This just in: I’ve FINALLY made a dairy free ice cream worth sharing! This one seems like it took me forever to figure out – you won’t believe it’s dairy free AND sugar free! WHAT?!? Yes, I said sugar free! Don’t be scared by the can of coconut, I’m not a fan of coconut and almost didn’t use it, but trust me, the almond butter does something to it and it’s excellent!

LORAfied DF & Sugar Free ice cream:

Vanilla “base”:
1 can FULL FAT coconut milk
1 Tablespoon @nunaturals stevia simple syrup
1/4 Cup smooth almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Put the ingredients in a blender, mix until smooth. Once everything is blended, just pour in your ice cream maker and that’s it! No need to chill the mix beforehand, crazy, right? Just make sure your ice cream maker is cold (or frozen in my case) and readyto go. Each maker has different timing, mine was done in under 30 minutes.

You can eat as it is above or you can add in just about anything, like chocolate chips, swirl in peanut butter, caramel, whatever you’re in the mood for. Just make sure to add your goodies when the ice cream is still in the soft stage, not when it’s fully hardened, then it’s a real trick to incorporate.
Here’s what I added today:
Balsamic Strawberries:
1 cup of chopped strawberries
1-2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar (I love @enzos.table fig one)
dash of freshly ground black pepper
heavy drizzle of NuNaturals simply syrup

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine. Add to ice cream when it hits the soft stage.
The strawberries also go great on top of the plain version as well.
GF cones from @joycconeco ?

Feeling bloated? Try reaching for a couple kiwi, yes the funny tropical fruit that looks like a hairy eyeball when you cut it open may be your best bet! @mindbodygreen reports a new study found kiwi even topple the all might prune when it comes to a happy gut. Chinese medicine has long used these little green wonders to help with digestion. They’re packed with fiber and contain a special enzyme called actinidin which can help assist with that full stomach feel. Note: if kiwi ishard to find or out of season, you might want to try a kiwi supplement like the one from @enzymedica – full disclosure, I have not tried this specific one, but it certainly looks interesting.

Using a coffee filter may be good for your heart! The folks @wired explain why:
“Researchers in the Netherlands found that coffee filters eliminate a chemical that causes heart problems. Meanwhile, an international team of researchers found that the grounds help remove copper and lead from tap water.”
And there’s more good news for those of us still using the ol’ drip and filter machines:
“A group of international scientists found that coffee filters can remove from 78 to 90 percent of dissolved heavy metals such as lead and copper from tap water.”
Australian researcher, Mike McLaughlin, (no relation) breaks it down: “The reason is that coffee grounds have uncharged or negatively charged molecules in them, whereas dissolved heavy metals are positively charged. As a result, the heavy metal ions bind strongly to the coffee”. And for those who prefer tea: “It is also possible tea-bags and tea leaves may work in the same way, but not as well as coffee” When choosing a coffee filter, look for unbleached options as the white ones have been, well, whitened with chemicals like chlorine or a process called oxygen bleaching, yikes! You can find sites that tell you it’s “only a minuscule amount of bleach”, but honestly, it’s just not worth it. Especially when the price different between the two options is so small. I love the ones from @ifyoucare_usa but there are lots of good choices out there.