whine & dine

Now, I basically never choose recipes based on what they lack (think: gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, fat free, joy free). Even when I spent a year making a concerted effort to lose fat, and had very little wiggle room in my meal plans for treats, I always elected to either go without, or to squeeze a tiny serving of the real deal of whatever treat I was hankering after into my day’s macros instead of going out of my way to make some diet version of it.

That said, when this recipe for Banana and Blueberry “Ice Cream” from Bon Appetit popped up on my facebook feed, it just seemed so easy that it would be a shame to not give it a try. Bananas get chopped up, frozen, and then blitzed with bluerries and a pinch of salt into a soft serve like consistency. Which means you’re getting a bunch of micronutrients in while enjoying a frozen ice cream-esque treat! I took it a step further and chucked in a serving of vanilla whey protein powder and some fat-free greek yoghurt too, ‘cos it’s been a long 3 months of this second fat loss phase and I’m honestly about done with chicken breast at this point, plus I love the tang and slightly creamier edge the yoghurt gives it. Plus, y’know, it’s summer. And I would like to faceplant into a tub of ice cream, but Halo Top and Enlightened ice creams don’t exist in Hong Kong.

So there you go. Super simple and quick barely-a-recipe for you guys this month, since I’m in the last week of a deep cut and don’t really have the bandwidth to come up with anything too exciting before I head off on my Europe trip! Where I’ll be witnessing one of my best friends getting hitched! In France! And then eating all the things in London! Because MACROS DON’T EXIST ON HOLIDAY (I’m sorry coach, I hope you’re not reading this lol). But until then, here’s a protein- and micronutrient-packed sweet treat that just so happens to be almost fat free, has no added sugars, and doesn’t even require an ice cream maker.

Banana Blueberry Protein “Ice Cream”
(Adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe)

1 scoop vanilla whey protein (one serving of mine has 24P/3C/0F)
1 single serve tub of unsweetened fat free Greek yoghurt (the brand I use has 15P/6C/0F per tub)
100g ripe banana (about 1 medium Del Monte) cut into chunks and frozen overnight
25g fresh blueberries (about 1/4 cup)
pinch of salt

Combine the yoghurt and protein powder in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to mix it up. Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl, then add the banana, blueberries and salt. Purée, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth and creamy, and roughly the texture of soft-serve ice cream.

Serve immediately, or cover tightly (press a piece of greaseproof paper to the surface of the ice cream) and store for up to 5 days. If making in advance, allow to soften at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: one gloriously large serving
Macros: 40.2P/42.5C/0.1F per serving (assuming your protein powder and yoghurt have similar macros to mine)