Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth With Protein Ice Cream

So, it’s 8:00 pm. You’ve just eaten a delicious and nutritious dinner and are now sitting down to watch your favorite show. Suddenly, you get a craving for something sweet. You head into the kitchen and scour the fridge for something sweet and healthy to satisfy you. Maybe you have a piece of fruit, maybe some carrots, or maybe you give up on the healthy and indulge in a nice big bowl of ice cream. Either way, they’re not the best choice for a pre-bed time snack. What you should have is something that contains protein. Why? Well, protein contains nutrients that are essential for your body. Protein sources help build and repair body tissue so it’s important to incorporate it into you diet when you are trying to lose weight or frequently exercising. Eating protein before bed will help to keep your metabolism elevated while you sleep as well as preventing muscle breakdown from occurring.

Now, what are good sources of protein to have before bed? It’s recommended to consume lean sources of protein such as chicken breasts, egg whites or tuna – none of which sound like it will really satisfy that sweet tooth, right? Luckily, protein powder is also a recommended source of pre-bed time protein, of which can be enjoyed in many different ways.

One of our favorite protein-packed, night-time sweet snacks is this delicious bowl of “ice cream.”

If you’ve never tried banana ice cream before, I highly recommend you give it a try. All you need is a food processor or blender and frozen bananas. With a few mix ins, you’ll be able to fool anyone into believing their eating a bowl of ice cream!

Lemon Blueberry Banana “Ice Cream”

• 1 cup Frozen Banana (Straight out of the freezer, not defrosted at all)
• 1/4 cup Frozen Blueberries
• 1/2 scoop Vanilla fitmixer protein* Powder
• 1-2 tsp. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Place all ingredients into a food processor and allow to run until a smooth mixture begins to form. You’ll need to scrape down the sides and continue to blend. If a ball forms, try to break it apart and continue to blend. It will eventually turn into a smooth, creamy combination of delicious flavors! Make sure you don’t over process it to where it begins to defrost, though.

Nutrition: Calories – 198, Carbs – 43, Fat – 1, Protein – 10, Sugar – 22

Like most women, I’m a chocolate fan. Add in some peanut butter or almond butter and I’m in heaven! So, this next treat is one of my favorite things to enjoy as an after dinner snack!

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter “Ice Cream”

• 1 cup Frozen Banana, sliced
• 1/2 scoop Chocolate fitmixer protein* Powder
• 2-3 tbsp. Dark Chocolate Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 tbsp. All-natural Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
• 1 tbsp. Unsweetened Coconut milk, Almond milk or low-fat milk (I used coconut milk)

Place all ingredients into a food processor and allow to run until a smooth mixture begins to form. You’ll need to scrape down the sides and continue to blend. If a ball forms, try to break it apart and continue to blend. Continue to process until smooth and creamy, then enjoy!

Nutrition: Calories - 277, Carbs – 432, Fat - 9, Protein – 13, Sugar – 21

*You can replace the protein® powder with the sculpt® or if you wanted you could use the slim® and skinny® in its place as well. Keep in mind the nutrition facts will be different but the taste should be about the same. Enjoy!