Ice cream just got a healthy little makeover in the form of Green Smoothie Nice Cream! All the frozen fun of traditional ice cream but made with just 3 amazing real food ingredients (spoiler alter: one of them is a veggie!), this healthy dessert is DELICIOUS, full of plant goodness and it comes together in a matter of minutes in you blender or food processor! Plus, it is Paleo friendly, dairy-free, vegan and just stinking yummy!
Once upon a time, about 8 years ago when I was just figuring out how to clean up my diet and not exist off of microwave burritos and pints of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey…..I learned about an EASY and healthy little dessert life hack that is called “Nice Cream” that was totally perfect for when you were jonesing for something sweet and frozen, but were not exactly looking to load up on dairy, refined sugar and whatever else is hiding in your ice cream of choice.
“Nice Cream” is a magical (and SIMPLE) little treat made from 1 thing… over-ripe frozen bananas that have been blended to creamy perfection in your blender or food processor! Truly, that is it…and it is a magically wonderful and healthy stand-in for traditional ice cream that really satisfied a singing sweet tooth!
I have been making Nice Cream for years and years and love how adaptable and easy it can be! You can jazz it up by adding toppings or mix-ins (I highly suggest nut butter and high quality chocolate chips) or enjoy it as is. Plus it can be made in the moment and enjoyed straight from the blender/food processor with a spoon or made a head of time, throwing the freezer to harden up a bit and then scooped into ice cream cones or served as a healthy dessert at a later time!
Since I love to add veggies to all the things (who doesn’t need more veggies in their life, after all), I of course started adding spinach to my Nice Cream! The spinach flavor just disappears into those creamy, sweet bananas, but gives the nice cream a fun green color and a healthy does of potassium, magnesium, folic acid iron, calcium, and vitamins C, K B6, B9 and E. So yeah, the bottom line is that spinach is pretty awesome little veggie that we all should be consuming oodles of…..and we can do it and have our nice cream too!
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Suggested Adaptations
1. Make this as green ….or not green…as you want. I give the SUGGESTED amount of spinach in the recipe, but truly feel free to make this your own! If you (or your kids) are iffy about green food, maybe add less spinach so the green color isn’t so vivid. OR….if you want a bright spring green color, add more spinach than suggested for an extra kick of nutrients and color!
2. Make it CHOCOLATE! Love the idea of spinach in the nice cream but totally want to hide the green color? Add cacao powder to taste and enjoy a different twist on this fun and healthy dessert.
3. Add mix-ins or toppings. Think of your favorite ice cream accessories and add them to this recipe! I love adding frozen berries, chocolate chips, nut butter into the blender for a quick spin in the blender/food processor after the bananas & spinach have been blended! It makes for a delicious blend that reminds me of a Dairy Queen Blizzard! Or, add a dollop of whipped coconut cream and a dash of sprinkles or fresh berries and make this little treat into a healthy little sundae for some extra fun!
Green Smoothie Nice Cream
Ice cream just got a healthy little makeover in the form of Green Smoothie Nice Cream! All the frozen fun of traditional ice cream but made with just 3 amazing real food ingredients (spoiler alter: one of them is a veggie!), this healthy dessert is DELICIOUS, full of plant goodness and it comes together in a matter of minutes in you blender or food processor! Plus, it is Paleo friendly, dairy-free, vegan and just stinking yummy!
ingredients:
- 4 very ripe bananas (the riper they are, they sweeter they will be)
- 2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
- 2-3 handfuls of baby spinach, or to taste
instructions
- Slice bananas and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (the parchment paper will prevent the bananas from sticking). Place cookie sheet in freezer and freeze for at least 6 hours.
- Combine coconut milk/almond milk and spinach in a food processor or high speed blender. Blend. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and blend again. Repeat until spinach is pureed.
- Add the frozen banana slices into the blender/food processor with the pureed spinach. Blend until smooth, creamy and well mixed.
- Enjoy immediately or scoop nice cream into a covered container and store in freezer to be enjoyed at a later date!
NOTES:
Suggested Adaptations 1. Make this as green ....or not green...as you want. I give the SUGGESTED amount of spinach in the recipe, but truly feel free to make this your own! If you (or your kids) are iffy about green food, maybe add less spinach so the green color isn't so vivid. OR....if you want a bright spring green color, add more spinach than suggested for an extra kick of nutrients and color! 2. Make it CHOCOLATE! Love the idea of spinach in the nice cream but totally want to hide the green color? Add cacao powder to taste and enjoy a different twist on this fun and healthy dessert. 3. Add mix-ins or toppings. Think of your favorite ice cream accessories and add them to this recipe! I love adding frozen berries, chocolate chips, nut butter into the blender for a quick spin in the blender/food processor after the bananas & spinach have been blended! It makes for a delicious blend that reminds me of a Dairy Queen Blizzard! Or, add a dollop of whipped coconut cream and a dash of sprinkles or fresh berries and make this little treat into a healthy little sundae for some extra fun!
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