Healthy Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe

If there is one treat that my kids love it is ice cream.  Smooth, creamy and cold, they love it no matter the season.  Parents will love these healthy homemade ice cream sandwich recipe, because the ice cream has only one ingredient.  Fruit!  These are made by pureeing frozen banana which turns into a thick and creamy banana ice cream that is absolutely delicious!  Combined with a yummy homemade coconut oatmeal cookie, these ice cream sandwiches are the perfect treat for your kids.

To make this creamy banana ice cream, you will just need some bananas and a food processor.  In just a few easy steps, your ice cream will be ready to serve up!  A few tips when making this ice cream:

• You may want to cut your bananas into smaller pieces to help them blend easier.
• Once your ice cream is ready, serve it immediately.  The texture is best right when it is done.  If you let it sit, then it gets a little slimy and the color begins to change.

To make this, peel your bananas and flash freeze them flat on a tray.  Cut into small pieces and place in a food processor.  Begin to pulse.  They will begin to crumble at first.  Continue pulsing until the bananas become a smooth creamy mixture.  Your ice cream is ready!

For the cookies, we used this yummy recipe from Eat Good for Life.  They are these delicious oatmeal coconut cookies.   The original recipe called for almonds, but I left them out in case of nut allergies.  They turned out delicious, but I’m sure they would be good with the almonds. I also substituted the olive oil, for coconut oil.  They are the perfect cookie for an ice cream sandwich because they flatten out,  have a texture that holds up and has substance, but are still chewy.

The hint of coconut in the cookie with the sweetness of the banana makes a delicious sweet treat, without all of the added sugar and fat that regular ice cream adds.   These homemade ice cream sandwiches make a delicious after school snack, party treat, or an after dinner dessert.

Sometimes as parents, we like to use food as rewards.  We have some other non-food ideas to use an incentives:

• Charts using stickers, points, tally’s, stamps, etc.  Once chart is full, child chosen activity follows.
• Buckets to be filled with beans, pebbles, etc. Once jar or bucket is full, turn in for a new toy.
• Extra play time or privileges (I admit I use this one almost exclusively.  My kids get 30 minutes of video game time per day.  If they do something extra special or really good, I let them have a few extra minutes of game time! It works for the boys.
• Use play money they can turn in for a privilege or toy.
• Pajama party with mom or dad!
• Choose something from a “treasure box”
• Coupon for a movie night.
• Extra story read at night
• Raffle tickets
• Books, stickers, pencils, bouncy balls, jump ropes, erasers