Skinny Cow Chocolate Mousse Ganache

When I had saw that Skinny Cow had come out with a new ice cream cone, I was put on the hunt. Unfortunately I came up empty handed for nearly 2 months until just recently I spotted the Skinny Cow Chocolate Mousse Ganache ice creams at my local Target. Since I was so excited to find them I purchased a box and unfortunately enough they weren’t on sale when I purchased.

Typically I am a fan of Skinny Cow ice cream because I find the brand simply gets it right. Deliciously “healthier for you” ice cream which is lower in fat, calories or points plus values in comparison to some of the other ice creams on the market.  The ice cream itself is a blend of vanilla and chocolate ice creams and chocolate ganache. The whole shebang is pretty good … but I have to say the best part is the little glob of ganache at the center of the top of the cone. Sadly, the ganache wasn’t as plentiful as I would have hoped for (I was hoping for a chocolate ganache core). The ganache was the flavor that I savored the most … whereas the rest of the ice cream is the classic smooth creamy ice cream Skinny Taste is known to provide.

Would I repurchase them again? Probably if I were in the mood for an ice cream cone … although I may give the mint a shot to see if it’s any better than the chocolate mousse.

Each cone is 160 calories or 4 points plus values.

Edy’s Slow Churned Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae

Sometimes a person is just in the mood for some good hearty ice cream … and in my case, thatt is good hearty ice cream that’s slightly healthier for you.  Since I’ve introduced myself to Edy’s Slow Churned line (or Dreyer’s if that’s the side of the Rocky’s you’re on), I’ve had a pleasant time trying the different flavors that suit my fancy that the brand offers. It just so happened that Edy’s Slow Churned Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae sounded delicious to me, so I picked it up one trip through the grocery store.

What sold me on this ice cream was merely the picture and the description printed on the container. “Chocolate ice cream with brownies, peanut butter ice cream with fudge swirls and chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips.” Chocolate and peanut butter surely can’t be a bad combination.  I mean, Reese’s have been in business how long? Admittedly, chocolate ice cream isn’t my favorite … but if peanut butter is involved in that chocolate ice cream, I’m pretty much sold because the two just pair together perfectly.

The ice cream itself is smooth and creamy. It’s sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. The chocolate ice cream is at the forefront, but the show stealer is undoubtedly the peanut butter ice cream, chocolate chips and brownie bits.  All aspects of the ice cream are noticeable and make for a deliciously tasty dessert/treat. A ½ cup serving is definitely enough to satisfy my sweet tooth and my craving for ice cream.

A serving is ½ cup which is 110 calories or 3 points plus values.

Sautéed Bananas w/ Salted Caramel ice cream

This has been my favorite dessert this past week! And by favorite I mean I have had it every single night. But I can say (proudly/sadly?) that this love affair has ended momentarily because we are out of the salted caramel ice cream and we don’t have very many bananas left. I’m saying this is a good thing because 1) I don’t want to get sick of it and 2) I have other items to enjoy.

This is truly a very simple dessert to whip together. The first night I made myself one, my boyfriend walked into the kitchen and wanted bananas with his ice cream.

I spray a non-stick pan with Pam then place the pan over medium-high heat. I break up a banana into smaller pieces and allow them to start to brown up a tad. I sprinkle the top with cinnamon and just start cooking it, while stirring it all together so it doesn’t burn. When done (it’ll be a nice golden yellow color) I place it into the bottom of the bowl and top with a ½ cup of ice cream of my choice.

The particular ice cream I have been loving with this combination is the Edy’s (or Dreyer’s) Limited Edition Salted Caramel Ice Cream. The ice cream has caramel swirls in it while it also has pieces of salty pretzel in it. That salty combination with the sweet bananas is just money. I realize this is limited edition and was released around summer/fall time but I’ve still seen this sold at Target locations.

The greatest part? This entire dessert is ONLY 3 points plus values!

Klondike 100-Calorie Slim-a-Bear Ice Cream Bars

What would you dooo-oooo-ooooo for a Klondike Bar?!  Sorry … I always sing that jingle whenever someone has a Klondike bar – can’t help it.

I enjoy Klondike bars but honestly, the full-size ones just are not worth the points/calories at least for me. So when I spotted these Klondike100-Calorie Slim-a-Bear Ice Cream Bars I checked the nutrition facts and was intrigued – so I picked up a box

After unwrapping an ice cream bar I found them to be smaller squares, which are about less than ½ inch thick. For reference, they’re maybe 1/3 of the size of a regular Klondike bar.  Taste wise … they taste just like the original Klondike bar, just with a thinner chocolate shell and less ice cream in each bite. I found them to be quite tasty and they do satisfy the sweet tooth and that hunch for ice cream.

