Peanut Butter & Jelly Ice Cream

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I think it's quite obvious...  I like looove peanut butter!  As proof, I'll tell you about my PB-filled week:

It began Monday, when I made the Peanut Butter Protein Balls I love so much.
On Tuesday, I halved my Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie recipe (for my thighs' sake) and ate it in cookie dough form.
On Wednesday, I enjoyed the PB and Maple Bagel Spread.
On Thursday, I craved my PB and Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats, but sadly, I was out of chocolate protein powder...

So, what did I do to make up for the missing krispy treats?

I made a batch of yummy, healthy, bone-building goodness  (read nutrition info below)

It's the most creamy, sweet, healthy ice cream ever.  I also may have splurged last week and bought a few things... one of them being an ice cream maker  (yes, I'm a shopaholic, but that is besides the point).  I thought making ice cream would be easy, you just dump a bunch of ingredients into the machine and...  BAM!  It's ice cream!  Right?  Uh, no... totally wrong.

Trial #1:

     Let's start from the beginning: the tiny fridge in my room is not big enough to fit my ice cream maker's freezer bowl, so I had to use the dorm's common refrigerator.  I put my bowl there, and came back 24 hours later (don't worry, no one vandalized the bowl, just keep reading).  I stirred some unsweetened vanilla soymilk together with whey protein concentrate and dried nonfat milk to make a "cream" replacement, then I added 1/4 cup of peanut butter.  The instructions say to chill the mixture overnight, but I skipped this step due to overwhelming excitement from the new product.  I grabbed the freezer bowl from the common freezer and ran back to my room to use immediately (I followed that portion of the directions!), poured in the "experiment mixture" and turned the machine on.  While it was churning, I could see ice cream chunks forming.  I took a spoon and scooped out a little to taste...  BLEGH!!  What is that?!?  Long story short, it tasted fishy, the peanut butter wasn't as dominant as I'd hoped.  Wonder why it was fishy?  I placed my freezer bowl in the common freezer between someone's salmon filets and frozen shrimp!  Somehow the fishiness was transferred onto my freezer bowl and tainted my ice cream--so just a fair warning to you all, be careful where you put your ice cream maker bowl!

Trial #2:
     This was delicious!  In the first bite you are instantly hit with a strong peanut butter flavor, and the sweetness from the fruit and jam are just spectacular.  It is a classic childhood treat with a healthy makeover.  I would love to make popsicles out of this, but I don't have a popsicle mold!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream:  [high protein]

(serves 5)

    12oz (1+1/2 cups) Skim Milk (enriched with calcium and vitamin D)

    60g (3/4 cup) Whey Protein Concentrate

    52g (1/4 cup + 2 tbs) Dried Nonfat Milk

    128g (1/2 cup) Natural Peanut Butter

    42g (2 tbs) Brown Rice Syrup (or honey, maple syrup, agave)

    1/2 tsp Stevia Extract

    1/8 tsp Salt

    1/3 cup 100% Fruit Spread (I used Raspberry)

    ~10 Strawberries, diced

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the skim milk, whey protein concentrate and dried nonfat milk.

2. Whisk in the peanut butter, brown rice syrup, stevia and salt.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

3. Chop the strawberries and put into a small bowl along with the jam and stir.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

4. Follow your ice cream makers' instructions

5. When it is almost done churning (about 5 minutes to go) slowly add in the jam and strawberries

As a general guide, I'm comparing my PB and J Ice Cream to the Haagen Dazs, Chocolate PB Ice Cream:

=

1) Fat:

     PB and J Ice Cream:  one serving (3/4 cup) has 13g of fat (where every gram comes from 100% pure peanuts!  No cream, no half and half, and no whole milk)

     Haagen Dazs:  one serving (1/2 cup) has 24g of fat, but if comparing at equal sizes, or, 3/4 cup, the fat level of this ice cream would jump up to 36g!  Almost 3x the fat of the PB & J Ice Cream.  This will set you back over 55% of your daily fat intake.

2) Saturated Fat:  for more info on saturated fats you can click here

     PB and J Ice Cream:  3/4 cup has 2.5g or 13% of your daily intake

     Haagen Dazs:  3/4 cup has 16.5g or a whopping 83% of your daily intake!  Better steer clear...

3) Cholesterol:

     PB and J Ice Cream:  this is made without eggs (I know, it sounds weird... eggs in ice cream?  But yes, many ice cream companies use egg yolks to achieve a creamy texture the cheapest way possible.  Many recipes use 5-6 yolks for a batch that serves 5-6.  One yolk per serving!).  Although egg yolks are rich in vitamins and minerals, they are just like any other food:  only good in moderation!  (And I don't believe that 5-6 yolks in a small batch of ice cream is "moderation" since it is impossible to have only one cup)  Also, in the ice cream making process, some of the egg proteins are denatured.

     Haagen Dazs:  for 3/4 cup, this ice cream will gladly hand over almost half of your daily cholesterol intake!  Tsk tsk...

4) Vitamin D and Calcium:

     PB and J Ice Cream:  because the milk used is enriched with extra calcium and vitamin D, your body will absorb both at ease for 2 reasons (there are more, but I'll just list 2):

          1.  Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so to absorb it, you need to consume it with a food containing fat.  This just makes the PB & J Ice Cream even more special!

          2.  You need vitamin D to absorb calcium, and they work together to ensure proper bone development and bone density.  It was recommended to have 4 servings of dairy every day to reach the calcium levels the human body requires.  If you're vegan, then you must find other sources and make sure you get enough.  For 3/4 cup, this ice cream has 40% of your daily calcium!

     Haagen Dazs:  for 3/4 cup, this has 15% of your daily calcium (I've gotta admit, that's a pretty good number... but then I looked at the ingredients: Cream, Skim Milk, Sugar, Peanut Butter (Peanuts, Peanut Oil, Sugar, Salt), Egg Yolks, Chocolate, Cocoa Processed with Alkali).  3/4 cup of this will give you 36g of unhealthy sugars.  If you are a peanut butter ice cream lover, beware and read the ingredient list.  When I was looking for an ice cream to compare to, many used partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats)!

This PB and J Ice Cream is bone-assisting while Haagen Dazs' Ice Cream is fat-stimulating!

Did I mention...  I'm still in the mood for peanut butter?