I Keep Saying I’m 25 but Really I’m 26!

Ben and Jerry’s ice cream cake. They make the best!

Birthdays come and go. We all get older and we all say, “Oh I don’t want to celebrate.” Well I know I’m one of them but deep down in my heart I know that it is a good excuse to just go out and have fun. Drink, fun dinners, silly laughs, dancing etc. Just today I had a compliment, someone thought I was 20. Umm thank you! Hehe. I get that a lot actually and I’m taking it!

My birthday was on July 30th and I actually had a weird fear of turning 26. In 4 years I’ll be 30, is what I kept repeating in my mind. Well it happened, I turned 26. I think I will be okay. This birthday was probably one of the best birthdays ever. I felt like a princess the whole day and it was the people I surround myself with. I never felt so good and so loved. Thank you to everyone who came to my dinners and had a few drinks with me. Thank you for the fabulous birthday cards too!

I know it has been a minute since I’ve made a post. I always use the excuse I’m really busy but I’ll just be honest. I don’t have the heart of cooking like I once did. I try to continue loving it and blogging about what I’ve made but I had to force myself to do it. It just wasn’t feeling right. I don’t cook as much as I use too. Thank goodness my mom has learned how to cook because I’d be drinking smoothies for dinner every night! I want to change the feel of my blog. I want you guys to know my personality and who I am. I tend to be very random and my posts will become very random. The blog will still focus on food but I’ll add in other tidbits like workouts and cool projects I’m working on. How does that sound? Perhaps a blog name change will be in the future as well!

Summer Veggie Slaw, from my favorite blog, Proud Italian Cook: http://prouditaliancook.blogspot.com/2012/07/summer-veggie-slaw.html

I sent my mom the recipe and she made it for my birthday dinner. Boy was this delicious!

My favorite Spinach and Mozzarella Turkey Burgers and honey mustard chicken.

Honey mustard glaze: dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. Season raw chicken with salt and pepper, grill and then glaze chicken while grilling.

My birthday meal! The only thing I cooked were the sweet potato fries and protein.

Dessert!

The best ice cream cake ever. It had a layer of vanilla ice cream, brownies, and a buttery toffee ice cream with huge chunks of heath bar and swirls of caramel. Whip cream icing and sprinkles! Oh and my Happy Birthday Fallon was in fudge, not the icky artificial frosting stuff! <3

Adios my friends!
Fallon

Coffee Ice Cream Dream Cake

IT’S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha I know what you are thinking right now. Fallon is pregnant? NO WAY! My best friend is expecting her second baby due sometime end of October and she recently found out she is having a girl!

Mason!! He is my pumpkin and I’m his cupcake. ;)

She already has a handsome son, now it only makes sense that she has a princess. One of each is the way to go, that way you get best of both!

My best friend is craving a lot of sweets. Something with her first pregnancy she didn’t, but with this little princess inside of her, she just wants sugar, sugar, sugar! I came across this recipe for Kahlua-Coffee Ice Cream Dream Cake from Bakeeat350 and I thought of my best friend. Back in the day we would go to Baskin and Robbins and she’d always order the Jamocha® Almond Fudge. I must say that flavor is pretty rocking. It brought back those memories and I knew this cake would be something she’d love. I had to keep it a secret from her though because I knew it was going to be a good one.

I did make some adjustments like nixing the Kahlua. Pregnant mommies should not be having any alcohol, hence the name Kahlua-Coffee Ice Cream Dream Cake. Then instead of using heath bits, I bought heath bars and wacked them into chunks instead. The best part was getting chunks of the heath bar in every bite of the cake. This cake was amazing and out of this world, except it lacked ice cream.

A corner piece. Where’s the ice cream?? Must of it was hiding right in the middle!

The 1 gallon of coffee ice cream I purchased wasn’t enough. There was too much graham cracker and not enough ice cream. This can easily be fixed, just purchase 2 gallons of ice cream instead. That way you have plenty of ice cream and will have more thickness between layers. With summer here and people getting together for grill, this is the perfect dessert to bring. Feeds a crowd and you can’t go wrong with coffee ice cream, toffee chunks and tons of chocolate!

