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Pumpkin Protein Ice Cream

Posted on January 24, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

That’s right…

You HEARD me!

Pumpkin Protein Ice Cream - Who says pumpkin has to be reserved JUST for fall time treats Enjoy this protein-packed snack ANY time of year! www.kissmybroccoliblog.com

It’s fine if you want to pull my crazy card on this one, but I’m not going down alone! I’m pushing good ol’ Mother Nature out in front this time! I mean, seriously…what the heck is she up to anyway? Just the other day it was 50°F (10°C) and now, as I draft this post, it is a “balmy” 10°F (-12°C) with a wind chill of -4°F (-20°C)…neg-a-tive FOUR!

What…THEEEEE…fudge crackers!?

So maybe I wrapped up in my fuzzy robe, cranked up the heat, and alternated careful sips of ~~molten lava~~ hot coffee as I spooned this up, but it was TOTALLY worth it!

Based off my original Cake Batter Protein Ice Cream and the much-loved spin-off, Blueberry Protein Ice Cream, I put last week’s leftover pumpkin to good use! And ok, so maybe it was a good excuse to break out the peanuts and cereal “sprinkles” again! But hey, when a craving hits, you go for it, right? And luckily in only a few short hours (which I used for a good sweaty workout), I had EXACTLY what I was craving!

Pumpkin Protein Ice Cream - Any time is ice cream time when it comes to the protein-packed snack! www.kissmybroccoliblog.com

Oh and check it, I finally got to use the little pumpkin I found on sale at the dollar store back at the end of November! Seasonal denial…schmeasonal denial!

Pumpkin Protein Ice Cream

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2-3 hours chill time

Keywords: dessert snack high protein no sugar added cottage cheese pumpkin puree #strangebutgood ice-cream fall

Description: Who says pumpkin has to be reserved JUST for fall time treats? Enjoy this protein-packed snack ANY time of year!

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 large banana (fresh or frozen)
1-2 Tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (optional)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
5-7 drops NuNaturals liquid stevia*
Toppings: healthy chocolate sauce, crushed peanuts and cereal
*Use coupon code QQQ940 for up to 10% off your first order at iHerb.com!

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Place in freezer for 2-3 hours to set.
3. Scoop into a bowl, drizzle with chocolate sauce and top with crushed peanuts and cereal.

Crazy or not, I’m kinda hoping that I just blew your mind so much that you’ll let me slide on the fact that I didn’t get around to putting up another photography post this week. I promise to get to work on something this weekend!

But in the meantime, please, enjoy this cute little frosty pic with a label that took me ohhhh, about 45 minutes to make! 😉

And then jump on over to Sprint 2 the Table and show some love to my girl Laura who accepts all us weird foodies out there…even if we are a bit crazy!

*insert one eye open, tongue hanging out emoji here*

Do you crave ice cream in the winter?

What was the last craving you honored?

Posted in Desserts, Recipe, Snacks, Strange But Good | Tagged cottage cheese, Photography, protein, pumpkin, Stevia | 49 Comments

Smiling Out Loud

Posted on January 23, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

So it’s Thursday…finally!

Ever had one of those weeks that just seems to draaaaaaaaaag on by? I swear I’ve lived through two weeks since Saturday! While I’d really rather not get into the reason why my shitty weekend seems to be following me around, I DO want to share with you guys some things from this week that have helped me crack a smile…

1. Seriously, does this need any sort of caption?!

Actually it does…because I still can’t decide if he’s reading along with me or melting into my arm! 😉

2. Remember how I mentioned some musically-inspired sweaty workouts? Well, one of them just happened to involve me…running a mile…in NINE MINUTES!

3. Christmas continues!

This little box of goodies could not have come at a better time! My girl Melissa SURE does know how to spoil me…foodie goodies, nail polish, and a bottle of stuff that I keep trying to remind myself is NOT edible! 😯

4. I treated myself to a little manicure the other day! No picture because I totally smudged like seven of my fingers about four minutes after they finished “drying” but I went with Essie’s A Crewed Interest topped with glitter because well, it’s GLITTER and we all know glitter makes everything better!

