Summertime is the perfect opportunity to indulge in healthy fruits, smoothies, and ice cream and the great thing is, these magnificent treats will help keep you cool when dealing with these record breaking temperatures outside. 

So, what better excuse to stir up a batch of your own homemade ice cream for the family! 

Why Making Homemade Ice cream is a Must!

• It is cheaper than going and buying ice cream from an ice cream shop.
• You get to decide what goes into the recipe.
• Creates great memories for the whole family!

Health benefits that come with making homemade ice cream…

Content provided by Livestrong.com;

• Calcium- by swirling milk into your healthy homemade ice cream recipe you are taking care of your bones and teeth.
  • One 1/2 cup serving of ice cream will supply about 10 percent of your daily calcium needs.
    • It is recommended you intake 1,000 mg of calcium per day.
  • Adequate consumption of calcium has also been linked to reduce the risk of colon cancer as well as decrease premenstrual symptoms.
• Fresh fruit- by adding any type of fresh fruit will help increase your intake of healthy vitamins.
  • Fresh fruit provides several vitamins, such as; vitamin A and vitamin C.
  • Fresh fruit contains less sugar than store bought ice cream.
  • It is best to use actual fruit for flavorings, not fruit flavored syrups.
  • Fresh fruit will also increase your fiber intake. 
• Vitamin D- when making homemade ice cream you use milk which is full of vitamin D.
  • Vitamin D helps your body absorb the calcium efficiently.

Making Homemade Ice Cream

You have two options;

1. Custard style ice cream, which is made with eggs (you can substitute egg whites for a healthier option).
2. Regular ice cream, which is not made with eggs.

Equipment Needed

• Ice Cream Maker
  • You can either buy one that you manually churn the ice cream or you can buy one that churns the ice cream itself.
• Hand held electric mixer- this will help with the “still freezing method“. 
  • This allows you to make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker.
• Large size glass bowl- you will use this to combine all of the ingredients before placing into the ice cream maker.
• Heavy sauce pan or Double Boiler- you will need the heavy saucepan for making custard style ice cream.  Use a double boiler when scalding milk or half and half for a non-custard style of ice cream.
• Stirring utensils
  • Spatula.
  • Wooden spoon.
  • Non-scratch spoon for stirring the mixture and for removing the ice cream from the can.
  • Ice cream scoop
    • Lever ice cream scoop
    • Spade ice cream scoop
    • Ice cream scoop with defrosting liquid in handle
  • Storage container- a shallower container will allow the ice cream to freezer more quickly.

Basic Ingredients Needed

• Cream
  • Whipping cream will give your ice cream a smooth texture and a creamy taste.
  • Heavy cream works well to increase the vanilla flavor (if using heavy cream make sure to not churn the ice cream as much, it can start to create a buttery texture).
• Milk
  • You can use Whole, 2%, 1%, soy milk, etc.  Avoid using skim milk as it isn’t thick enough to create an ice cream texture.
• Eggs
• Sweetener
  • Sugar is usually used for the added flavor but you can also use honey, maple syrup, etc.
• Cornstarch
  • Used for the custard style of ice cream, it will help the ice cream from curdling and it will thicken faster, reducing the cooking time. 
• Flavorings- your choice!!!
• Crushed Ice
• Rock Salt

Please note: These ingredients listed above are the more common ingredients used when making homemade ice cream.  Don’t be afraid to look for other ice cream ingredients!

Now that you know what the health benefits of making your own homemade ice cream is as well as what supplies and ingredients you will need, we have provided you with a link on the step by step process of making your creation come together for a healthy treat!  We have also included a few informational homemade ice cream “How To” videos.  Enjoy!

Preparing your creation…

http://www.ehow.com/how_2188828_make-homemade-ice-cream.html

How To Videos:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+make+homemade+icecream+videos&view=detail&mid=5EA148A5488AF3919D635EA148A5488AF3919D63&first=0&FORM=LKVR3 

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+make+homemade+icecream+videos&view=detail&mid=35B5B0D0E0C1E065208A35B5B0D0E0C1E065208A&first=0&FORM=LKVR29

Healthy Ice Cream Recipes!

Strawberry

Vanilla

Chocolate

Sources:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/166318-healthy-homemade-strawberry-ice-cream/Sources:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/300986-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-homemade-ice-cream/

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t–1133/how-to-make-homemade-ice-cream.asp

http://food.families.com/blog/homemade-ice-cream-using-the-still-freeze-method