Happy National Ice Cream Day!

Nothing says summer like sweet ice cream, but vegans and lactose intolerant folks, unfortunately, sometimes miss out on the fun. Not any more! The dairy-free way to fuel-up on the world’s coolest snack is Nice Cream – homemade, banana based soft serve packed with plenty of health benefits. I love quick and healthy treats like Nice Cream because it’s a great way to reconnect with natural ingredients, get creative with recipes, and bond in the kitchen with the people I love.

Bananas are an amazing base for these summer treats because they nourish and support the body, no matter what time of year it is. Sweating in the summer sun can easily make you dehydrated, so keep your electrolyte levels high with a simple banana. Their sky-high levels of potassium lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, and combat stress – helping you “keep calm and summer on” during the season’s unexpected stresses (like roadtrip breakdowns and never-ending lineups for the water slide- don’t even get me started).

So when the summer heat makes it too toasty to bake my favourite banana-based, Luvo treats or when I need a change from my regular green smoothie, I’ll whip them into my banana-based, non-dairy nice cream recipes. Their naturally creamy texture and ability to retain water make bananas perfect for freezing.

Pro tip before you get started? I always peel AND cut my bananas before freezing them! Just drop the frozen banana bits into a blender with the other ingredients and you’re off to the races. Oh, and you’re completely welcome to double or triple the recipe, depending upon your hunger level!

Berrylicious

Terrifically tart and perfectly in season, grab a handful of your favorite bright berries from your local farmer’s market and blend them into this cool concoction.

1 frozen banana

½ cup mixed berries

1 tsp of Naked Coconuts Coconut Nectar

1 tsp of vanilla almond milk

Banana Cookie Dough

Rainy summer night of Netflix at the cottage calls for spoonfuls of cookie dough! Here’s how to do it au naturale.

1 frozen banana

½ of a Zimt cookie dough cup

1 handful of Zimt baking chocolate (optional but probably shouldn’t be)

Crazy for Coconut

Staycation? No problem. The fastest way to get a beachy vibe blowing is with the soothing scent of coconuts.

1 frozen banana

1 tsp of coconut cream (add more if you like)

2 tbsp of raw cacao powder

1.5 tsp vanilla or desired sweetener

Handful of dried coconut flakes for mixing plus garnish

1 Zimt Coconut Crisp bar chopped up for garnish

How do you feel about healthy ice cream? Share your thoughts in the comments or over on Twitter at @luvoinc.