Ice Cream Pie

Yum, yum, yum!  This is the new favorite dessert in our house.  I’ve made it twice in the last 3 weeks.  I came across the idea for this dessert on the Eat Better America website and thought that it’d be perfect for summer! 

I made it for the first time when my family came up to visit and it was so good, that Jeremy requested it again for when Jayla came over last week.  Speaking of Jeremy, I have a cute story about this recipe.  When I first told him that I was going to make an ice cream pie for dessert, Jeremy gave me a confused look and said, “But won’t the ice cream melt in the oven?”  Ah ha ha, cute, huh?  I explained that I wouldn’t actually be baking it  and he still seemed skeptical, but I think I convinced him that it’s good.

So, my inspiration for this ice cream pie was from this Healthified Turtle Ice Cream Cake.  I actually had all the intentions of following that recipe, but then I thought, “Well, there is premade Oreo crust at the store, so why should I make my own?”  Then, I asked Jeremy if he wanted a different kind of ice cream than vanilla and he wanted strawberry.  Personally, I was thinking Cookies ‘n Cream or Coffee would be excellent, but he’s not a fan of those.  Really, this recipe is more of a method.  Use whatever kind of ice cream you like.  Use a graham cracker crust instead of Oreo.  Add as much hot fudge as you want.  Or substitute butterscotch topping.  Use peanuts instead of pecans.  Or whatever.  You get the idea.

Enjoy!

 

Ingredients.

Eat me!

Sara’s Ice Cream Pie

• 1 store bought Oreo cookie pie crust
• 2 - 3 cups reduced fat chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
• 2- 3 cups reduced fat strawberry ice cream, slightly softened
• 1/2 cup Sugar free hot fudge topping
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Sugar-free caramel topping

1. Drop chocolate ice cream by small spoonfuls over crust; carefully spread until smooth. Freeze 1 hour or until firm.
2. Spoon and carefully spread fudge topping over ice cream. Sprinkle with pecans; press lightly. Freeze 1 hour or until firm.
3. Drop strawberry ice cream by small spoonfuls over pecan layer; carefully spread until smooth. Cover; freeze at least 8 hours or overnight.
4. To serve, let stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes to soften. Cut into 8- 12 wedges. Place each wedge on individual dessert plate; drizzle each with caramel topping and additional nuts, if desired.

Protein Shake

If any of you check in on my “other blog,” you’ll know that last week Jeremy and I started the P90X workout and nutrition plan.  The nutrition plan is broken down into a few different phases, which vary depending on what part of the workout your in or your desired results.  We are currently in Phase I, which is a high protein/low carb eating plan.  Sadly…low carb means no cookies, cakes, candies or Sara’s Sweets!  Bummer, right? 

I know you’re probably thinking, “Sara, what are you going to blog about if you can’t eat delicious treats?!”  No need to worry, my friends.  I’ve got a few “sweet” recipes saved up to blog about and I thoroughly plan on continuing to bake treats for my friends/co-workers, so I’ll have plenty to blog about!  Plus, I’ll have some delicious new P90X recipes to share.

The first recipe has become a favorite breakfast of ours and it is the protein shake.  It’s such an easy and quick breakfast, plus it’s surprisingly very filling (hello, protein)!  We bought chocolate flavor protein powder and we used strawberries as the “berry,” which resulted in a delicious, strawberry, bananay, chocolate shake.  Yum!

I highly recommend this delicious shake if you’re looking for a filling, quick and easy breakfast.  And of course, it’s nutritious!

Enjoy!

 

Ingredients.

 

All the protein shake, just for me?

Delicious!

P90X Protein Shake

Ingredients

• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1/2 cup berries
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup ice

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Drink up!

Strawberry Lemon Cake

It’s summer!  I love summer.  I love that students our out of school, so I can park closer to my office.  I love that the sun rises super early and sets super late.  I love the way the warm AZ sun thaws me out, when I’ve been inside too long.  I love BBQs with friends.  And I love light summer desserts!

Last night we went over to Jayla’s house for dinner, dessert and doggie playtime.  Of course, I was in charge of the dessert…since its my favorite thing to make!  :)

A few days ago, I was watching Paula Dean's show and I saw her make a Lemon Cake.  Hmmm…I love lemon.  She made the lemon curd filling from scratch.  Hmmm…I have lemon curd in the fridge.  I thought to myself, “Hmmm…we might be onto something here.”  After looking on the Food Network website and reading the reviews for the recipe, the comments on the cake weren’t that great.  So, I thought to myself, “Hmmm…I could always use cake mix, but what goes good with lemon?”  Then, it came to me…strawberries!!  Since after Paula’s show, Sandra Lee was on, I thought, “Hmmm…I’ll make this Semi-Homemade style!”  And voila, this delicious cake was created.

I used Pillsbury Strawberry cake mix, store bought lemon curd, Paula’s frosting (which got good reviews with the recipe) and fresh strawberries, to decorate.  This cake was moist, sweet, tangy and a delicious addition to our summer dinner!  With the cake mix, I made it the “cholesterol free” and “high altitude” way.  As for Paula’s frosting, I really liked it!  It has a marshmallow texture and the recipe makes a lot, so your cake can be nice and fluffy (but I only used half b/c it was way too much for my liking).  Plus, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.  To continue with my lemon theme, I added a bit of lemon extract to the frosting, just to round out the flavors.  This is a very tasty cake and if you’re looking for a summer dessert, I highly recommend it.

Enjoy!

Mmm…strawberries.

I’ll admit…one reason I like it, is because it’s pink.

The boys eating their cake.

Us girls eating ours.

Sara’s Strawberry Lemon Cake

Ingredients

• 1 box Strawberry cake mix
• Lemon curd (store bought or make your own)
• Paula Dean’s Frosting (recipe below)

Directions

1. Make cake mix as directed for a 8 or 9 inch cake pan and allow to cool on wire racks.
2. Poke holes in the top of one of the cake layers and spread on as much lemon curd as you’d like.  Top with remaining cake layer.
3. Frost with Paula’s Frosting and garnish with strawberries.  (I’m sure you could put more lemon curd on the top layer, if you’d like, because the frosting is so thick that it wouldn’t spread the curd around.)

Paula’s Frosting, by Paula Dean

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon extract (my addition)

1. Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler.
2. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan.
3. Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes.
4. Beat in vanilla.