Spring has finally arrived in Germany and that means you see people wandering around with ice cream scones in their hands everywhere. Ice cream reminds me of summer, warm weather, vacation, ice cream dates, and barbeque with friends. Since the temperatures have been gradually increasing these past few weeks, I have been craving ice cream myself, which is why I went back to my favorite snack last summer: frozen bananas. This may sound strange but it was my go-to-snack in the United States when I was writing my bachelor’s thesis, and it kept me sane during that time. It’s the healthiest ice cream you will ever find, and completely free of nasty additives or refined sugars. It also has only one ingredient, which I think is great.
While banana ice cream is amazing, I wanted to add a little extra touch of goodness to it. Fortunately rhubarb is in season right now, and I love rhubarb. I literally cannot get enough of it, which is why you will see me posting lots and lots of rhubarb recipes soon.
For this ice cream you will really only need three ingredients: rhubarb, strawberries, and bananas. You also won’t need an ice cream maker, which is another great feature of this recipe. All you need is a blender, and it doesn’t even have to be a very strong one.
You will also never believe how much goodness you can give your body by eating this ice cream. Bananas are basically nature’s candy, so sweet, creamy and delicious. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, the most prominent being potassium. Potassium is important for a healthy heart as well as blood pressure, which is my excuse to eat this ice cream even for breakfast. Potassium is also an important mineral for active people, because it can cure muscle cramps. Rhubarb is another one of those healthy fruits that we do not eat enough of. It’s a good source of calcium and vitamin K, which is vital for blood clotting. As most fruits, rhubarb is a great source of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps prevent heart disease. Note that only cooked rhubarb contains this antioxidant, you will not get it into your system if you eat it raw, which I wouldn’t recommend anyways because raw rhubarb is pretty sour in taste.
This really is the healthiest ice cream you will ever find. It is simply amazing! I would love to hear your thoughts on it in the comment section below.

Health Benefits in this Rhubarb Strawberry Banana Icrecream:
– calcium (important for bone, teeth, muscle and nerve health)
– manganese (for nerve health)
– potassium (lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure)
– vitamin C (good for your immune system, tissue health)
– vitamin K (important for blood clotting and healthy bones)

Ingredients:
– 3 frozen bananas
– 2 cups (200g) rhubarb
– 6 strawberries (or more if desired)
– 1 vanilla pod/bean (optional)
– 2 tbsp agave

Before you make this ice cream, you need to cut the bananas into pieces and freeze them for at least 5-6 hours.

Once the bananas are frozen, wash and cut the rhubarb into small pieces. Add them to a small saucepan together with the vanilla pod and agave, and cook it for about 10-15 minutes until it is completely broken down. Remove the saucepan from the stove, pour the rhubarb into a separate bowl, remove the vanilla pod (important!) and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Now add the cooled rhubarb to the blender together with the strawberries (stems removed) and the frozen bananas. Blend until you have a smooth ice cream. Add more agave or strawberries if desired.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

The post Rhubarb Strawberry Banana Ice Cream appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

Ever since I had my first sip of almond milk I have been in love. I discovered nut milk during my time in Texas, when I still thought that I was lactose intolerant. A friendly person at Whole Foods recommended almond milk instead of the very sweet lactose free milk, and fortunately I gave it a try. I admit that switching completely from cows milk to almond milk took me some time. First, I mixed it with cows milk and then I gradually increased the amount of almond milk in my cereal bowl. It takes some time getting used to the taste, but once you learn about all the health benefits of almond milk, you will want to try it with everything. At least that’s how I feel about it.
Almond milk is full of healthy vitamins and minerals, and thus really deserves the title super-milk in my opinion. The amount of vitamin E in one cup of almond milk already covers 50% of the recommended daily intake of the beautity vitamin. It is a natural health booster, which makes your skin, nails and hair glow – at least that’s what I tell myself. Rumor has it though, that almond milk also has a higher calcium content than cows milk, but I have to tell you that this is unfortunately not true. If you are switching to almond milk, then you need to receive your daily dose of calcium from somewhere else such as from green vegetables like broccoli, rucola or algea (sushi!).
The Glycemic Index (the index which shows the effect of a certain food on our blood sugar levels) of unsweetened almond milk is also very low, which means that almond milk does not significantly raise our blood sugar levels, thus it does not increase our risk of getting diabetes type 2. It also means that the little amount of carbohydrates present in almond milk is turned into energy and not into fat. If you’re watching your weight, then almond milk is great for you because it contains almost three times less calories than cows or soy milk. The latter also often contains many nasty additives and preservatives, which is why almond milk is definitely a better milk substitute than soy milk.
Unfortunately almond milk can be quite expensive which is why homemade almond milk is not only a healthier but also a cheaper alternative to store-bought nut milk. With only one cup of almonds you can get almost a liter of almond milk, which is defintely cheaper than buying it from the store.

Health benefits in this homemade almond milk:
– biotin (important for blood sugar balance and skin health, necessary to build healthy fats that keep the skin moist and soft)
– magnesium (important for a healthy nerve system, muscle health, energy production)
– manganese (for nerve health)
– vitamin B (lowers blood pressure, important for healthy nerves, and energy production)
– vitamin E (antioxidant against free radicals, prevents skin ageing
  
  

Ingredients:
– 1 cup (150g) of blanched almonds
– 3 cups (750ml) of water
– 1 tsp agave (optional)
– ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
– a jelly bag or a thin towel like this one*

The day before you want to make your almond milk, you need to soak your almonds for at least 8 hours in order for this recipe to work. Be sure to cover every nut with water and let it soak preferably over night.
The next day, drain your almonds and put them into a blender. Add the 3 cups of water and blend everything for at least 1 minute until you have a nicely smooth milk.
Now place your jelly bag over a large bowl and pour the almond milk through the bag. Finally drain the rest of the water with your hands. Almond milk can taste a bit strange in the beginning, so you might want to add some sweetener such as agave and maybe even some cinnamon to make it more tasty.

Store the milk in an airtight bottle in the fridge and it should last for about a week or so.

If you do not know where to get a jelly bag from, this one* works perfectly.

Enjoy!

*Affiliate-Link – if you buy this product through this link I will get a little bonus which will help me cover the costs of keeping my blog alive.

The post Homemade Almond Milk appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.