How to treat yourself on a nice sunny day

When England gets one of those rare sunny days, ice cream is one of the first things that comes to mind. If you are trying to be healthy, or lose weight, then ice cream is one of the worst things you can have. It is made from cream (full of fat), sugar (pretty much the devil) and egg yolks (the unhealthy part of egg) and that is without it being on a stick and covered in chocolate (more sugar). So, here is a way you can enjoy a cold treat on a hot day, without chasing the ice cream van down the road. It will also ensure you will look better in those shorts you have been dreading wearing this summer.

Whilst I was backpacking round the U.S. I fell in love with frozen yogurt. In the beginning I am not sure what I loved about it, the taste or the fact I felt more American eating it - I'm a Americanophile! I was also drawn to the fact that it is a low fat alternative to ice cream. Whilst this is true, as they use low fat yogurt instead of cream, they still mix it with piles of sugar which doesn't make it low in calorie. But since coming home and experimenting with recipes, I have fallen in love with the taste.

So, I have created my own frozen yogurt recipe. Whilst it takes a few hours to make, it is really really simple and can be adapted in so many ways, so have an experiment and have a guilt free treat when the sun is out.

Ingredients
- 1 tub of fat free natural yogurt
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Agave or honey

1) Pour the yogurt into a Tupperware pot and put in the freezer for 2 hours.

2) Take the pot out of the freezer and squeeze the sides to loosen in. Then mix it to prevent it from crystallising and until it goes soft again. Put it back in the freezer for 40 minutes

3) Take the yogurt out of the freezer and leave to stand for 10-20 minutes until it softens a bit.

4) Scoop the frozen yogurt out and put in a bowl, drizzle a little agave or honey on it and top with strawberries and blueberries.

You can top it with loads of different things. Just don't top it with chocolate or golden syrup otherwise it will defeat the point of it. You can also blend fruit with the yogurt before you start the freezing process, then it is all mixed in.

I'm not going to tell you it tastes exactly like ice cream and you will never crave ice cream again, because it doesn't and you will. But, it is creamy and cold like ice cream and can be sweetened naturally to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy way. Therefore, if you care about your health, then it is a great choice this summer.



I shall be blogging more cold sweet treats over the summer too :)