Ice "Nice" Cream with the Nutrients of a Salad.

Confessions of a Ice Cream Lover

When I was a little girl it was common to find me eating a big bowl of ice cream next to my dad while we watched television. I can still taste my favorite ice cream, chocolate caramel chunk. Huge pieces of chocolate-coated caramel in a rich and creamy chocolate ice cream would feel like a hug in my mouth. YUM! I have always LOVED ice cream….like LOVE! In college, my bestie and I would frequent the “Caf” (cool kids term for cafeteria) and bring home multiple pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to scarf down at night while we studied (or more likely watched The Real World).  Not surprisingly, I met the freshman weight gain phenomenon.  This addiction was not even close to being kicked when I decided to adopt a plant based-diet thanks to all the yummy non-dairy based ice cream options. So what is a gal to do when her love for sugary sweets meets the skinny jean trend? Compromise, I guess. One of the principles I teach in therapy is a challenge does not need to equal suffering. Cleary, my ice cream love vs. skinny jean conundrum is far from real world suffering but the challenge was still real y’all .  Here my friends, I introduce the salad ice cream smoothie. Okay okay, it‘s not really a salad ice cream. That actually sounds really gross. BUT I have discovered you can surprisingly hide A LOT of vegetables in a yummy smoothie. Obviously, I am not the founder of green smoothies but I have been getting quite brave with hiding more and more vegetables in my tasty and healthy shakes.  This cherry chocolate smoothie may be your solution if you are trying to eat healthy but still have a hankering for a sweet treat.  The secret is two full servings of vegetables in the form of spinach and cauliflower.

In addition to a tastebud party, this shake is going to make our bodies kung-fu cancer fighters. Spinach has been found to be protective against multiple forms of cancer. It is also a great source of folic acid which is important in early pregnancy and contributes to happier moods as depression and anxiety are improved. Everyone should have at least 1/3 cup a day to protect our precious eyes against macular degeneration.

And if you were not sold on the benefits of spinach, let me tell you about its cruciferous friend cauliflower. This vegetable is best eaten raw to ensure you get max benefit from the enzyme sulforaphane. This enzyme increases our liver detoxifying enzymes and may also protect against free radical damage, brain function and eyesight. Phytonutrients in cauliflower also help protect our bodies from viruses as it helps boost immune function. I am all for fighting against the yucky flu!

Convinced to give it a try? Out of all the smoothies I make, and I make one everyday, this has been voted the favorite by my family and friends. So, give it a try and next time you have a salad on the menu you can enter this creamy shake instead.

Secretly Healthy Chocolate Shake

Chocolate Covered Cherry Dream

Cherries and chocolate hide spinach and cauliflower so you can have a sweet treat while feeling good about receiving the nutrients of two full servings of veggies

Makes: 1 serving

Prep time:

Cook time:

Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup frozen cherries
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1/2 cup riced or finely chopped cauliflower
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder, I use Orgain Creamy Chocolate Fudge
  • 1-2 dates depending on your preferred level of sweetness
  • 4-5 cubes ice

Instructions:
  1. Blend all ingredients in a powerful blender; Blendtech, Vita-mix or comparable
  2. Pour into a glass and top with hemp seeds and cacao nibs
  3. Check two veggies off the daily list and smile because you enjoyed a salad in the form of a chocolate shake
Catherine Van Tassell