   

I have a feeling I’m going to have to make this cake again soon, bummer!!! ;)
Get the recipe for Kahlua-Coffee Ice Cream Dream Cake here!

Yum yum,
Fallon

 

Protein Ice Cream

If you don’t already know by now my birthday is at the end of the month and my parents thought a Vitamix would be something I’d may enjoy. umm YEAH! I use it at least 2-3 times a day. Fruit juice in the morning, post-workout protein shake and then at night after dinner if I have a hankering for something sweet I try to whip up a batch of ice cream. I had some successful ice cream attempts and not so successful. With your typical blender I use to add a lot of ice. I’ve found out with the Vitamix that too much ice will ruin the creamy consistency and make it very icy.

A long time ago before I had a Vitamix, I remember Heather from Heather Eat’s Almond Butter was always making some sweet concoction and adding in protein powder. I was checking out her recipes and sure enough I was finally able to try her protein ice cream! I had all ingredients on hand and within minutes Mike and I were enjoying this creamy concoction. I’ve already tweaked up flavors and we’ve been sharing this after dinner each night with him.

It is AMAZING! It always fills the void of getting self-serve frozen yogurt which I truly love. We have a rule in the house that I can only have self serve frozen yogurt once a month because I complain I’m eating too many sweets! So in the mean time I’ll enjoy my protein ice cream which is low calorie and high protein.

 

Double Chocolate Protein Ice Cream
Adapted from HEAB

Ingredients
1 cup non-dairy milk (almond milk is my choice)
1 scoop (30g) chocolate protein powder (I like Gold Standard 100% Whey)
1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 packet of stevia
Pinch of sea salt
1/3 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon guar gum
17-18 ice cubes

Directions
Into the Vitamix or blender, add in all the ingredients into the order listed except for the ice cubes. Blend on setting 1 to incorporate everything together. Add all the ice cubes (or if in a blender a handful at a time) and blend on high. Use the tamper with the Vitamix to get the ice into the blades and blend smoothly. It will be done once it forms 4 pillows on top, process any more and it will start to melt.

Serve in a bowl or in an empty peanut butter jar. We like to add toppings to our protein ice cream like cereal, bananas, fresh berries, muesli, chocolate chips and/or shredded coconut. My favorite way was putting it into a partially empty peanut butter jar. Chocolate ice cream and peanut butter, I died and went to heaven for a moment!

This is just a basic recipe and can be easily swapped to change the flavors up. The other night I used a vanilla ice cream flavored protein powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2-3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup. I subbed in about 7 frozen peach slices and added the remaining 11 ice cubes. This tasted like a marshmallow it was so good!

You will get hooked.. I promise.

Fallon

TSRC: Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Another month of The Secret Recipe Club has arrived and I love the blogger that was given to me this month. Erica from Stuff I Make My Husband is a featherweight female boxer and makes delicious food to fit into her low carb/high protein diet. I spent a few hours on her website deciding what to make because it all sounded good. I ended up trying her Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream because I haven’t used my ice cream maker in months and it is hot outside! If you would like to join The Secret Recipe Club, just fill out the online form.

If I didn’t have ricotta cheese in the fridge I would of followed her recipe exactly but since we don’t really eat cottage cheese, I didn’t want to just buy it for this reason. I think ricotta tastes better anyways. Although I think the cottage cheese is what makes it creamy, the ricotta cheese was a bit more grainy but other then that it tasted delicious. The ice cream was higher in protein and lower in fat thanks to the use of almond milk and reduced fat cream cheese. What really made it over the top is the use of graham cracker crumbs. This really reminded me of cheese cake since the crust is my favorite part. I really liked the recipe she shared for her low carb graham cracker version but I honestly had no time. The store-bought brand worked for us.