A single bar is 100 calories or 3 points plus values. You could also have two bars for 200 calories or 5 points plus values.

QUESTION:

What is one of your favorite lighter ice creams?

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Edy’s Limited Edition Slow Churned Pumpkin Patch Ice Cream

The moment fall rolled around the corner I wanted pumpkin ice cream. I hadn’t seen it in any of my stores and after having a conversation with a fellow Instagrammer about the Starbucks Pumpkin Latte ice cream, I was on the hunt. I couldn’t find the Starbucks brand, but I was able to find the Edy’s Limited Edition Slow Churned Pumpkin Patch Ice Cream. Since I’ve been a fan of Edy’s (or Dreyer’s – same company, different name depending on your location) ice cream and their limited edition ice creams in general, I picked it up on a late night run through the grocery store.

Upon bringing it home, my boyfriend and I decided on having a bowl of ice cream to enjoy while watching one of our favorite TV shows.  The ice cream is smooth and creamy and truly reminds me of pumpkin pie filling (that is without the crust).  The pumpkin flavor is up front and steals the show, which is what I look for in pumpkin products. It’s not overwhelming – perhaps it could be if you ate too much of it, but with a serving it’s pleasant. I didn’t find it to be overwhelmingly sweet either, which makes this even more delicious.

A ½ cup serving is 90 calories, or 3 points plus values.

QUESTION:

What is your favorite limited edition ice cream?

Burger King – Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae

Every once in a while I enjoy grabbing an ice cream while out. Typically, McDonald’s has been the location of choice because I can get a vanilla cone, I know the points and there’s no second guessing, unlimited choices to choose from and it’s always portioned.  A few months back Burger King began selling ice cream cones and ice cream sundaes but I hadn’t looked up the points because I simply haven’t been in an ice cream mood … until the other night.

I wanted a sundae, but I didn’t want one from McDonald’s.  Chocolate sundaes can get old, plus they’re not truly a favorite of mine. I like caramel or strawberry sundaes and well … McDonald’s doesn’t do caramel sundaes anymore. So I pulled up the Burger King website, found the ice creams, saw the strawberry (and caramel), calculated and decided Burger King had won!  A few minute jaunt down to Burger King and I had a small Strawberry Sundae in hand!

The sundae is delicious – the strawberry sauce isn’t very sweet and there are real pieces of strawberry in it.  The ice cream is similar to the frozen soft serve you’d get at McDonald’s.  Together it was quite a delicious and satisfying treat.  There are 2 sizes available – I went with the small because that’s truly more than I needed.  I enjoyed it and I will definitely keep Burger King on my radar for whenever I’m in the mood for a strawberry or caramel sundae!

A small strawberry sundae is 190 calories or 5 points plus values.  Worth it? I think so!

QUESTION:

Have you tried any ice cream dessert from BK?

Trader Joe’s – Mikawaya Strawberry Mochi

I have heard and read so many great things about Mochi ice cream that I decided I had to give it a try, particularly after I heard I could find it at Trader Joe’s. I found the Mochi ice creams and out of all the flavors available, I went with the Mikawaya Strawberry Mochi because it was the safest route.

I wasn’t sure of what to expect, so when I opened the package and took one out I thought they’d be like little ice cream bon-bon’s. After trying it, I wasn’t wowed and was more weirded out so I decided to hold off and try it another time.  Waiting a few weeks I gave it another shot and I have to say … I really don’t like mochi. At all.  The very middle is good because its flavored ice cream, but the outside “bun” or mochi is just not appetizing – at least for my taste buds. It reminds me of Play-Doh which I think subconsciously weirds me out even more. It’s very chewy, it’s doughy and I don’t feel like it had much flavor at all.  I was TKO’d after one bite and ended up chucking the box because no one was adventurous enough to try one and I wasn’t going to force myself to eat them.

A serving is 1 piece, which are 100 calories or 3 points plus values.  Since I forgot to take a picture of the label – there’s 3g fat, 25mg sodium, 19g carb, 0g fiber, 14g sugar and 2g protein.

QUESTION:

Are you a fan of Mochi?

Edy’s Limited Edition Slow Churned German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream

I’ve seen this Edy’s Limited Edition Slow Churned German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream in the market time and time again, but had not picked it up until last week. I’m not the biggest fan of chocolate ice cream, but I’m a big fan of German chocolate cake – so I figured why not try a different taste in regard to ice cream instead of the staple vanilla?

