Homemade Strawberries and Coconut Cream Ice Cream

It's SUUUUMMER TIME!!!

I don't know about you, but it is getting HOT here. Like I'm starting to sweat. And it makes me irritable...But really, I'm just being a wimp. It's only in the 90s, and that is only the beginning of what's to come. 😩 Here in Oklahoma it easily gets up into the 100s during the summer. How in the world am I going to be able to handle it if I already think it's hot?! (side note: I wanted to be able to use a phrase to describe how hot I think it is, but I know my mom reads my blog and wouldn't approve, so I decided to sensor it out. This led me to googling phrases/idioms for it being hot outside. I didn't find any I liked or that would be appropriate, but there were some funny ones...while I was on this rabbit hole, I saw something that reminded me of the summer scene with Olaf on Frozen. I'm putting it at the end of this post...you're welcome.) 

In order to handle this hot weather, I have a very good solution--ice cream and iced lattes all day (and a swimming pool). And I've been doing a pretty good job of this so far. 💪🏻 I've tried out several new coffee shops in my area and Isaac and I have been eating ice cream at home fairly regularly.  

Fun story, my grocery store had a freezer section clearance where everything was 99 cents. Ya'll I got Talenti gelato for LESS THAN A DOLLAR!! We're talking about the gelato that is at least $5.00 a pint. It was the best deal ever. And it is the most delicious ice cream I've ever had--peanut butter pretzel. I recreated it and will be sharing later....😉

Anyways, when it's hot I want something refreshing. And strawberries, berries, and citrus fruits just scream "refreshing" to me. Cue this homemade strawberries and coconut cream ice cream. I've combined full fat coconut milk with Bolthouse farms strawberry and banana juice, honey/maple syrup, greek yogurt, and fresh strawberries. 

This technically is vegan (if you use maple syrup instead of honey) and a good choice for people who don't handle dairy very well, but I really chose coconut milk because it's uber creamy and it seems easier to me than the traditional method of making homemade ice cream. I don't know why, but it just seems super intimidating to me so I've never even attempted it...

I used my Cuisinart ice cream maker (which is the BEST) to make this, but I've heard that you can make ice cream by placing the ice cream mixture in a container in the freezer and stirring every 30 minutes to incorporate air into it.

I'd love to hear what you're doing to stay cool!!

Trek Bars--Homemade Granola Bars

These bars. Oh. My. Word. 

So I made an incredible discovery about the location of my new office. I happen to be caddy-corner from Great Harvest Bread Company. If you've never been, you're missing out. It's the cutest little bakery and sandwich shop. Everyday they make different options of fresh bread and goodies and then have a few everyday staples. The best part about this little gem is that they give you FREE samples every time you come in. Puhlease and thank you.  When I go, I try a slice or two of bread. Oh, and they top it with cinnamon butter. Enough said....

I wanted to show my friend the shop and when we visited they happened to have their Trek Bars to sample. I gave it a shot, and oh my word, it was SO delicious! Since I liked it so much, I decided to find a copycat recipe for these bars. I did, and then tweaked it slightly to my own liking. These bars are chewy and dense, sweet and salty, and crunchy all at the same time! I absolutely love the millet (aka, bird seed) because it adds a nice crunch. If you don't have any, I highly recommend you go out and get some for these bars. 

So some of you may read this recipe and think, "Oh my gosh, there's no way I can make those bars and eat them. They have way too many calories, fat, and sugar." I used to think the same way. But ever since I started learning about mindfulness and then intuitive eating, that has changed. I am going to post a blog about intuitive eating very soon because it's completely changing the way I view food and my body and it's been awesome. The thing about eating these bars are that, yes, I'm sure they have a lot of energy (calories, fat, etc) in them, but I'm not worried because they are incredibly filling. Instead of snacking on a bowl of popcorn, and then something else, and then something else; I have one of these bars and I'm satisfied for a really long time. 

And not only and I'm physically satisfied, I'm emotionally satisfied too because the bar tastes good and I'm able to enjoy it. When we restrict, we set ourselves up for eating more later on. Sooo, all of that to say, you should/must make these bars soon!

If you don't care for apricots or craisins, sub in raisins or some other dried fruit. If you're not a fan of walnuts or sunflower seeds, go with almonds. Substitute the mix-ins for things you like. The only non-negotiable is the millet :-). If you don't have any unflavored whey protein powder, I'm sure they will turn out just fine. They'll just be a little more chewy (which isn't a bad thing if you ask me!)