Once upon a time, the Godmother weighed over 200 pounds. I was entering my second year at the University, had just gotten out of an awful emotionally abusive relationship with that “what in the world was I thinking” person many of us date at one point in our lives, and somewhere along the way I chose to try and deal with recovery by not paying attention to what I was eating. Not only was it not helpful emotionally, it definitely didn’t help my waistline. I remember being in a fitting room struggling to button a pair of size 16 jeans. I nearly broke down there in that fitting room and I knew something had to change immediately. How could I have let myself get to that point?
I signed up for Weight Watchers online because I needed some guidance, but I wanted the privacy, and lost 50 pounds in a little over a semester by watching what I ate, and choosing more constructive ways to heal emotionally and move on – stronger, more confident, and definitely more mature. I knew what I was looking for was more than just a quick fix, I wanted a real change, something I could maintain forever because I couldn’t handle the thought of going through the fitting room situation again.
But I wasn’t going to do two things: 1. I wasn’t giving up dessert, and 2. No nonfat cheese (gross). I enjoy savoring a good dessert at the end of the day. So when I was on Weight Watchers, I always planned my points to allow for a cookie with a swirl of frozen yogurt on top at the dorm cafeteria.
Nowadays, I am happy to say I have never gotten close to that awful number again, even with Princess A, and still enjoy dessert regularly, even when I am working on losing a few sneaky little pounds that occasionally appear now and then.
I consider dessert to be anything sweet, so it could be as simple as some seasonal berries from the farmer’s market, or something as decadent as salted caramel chocolate lava cakes. It’s usually something closer to the former than the latter, so I’m excited to share that today’s ice cream recipe falls closer to the former for me with just a few simple ingredients.
Mangoes are already a naturally sweet fruit, so I love that the ice cream requires minimal sweetener, cutting calories, and the fresh mint just adds a perfect unexpected finish. It also has a perfectly creamy mouth-feel, which I think is important if you’re looking for a good substitute for “real” ice cream. I will note that it takes a while to thaw to a scoop-able consistency after hardening in the freezer, so you will want to plan ahead by 10-15 minutes to let the ice cream sit at room temperature so you can scoop it into pretty little containers.
Mango Mojito "Ice Cream" - Paleo, Dairy Free, Clean Eating Cuban Style
Creamy, dreamy, dairy free ice cream brings the tropics to you with fresh mango and mint.
Ingredients
- 15 oz fresh mango (about 1 large), cubed
- 1/4 cup fresh, unpacked mint leaves
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 2.5 tbsp local, raw honey (or sweetener of choice)
Instructions
- Using a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients until smooth. Feel free to leave a few bits of mango for texture.
- Process according to the instructions on your ice cream maker. I let it run 15 minutes in my Cuisinart.
- Serve immediately if you'd like a soft consistency, or transfer to another container and place in the freezer to harden for 1-2 hours for a more firm ice cream texture