Ok, I admit it. I love ice cream. Do you? What better way to cool down in the summer than with an ice cold creamy frozen treat.
This week on the podcast Margit Ragland, Health Director at Family Circle magazine, and I talk about five ice cream treats that don’t have to be off limits even when you’re on a diet. Their favorites include:
- Breyers Smooth & Creamy Triple Chocolate Dip
- Weight Watchers Giant Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Bar
- Klondike Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Blue Bunny Strawberry Banana Frozen Yogurt
- The Skinny Cow Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches
Or spend an afternoon in the kitchen with your kids and make cookies such as oatmeal raisin. Then put light ice cream or frozen yogurt between two for your personal version of an ice cream sandwich.
Turn your kitchen into an ice cream parlor. A couple of Sundays ago, a girlfriend and her two young girls came over. We decided to turn the kitchen into an ice cream parlor. We took light vanilla bean ice cream and sliced it into small pieces on a cutting board. Next we had a selection of blueberries, strawberries, chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips to choose from. The girls mixed them into the cut up ice cream.
Then we scooped the mixture into ice cream cones and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Do you think these were a hit? The kids had a blast choosing the items that they wanted to mix in and we loved saving a lot of money by making the cones at home. Give this a try…you’ll be the most popular Mom or Dad on the block.
Be sure and try this month’s recipe for Frozen Tiramisu from the Family Circle kitchens. By using coffee flavored frozen yogurt, instant coffee and chocolate sauce, per serving stats come in under 200 calories and five grams of fat per serving.
Happy summer!
Listen to this week’s podcast
Hi everyone! If you’ve been listening to me for a while, you know I’m a self-proclaimed chocolate lover. I’ve never met a chocolate that I don’t like. I adore dark chocolate and enjoy tasting a variety of flavor profiles. In fact, I just heard that Orlando is having The Festival of Chocolate in March presented by the Orlando Science Center. Have you attended a chocolate festival? Would you go again?
The news has been abuzz with the potential health benefits from eating chocolate so let’s get right to the source and find out. And who better to chat with than my guest on my podcast this week, Dr. Amy Preston from The Hershey Company.
A registered dietitian and PhD, Dr. Amy Preston is a Senior Nutrition Scientist at The Hershey Company. Dr. Preston also currently holds an adjunct position within the Nutritional Sciences Department at The Pennsylvania State University. She has studied many different populations, including healthy participants, overweight/obese subjects as well as those at risk for cardiovascular disease. Now her focus is on chocolate and health. Dr. Preston updates you about the latest research on chocolate.
Some of the questions I ask Dr. Preston include:
- Would you break down the latest research on chocolate and heart health? What about chocolate’s effect on blood pressure?
- Do the levels of flavanols/antioxidants in chocolate vary?
- Does processing affect the flavanol/antioxidant content?
- How does this antioxidant content compare to other foods such as wine or blueberries? If I prefer hot chocolate to red wine, would I get similar benefits?
- Does percent Cacao on the label indicate the level of flavanols in a chocolate? What should we go by when choosing chocolate?
You’ll going to like the news about chocolate. If you’re looking for Valentine’s Day ideas, check out their website at Hersheys.com. You’ll find decadent Valentine’s Day recipes and all types of ideas for a chocolate covered February. Now I need my little dark chocolate fix for the day!
Listen to this week’s podcast
If you read my blog regularly, you know I’m a chocolate lover. I have some chocolate most every day and dark chocolate is my favorite. Dark chocolate with cherries, hazelnuts, spices…I love it all. If you feel the same way or plan to give chocolate to someone special and whose heart you care about this Valentine’s Day, then you’ll want to read this new research.
Dark chocolate has a sensual mouth feel and is loaded with phytonutrients called flavonoids. Guess what? These flavonoids may have anti-inflammatory effects in the body that can lower the CRP. What’s CRP you might be saying? CRP stands for C-reactive protein found in the blood that is tied to inflammation and heart disease. Recent studies out of Johns Hopkins found that eating dark flavonoid rich chocolate lowered the CRP level in women by 23% and improved lipid profiles in both men and women.
I think more research will be conducted to determine if it’s the flavonoids or other compounds in chocolate which provide this cardiovascular benefit. Remember, portion control is still key due to the calories and fat in good chocolate but at least we can kick the guilt to the curb.
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