5. &)&%^(&$%&#!!

Have you seen this?! Omg, seriously…I’m fanning myself! Now if I could only convince Quest that the next flavor needs to be blueberry muffin, my life will be complete!

6. My latest TWELVE accepted submissions from Foodgawker!

7. Wine o’clock!

This would be yesterday MORNING, when I came home from my shift at the hospital and cracked open my Christmas wine…you guys may be waking up and starting your days at 7am, but this was MY night cap…and I totally had a buzz after one little glass! #lightweight But then I slept for NINE hours! #winning

8. COMMAS, commas, commas, commas! 😆

9. I came, I saw, I conCURLED!

With my penchant for creating devastatingly humorous puns (and the sheer amount of humbleness I surround myself with), I just HAD to snap a selfie after I decided on a whim to break out the curling iron last night. It really is amazing what a little primping can do for the mood…

10. Especially since THIS is what my hair looked like before! 😯

Now hop on over to Spoons and check out the lists of LOUDNESS everyone else is linking up this week!

What has gotten you smiling this week?

Posted in Thinking Out Loud | Tagged Foodgawker, hospital, Quest bar, running, selfie, Tiger, wine | 56 Comments

Ta-Ta-Ta-Tasty Tuesday!

Posted on January 21, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself! 😉

A few months ago, the people over at Tasty Bite contacted me about trying some of their all-natural vegan and vegetarian entrees. I’d seen a few of the packages in stores here and there (Costco and World Market), but never had a chance to look into them. So after I received their email, I hopped on over to the website to see what they were all about.

I don’t typically buy pre-packaged meals because they usually have a mile-long ingredient list filled with things you can’t pronounce and of course there’s always a TON of sodium, but I have to say, after perusing the site for a bit, I was impressed with what I saw…quick fix meals in convenient pouches with only a handful of ingredients and a sodium content that wasn’t outrageous! WHAT?!

So I decided what the heck and agreed to put my TASTES to the test!

I never expected the company to be so generous, so I was super excited to receive SIX packages (each with two servings) of their top sellers! I’ll admit, I hoarded them for a while, but I’m actually glad I did, because over the last couple of months with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, these little packets were absolute LIFESAVERS!

Being the NUTTY girl that I am, I couldn’t help but start with the Asian noodles first!

I added some broccoli, carrots, and chicken to “beef” up my bowl (haha!) and thought it made a nice-sized meal…perfectly satisfying! While I would have liked to have had a bit more sauce, I thought the flavors and texture of both the Kung Pao and the Pad Thai were great! The noodles weren’t mushy at all and the peanuts added the perfect crunch!

Next, I was really curious about the flavors of the Indian entrees!

I’m usually pretty wimpy when it comes to spice so I was a bit nervous at first, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that neither one of them were too much for me to handle. After trying out the warmed lentils on top of a colorful kabocha salad…

I took the other serving and made some flatbread tacos!

With a consistency somewhere between refried beans and salsa, they made for a bit of a messy meal, but it was definitely TASTY! The Chana Masala was eaten on its own in the mere minutes between coming home from a night shift and faceplanting into bed…so yeah, no picture proof…but that was actually my favorite of the two! I loved the sweeter spices and it was really filling!

I saved the rice for last since I’m not normally a huge fan. I haven’t gotten around to trying the Thai Lime just yet, but if it’s HALF as good as the Ginger Lentil, then I may have to consider myself a rice-loving convert!

I’ll admit the spice in this got my nose running a bit, but let me just say I was more than grateful for this meal after coming in from some arctic Tennessee temperatures
a couple weeks ago!

Yeah, I’d say it was pretty ta-ta-ta TASTY TASTY! 😉

I can tell you right now that I will most definitely be looking into getting more of these…I’m loving the look of the combo kits they have available online!

Disclaimer: Tasty Bite sent me these products free of charge, but I received no compensation of any kind for this review. All of the above opinions expressed are my own.

Have you ever tried any Tasty Bite entrees or sides?

What’s your favorite pre-packaged quick-fix meal?