❤️????
If you’re anything like me, you crave ice cream any time of the year (even when the temperatures drop low)! But don’t worry. I’m not falling off track here. We just got started in the New Year after all! ????
Instead, I’m choosing my Gingerbread Banana Nicecream Recipe that will supply us with vital nutrients and make the digestive process infinitely better than ordinary ice cream!! This is because we’ll be avoiding dairy and processed sugar that’s found in typical ice creams—causing bloating, acne and digestive issues. Ugh.
So when you’re craving something cool, creamy, and on the sweeter side, opt for ingredients that are bursting with nature’s nutrients, fighting antioxidants, and natural sugar flavorings!
Gingerbread
Now, when you think of gingerbread, you may be thinking of those cute little gingerbread men, or those sweet little houses coated with sugary bits of candy you decorated as a child. Not today!! Today we are building gingerbread flavors with buttery rich pecans, sweet-earthy cinnamon, and sweet-smoky flavor infused vanilla.
The mixture of this trio, all smothered up inside this frozen banana treat, is just heavenly and good for you! Let’s take a look at why I chose these specific beauty ingredients…
Beauty Nut: Pecans
Pecans are pretty amazing—with their healthy unsaturated fat—just a handful a day can lower “bad” cholesterol. Containing more than 19 vitamins and minerals (including vitamins A, B, and E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc).
These buttery gems are also rich in age defying antioxidants. In fact, pecans are one of the most antioxidant-rich tree nuts and rank as one of the top 15 foods with the highest levels of antioxidants.
When it comes to weight loss, it would seem like we would want to stay clear in consuming nuts but with a balance consumption of raw organic nuts (like pecans), you can actually enhance satiety and increase your metabolism. Again, it’s about balance and eating the right kinds of nuts.
Here are a few other reasons why adding pecans to your diet could be beneficial:
- Pecans are rich in magnesium, which is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits
- The are a rich source of manganese, which is a powerful antioxidant and trace mineral that helps boost your immune system and protects your nerve cells from free-radicals
- Pecans contain zinc, which helps to maintain health skin by guarding against infections, while the vitamin A acts as an antioxidant, giving you a clearer complexion
Beauty Spice: Cinnamon
You may have heard me talk about cinnamon on many occasions, since I do love adding it to many of my afternoon smoothie snacks. Here’s a recap of some of its benefits:
- Cinnamon can boost your metabolism (helping you achieve your weight loss goals), cure sugar cravings in-between meals, control blood sugar levels, and offshoot fat levels
- Full of antioxidants which protect the body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals.
- Compared to antioxidant activity of 26 other spices, cinnamon outranked super foods, like garlic and oregano
- Is so powerful that it can be used as a natural food preservative!
- Helps with inflammation in the body (incredibly important since it helps the body fight infections and repair tissue damage)
- A warming spice that heats up the body, boost circulation, and speeds up metabolism—having a positive effect on the immune system
- Helps to fight off colds and the flu
Give your body the boost it needs in improving and maintaining digestive health. Click here!
Beauty Extract: Vanilla
When it comes to deciding what kind of vanilla to purchase, first and foremost, be sure to steer clear of artificial vanilla, which is made with pure vanillin diluted with water, and alcohol.
Even though the vanillin is chemically identical to that found in real vanilla, it’s being extracted from coal tar (or wood pulp), as a by-product of paper production and extremely inexpensive to produce.
Try buying an organic brand from your local health store or market, and never hesitate to ask advice on which brands are the best quality. This is one ingredient where I don’t feel bad splurging on a little, since it really adds so much flavor to my recipes.
When it comes to it’s benefits, check out the list below:
- Vanilla extract contains 26 to 90 percent of the antioxidants of unprocessed vanilla (depending on the type of antioxidant and the concentration of the extract)
- Has health and food preserving properties
- Protects our bodies from damage from harmful components like toxins and free radicals
- Is a natural antioxidant which is what gives vanilla beans their distinctive aroma
- Has powerful liver-protective abilities and anti-inflammatory abilities (due to the vanillin content and when treated with vanillin)
- Promotes healthy digestion- always a big plus over here in our community!!
So it’s time to invest in a good bottle of vanilla and know that you’re feeding your body with the best of ingredients, while enjoying it’s wonderful aroma and unique taste! ????
Beauty Fruit: Banana
Being a part of the Beauty Detox community, you will have gathered just how much I love bananas, and how often I use them in my recipes. In my book, Radical Beauty, I share just how important bananas are in filling our bodies with vitamins, minerals, fiber and long-term energy.
Bananas are high in potassium (about 600 mg per medium banana), potassium (balance the effects of sodium on your body), and fiber (3 grams in a medium-sized one). Bananas also contain vitamins A, B, E, K and C as well as 6 mcg of folic acid—essential for red blood cell formation. (All of this comes in a tasty package that has about 105 calories with 0 grams of fat).
Bananas really are a force to be reckoned with, with:
- Natural oils and enzymes that help your body easily digest them
- Won’t weigh down your digestive tract, and will help lubricate it
- Helps to keep you regular when it comes time to eliminate, while the electrolytes help restore electrolytic balance
Overall, bananas are a perfect addition to your The Beauty Detox Solution plan—being natural and packed with amazing vitamins and phytonutrients that other diets may be lacking in.
Choose high quality whole foods like these ‘yella-fellas’ for optimal digestion, assimilation and overall health, beauty, and wellbeing!
How to Make this Yummy NiceCream Below…
Gingerbread Banana Nicecream Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 frozen bananas
- ¼ cup almond milk
- ⅓ cup pecans
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- *Optional toppings: sliced bananas crushed pecans, cinnamon
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until it reaches soft-serve consistency. Optional: Top with sliced bananas, crushed pecans, or cinnamon and enjoy!
Need a blender that will cream up these ingredients in a jiffy? Give THIS SPECIFIC ONE a try…it will soon become one of your favorite kitchen gadgets!
Don’t forget to add this to your Pinterest Snack & Desserts board!
All my love,
Great form to do somethin with banana. I love your drink
Thanks for giving it a try word cookies answers, and happy to hear you love it. I always appreciate hearing feedback from my Beauties! ;)
So good!! You’ve hit it out of the ballpark again Kim! I also love your orange smoothie! So creative!
So happy to hear your feedback Sarah and glad to love this recipe. Sending you love and continued support on your Beauty Detox journey! ;)
Hi, I love your recipes but am wondering whether you can replace the bananas with anything else as I cannot eat bananas. Many thanks.
Hi Lynda…if it’s about allergies, you can try using frozen cubes of almond milk combined with frozen cubes of coconut milk, however, you won’t be receiving the benefits that come with eating banana. If it’s about the flavor or texture of the banana and not an allergies, then I say, give the frozen bananas a try and see what you think – most of the time, the banana flavor is hidden from most people’s palates. Lots of love to you and let us know how you do! ;)
This was so delicious!! I added some cardamom to it too. YUM! Thank you for this great treat ????
That’s a delicious addition to the recipe ;) Sounds yummy!!
Thanks @kimberly! I was wondering, can you have bananas if there is a chance I may have candida? I am guessing you can’t since there is a candida glowing green smoothies. Any help with candida also welcome!
The description sounds wonderful, but I don’t see the recipe. Did it get removed?
Hi Beauty! The recipe should now be visible at the bottom of the post. Enjoy! xx
Thank you! I just tried this recipe, and it was awesome. I used dairy milk, as that was all I had in the house. I have a big sweet-tooth, and I was sure I would have to add a little honey, but no. The recipe was great as is. Plenty sweet with a subtle buttery taste to it. Amazing. I will be making this often!