It’s summer time, which means lots of time spent outside under the sun. With endless amounts of yard work, trips to the park with the kids, or simply walking the dog, even thirty minutes under the sun can leave us wanting to make a quick stop for an ice cream cone. However, pre-made snacks at fast food restaurants are not the healthiest of options. If you’re looking for something delicious to cool you down on a hot summer day, make your own cool summer treats and freeze them for later!
If you wanted to go to the Dairy Queen for a Dilly Bar, make your own chocolate-covered ice cream bars at home with something as simple as popsicle molds! Simply mix 1 3/4 cups of coconut cream, 1/3 cup maple syrup, and the seeds of one vanilla bean in a food processor for one minute. Transfer the mixture to a mixing cup with a spout and pour into popsicle molds. Let the ice cream freeze for eight hours.
Now for the chocolate—melt ½ cup of coconut oil in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Whisk in ½ cup of cocoa powder and about ½ cup of maple syrup. Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and remove the frozen ice cream bars from the mold. Coat each bar in the chocolate mixture and place on the baking sheet. Return to freezer and let freeze for a couple of hours. If you have extra chocolate sauce, use this sauce as a healthy fudge for an ice cream sundae or simply freeze the leftovers for later.
If chocolate treats aren’t your thing, then maybe orange sorbet sounds better to you on a hot day! Put that old ice cream maker to use and make healthy, homemade sorbet that the whole family will love.
Start by combining ½ cup of sugar and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Let the sugar mixture simmer for about 15 minutes and then remove from heat to let the mixture cool. Next, add 2 cups of orange juice and stir together. Let the mixture chill and follow the instructions on your ice cream maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, place the orange juice mixture in your freezer and stir every half hour until it reaches the perfect consistency.
Exercise, healthy eating and swapping your traditional favorites with new, healthy treats are just a few of the steps needed to fight inflammation in the body. To learn more about how a dietary change could benefit you, please contact Premier Health Chiropractors today and let us help you to feel better in a natural and pain-free way.