    

I’ve made ice cream in the past and whenever I kept it in the freezer it was rock hard and icy. Still edible but nothing that was easily servable like you get from the store. Erica mentioned to add vodka in the mix so it would stay creamy if you plan to keep it in the freezer. I thought that was a great tip and added it. Since fresh strawberries carry a lot of water, I think I needed more then 1 tablespoon of vodka. It was very hard and icy. We ended up giving it a few seconds in the microwave and it was good as new.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Adapted from Stuff I Make My Husband

Ingredients
12 ounces strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced
6 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 cup stevia
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of vodka (optional)
Graham cracker crumbs

Direction
In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except for strawberries and graham cracker crumbs. Puree until smooth. Stir in the strawberry slices.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After 20 minutes mixture should be ice cream and ready to serve. Top with graham cracker crumbs.

This was a great month! I’m really enjoying The Secret Recipe Club because I’ve met so many new people and found so many new blogs. I’m inspired constantly by everyone!

Fallon

Cuisinart 2Qt Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker

After over a year of saying, “I really want an ice cream maker,” I FINALLY have one. Thank you so much to Wayfair for allowing me to have this opportunity to own this wonderful piece of kitchen equipment. It honestly felt like Christmas in February! I finally received the service I knew Wayfair had to offer. I couldn’t be more happier and I can’t wait till I work with them again!

I made a batch of vanilla ice cream (recipe via Cuisinart handbook) to break in my new ice cream maker. I figured it is best to start with the basics and then get fancy and create my own versions, like dairy free! I decided to go the lighter route by using 2% milk and half and half. My mixture came out icy and I knew right away it was because I didn’t use fattier ingredients IE. whole milk and heavy cream.

I did some research and many people insisted that the ice cream base should be refrigerated for a few hours before mixing it up. I kept the ingredients out for a few minutes to mix together and they already started to warm up, then I placed them into a really cold bowl to churn the ice cream. That reaction right there will cause the ice cream to not be as creamy. Other than that issue, the vanilla ice cream tasted fabulous! Just what I wanted for some homemade ice cream sundaes. The taste was right on and it even had my boyfriend’s approval. I can’t wait to make gelato and some dairy free ice cream with coconut milk and/or almond milk varieties!

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Adapted from Cuisinart

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups 2% milk

1 1/8 cups granulated sugar

3 cups half and half

1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the half and half and vanilla. Turn the machine on; pour mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.

OOPS!

The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

The best part was making ice cream sundaes at home! My boyfriend had a mixture of banana, dried cherries, homemade ganache and salted nuts. Mine had homemade ganache, dried cherries, shredded coconut and salted nuts.

What are your favorite ice cream recipes? Please share in the comments below!

Fallon

Peppermint Mocha Ice Cream

It all started with an email from Starbucks. A $1 coupon featuring their newest flavor for the holiday, Peppermint Mocha. Since I had the coupon I felt obligated to buy the ice cream. Whenever I have a coupon, I always feel obligated to use it, FYI. Plus I love ice cream and you can’t go wrong with peppermint and mocha. I’ve never had the actual drink that they make at Starbucks because I enjoy eating my calories then drinking them. The ice cream was the perfect way for me to try this flavor. So the next time you see this flavor in your grocery’s freezer section, BUY IT! It only for a limited time so you better hurry! It changed my life as soon as I tried it. Okay maybe not changed it completely but I definitely have mad respect for Starbuck’s ice cream.

They weren’t lying when this pint of ice cream was loaded with chunks of chocolate. Each spoonful I kept biting down on chocolate chunks. That made me very happy! Plus with the tasty addition of mocha and peppermint swirled throughout, it was balanced perfectly and the flavors didn’t over power each other.

Starbuck’s didn’t ask me to write up about their Peppermint Mocha ice cream, I decided it needs to be featured on my blog because it is amazing and you must go out and buy some for yourself!

Remember stay warm when eating the ice cream, hehe!

Happy Holidays!!

Fallon