What sold me initially was 1) the name and 2) the mention of coconut and caramel in the description. I’m a sucker for coconut desserts.  According to the container it’s a chocolate light ice cream with a caramel coconut swirl and brownie pieces.  Opening the container it looked like regular chocolate ice cream with a few brownie pieces lingering throughout and an occasional caramel swirl.  Taste wise it tastes exactly like chocolate coconut, but this coconut flavoring does dissipate as you eat your ice cream and I was left with a mere chocolate flavor.  The caramel swirls are rather few and far between … they are in there, but there isn’t much.  Now the brownie pieces are more prominent but they’re not overwhelming.

I was quite pleased with the ice cream. I will say, after finishing my half cup serving the general sweetness of it really lingered with me.  Anymore than a half cup, I believe I would have felt sick just because of the sheer richness of it.

A ½ cup serving is 110 calories and 3 Points Plus Values. Quite worth it for an ice cream the whole family can enjoy without it being deemed the dreaded “diet food” term.

QUESTION:

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Strawberry Banana Froyo

I met up with a friend – a fellow Weight Watchers member for frozen yogurt while I was in the city for a doctors appointment. I was supposed to bring my handy dandy 1/2 cup measuring cup BUT alas I was running late for my appointment and completely forgot the cup at home.

Measuring cup fail aside, I went into the frozen yogurt experience with a plan. I knew I was going to have at least 6 points worth of frozen yogurt (which according to Weight Watchers e-tools would be about 1 cup of plain frozen yogurt). Low and behold upon arriving to the yogurt shop they actually had the nutrition information on the screen. This excited me beyond words. You mean, I could pick any flavor I wanted because I could know the points plus associated with it beforehand? Epic kid in a candy store moment! They had at least 10 different flavors ranging from plain to strawberry, cookies and cream to peanut butter. The gentleman who was working in the shop asked if I’d like to sample any of the flavors, but I declined realizing that my BLT’s (bites, licks and tastes) would still add up.

My boyfriend is the one who actually decided to have strawberry banana frozen yogurt. Typically when we buy a half gallon of frozen yogurt, that’s the flavor I tend to choose because I enjoy it. So I calculated the points plus and was floored to find it was only 4 points plus for a full cup of froyo! SCORE!

I picked my cup (opting for the shallower, wider bowl) and tried to center my froyo into the center and eyeballed as close as I could to what I assumed would be a cup. I added an additional point incase I was off by any. Then came the decision factor … toppings! Ice cream sundaes and froyo are known for their delicious and not always health conscious toppings. Trying to play it as safe as possible I opted for a few colored jimmies (sprinkles), fresh strawberries, fresh mango and of course a few tiny pieces of cut up Snickers. I guestimated possibly 3 points for toppings and off I went to pay for my delicious treat.

The frozen yogurt was delicious. Nicely flavored, refreshing and it was perfect with or without the toppings. Plus, having the nutrition information at my fingertips really made the experience a lot easier to swallow.

It was nice going out for froyo, enjoying myself, having wonderful conversation with a friend and being on plan. Goes to show you can go out and enjoy yourself as long as you plan for it ahead of time. This way there are no surprises or “freebies.”

QUESTION:

What do you typically get at the frozen yogurt or ice cream shop?

 

Fit & Active 14 Calorie Bars

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Since an Aldi had opened in my area, I try to pop into the grocery store every once in a while to see whatever new goodies the store may have in stock.  In case you’re not aware, Aldi is a grocery chain which carries store-brand name products, as well as some name-brand products, for an affordable price.  There are staple products which are what I would define as part of the permanent line, while there are other products which are brought in depending upon the season.

I spotted the Fit & Active 14 Calorie Bars in the freezer section and was intrigued. I calculated the points plus values and they were immediately launched into my cart. Back when I did Weight Watchers under the points system, I purchased frozen popsicles that were 0 points plus but had yet to find a substitute … until I found these!

These bars are unique and different.  They are a vanilla cream bar that has popsicle fruit flavors merged together.  These are sweetened with Splenda, which is fine with me as I’m okay with artificial sweeteners. Texture wise, it’s what you’d get if you swirled ice cream into a popsicle and frozen it all together on a stick.  The popsicle portion is hard and crunchy while the ice cream portion is softer and creamy.  I have tried each of the three flavors (orange & vanilla, cherry & vanilla and raspberry & vanilla) that come in the box and all are good – I think the cherry and orange may be my favorite.

Each bar is only 14 calories and 0 points plus values!  You can “splurge” and have two bars for 1 points plus values! Quite a fun and fabulous food find!

QUESTION:

What is one of your new favorite frozen treats?

TAGS: Shannon, Food, Aldi, Fit and Active, 14 Calorie Bars, 0 Points Plus, Food Find, Frozen, Ice Cream, Frozen Novelty, Popsicle, Snack, Treat