Healthy Homemade Ice Cream

Ice Cream - what a wonderful, nostalgic, memorable summer treat. Summer just wouldn't be summer without a weekend trip with Grandpa to the local Drive-In Burger Joint for a soft-serve cone of creamy, cold, delicious goodness. Or maybe you were treated to a similar ice cream adventure, choosing one or more of your favorite 31 flavors? Other kids had more homemade memories, that included a lot of turns on the old fashioned hand-crank machine, where the ice and salt mixed together and created the perfect temperature for chilling mom's fresh strawberry ice cream. Those were the days of "All You Can Eat Ice Cream Bliss" until the inevitable ice cream headache hit you between the eyes.

Well, now that we're grown ups, ice cream just isn't considered a healthy treat and many of us find too many reasons not to indulge. I completely disagree! Sure, over-the-counter ice cream can be loaded with saturated fat and loads of sugar, but healthy alternatives are available, and the healthiest way of all is truly to make your own!

For those looking for lighter options, consider Frozen Yogurt, with an average 1/2 Cup containing about a third of the calories of a premium brand ice cream, and less than 2 grams of saturated fat. Or for a fat-free dessert alternative - try Sorbet! Made of sugar and fruit, sorbet is surely a low-fat treat to beat the heat, but depending on how much sugar is in it, the calorie counters among us may still be fearful. By making it yourself, you can control the amount of sugar and best of all, you can pick perfectly ripe local fruits, and really savor the flavors.

Or step it up a notch on the refinement scale and impress your friends with a tasty bowl of Gelato! Gelato is an Italian frozen dessert much like ice cream, only it is generally made with milk instead of heavy cream, and has less air whipped into it - so you may actually be able to stop yourself after just one bowl. Maybe, that is.

Granita is another fine alternative to store bought ice cream. Granita is the refined older sister of the slushie. Combine sugar, water, and the natural flavors (almonds, coffee, lemon juice) that you love, then just blend and freeze. Stir up the mixture and serve it in cocktail glasses for an afternoon delight w/ friends and neighbors.

Making homemade ice cream in everyone's favorite flavor has never been easier. Ice cream makers from yesterday were bulky, noisy machines that took forever and took a lot of elbow grease. In the last ten years, more and more manufacturers took up the challenge and started making machines that featured freezing chambers that you had to freeze before making your ice cream. This often meant that you had to think ahead and plan your ice cream adventures carefully. Today, we have so many different options, including the super automatic machines that you simply pour in your ice cream, sorbet, or yogurt base, put on the lid, and flip the switch - in about 30 minutes, your creamy cold goodness is ready for a spoon!

And although sometimes we may not want our ice cream to be so healthy - the truth is that it can be a good-for-you treat - it's simply a matter of choosing the right recipes and the right ingredients. Select fresh ripe local fruits for the best flavor, cut back on the sugar, and make recipes that use low- or no-fat alternatives such as yogurt, sorbet and granita. And since the tools for making your own iced treats are now much faster and easier to operate than ever before, there's really no reason why you can't crank out your own delicious ice creams and more. Check out the options available from KitchenAid, Cuisinart and more, with counter-top ice cream makers starting at about $54.