If serving for adults, garnish with vanilla yoghurt or chocolate topping ladled over the ice cream & blueberries sprinkled on top.

:: When serving for the kids, I keep "mini" cones in the pantry & sprinkles, oh, & sometimes ice-magic!

:: freeze in a container in the freezer for ongoing berry delights ::

:: kids love helping with this one, great on a hot day! ::

Source

:: Ice-cream cones & Sprinkles: Shop at your local supermarket for mini, regular or waffle cones. Coloured Chocolate Sprinkles also available from your supermarket or cake decorating specialty stores.

I would also love to see your Megann's Kitchen Creations/photos of recipes that you have made on Megann’s Kitchen Facebook!