Sweet Facts About Ice Cream

By Jenni of Winners Drink Milk

July is National Ice Cream Month and Indiana has every right to celebrate. Ice Cream Month was designated by Ronald Reagan in 1984. The Hoosier State is ranked second in production of regular and low-fat ice cream.  Not only does that 'sweeten up' the state but that contributes a signficant about to the State's economy and provides jobs. Who doesn't love trivia? Lets celebrate Ice Cream Month with fun facts about America's favorite treat. 

Did you know....

• It takes about 50 licks to finish one scoop of ice cream.
• An average dairy cow can produce enough milk in her lifetime to make a little over 9,000 gallons of ice cream
•  America's favorite flavors are vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, chocolate chip and butter pecan.
• It takes about 12 pounds of milk to make 1 gallon of ice cream.
• More than 90% of American families purchase ice cream.
• The U.S. enjoys an average of 48 pints of ice cream per person, per year, more than any other country.
• One of the most important ingredients in ice cream is air. Without it, ice cream would be as hard as a rock.

The skinny on the ice cream....

• In the U.S., all ice cream needs to have a minimum of 10% milk fat if it is to be labeled "ice cream". 
• This includes custard based (French Style) ice creams.
• Reduced fat, has at least 25% less total fat than regular ice cream.
• Light, has at least 50% less fat and 33% fewer calories than regular.
• Low-fat, can't have more than 3 grams of fat per serving.
• Nonfat, has less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.

Ice cream is good for you... Ice cream provides great nutrition. Its base ingredient is milk, which is loaded with healthy vitamins and minerals. It is a source of calcium that satisfies your sweet tooth and helps build strong bones. It is also great paired with nutrient rich foods such as strawberries, bananas and nuts.

Cool Treats

By DeDe Hausmann from Winners Drink Milk

Well let’s talk about cool treats.  We have been having one heck of a hot summer and everyone is trying to stay cool.  What better way than to have a nice cold, yet healthy, treat?!?!   

There are many ways to prepare cold treats like popsicles and what a great way for the kiddos to get involved.  My personal favorite is putting the containers of whipped yogurt into the freezer for a treat!!  They, and you, are going to love these recipes below. Enjoy!!

Yogurt Mango Pops

Source

1 cup Low-Fat Vanills Greek Yogurt

1 c chopped fresh or frozen mangos 

1 tsp fresh lemon juice 

3-5 Tbsp honey 

Purée yogurt, mangos, lemon juice and honey in food processor until smooth. 

Transfer mixture to freezer-pop molds, leaving about 1-inch of space at the top. Freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours. 

To unmold, dip mold briefly in hot water. If you don’t have freezer pop molds, use small paper cups. After filling, place a sheet of plastic wrap over top, cut a slit in center and add a popsicle stick.

Strawberry Lemonade Yogurt Ice Pops

Adapted From

1 (12 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate 

2 cups cold water 

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1 (16 ounce) package frozen sliced strawberries 

In a large pitcher, stir together the lemonade concentrate, water and yogurt. Place strawberries into the container of a blender, and puree until smooth. Pour in some of the lemonade if necessary to facilitate blending. Stir strawberry puree into the lemonade. Pour into molds, and freeze until firm, about 4 hours. 

Orange Cream Popsicles

Source

6 ounce can orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 cups vanilla yogurt

2 tsp vanilla extract

Popsicle molds OR 3 ounce cups and craft sticks

Stir all ingredients together until smooth.  Pour mixture into popsicle molds or paper cups.  Insert sticks and freeze.

Make Your Own Ice Cream in a Bag!

By Amy of Real Farmwives of America and Friends and 2 Maids A Milking

Celebrate National Ice Cream Month!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!!

What a great way to celebrate summer – ice cream sundaes, ice cream cones, milk shakes, and especially homemade ice cream! We do our fair share of consuming ice cream ALL year round but July is actually National Ice Cream Month! In 1984, President Ronald Reagan made this designation because he loved ice cream so much. In fact, the third Sunday of the month is even National Ice Cream Day – which happens to be on Sunday, July 17th this year.

If you’ve ever wanted to make homemade ice cream but don’t have an ice cream maker, you are in luck! Here is a simple, easy, and super tasty treat that you can make with ingredients that you probably already have at home. This one is always a winner with kids too because they can get involved and make their own!

Being a dairy farm family, we love to find ways to enjoy our dairy products and this one was a huge hit with a group of kids at our farm during a summer cow camp! We hope you enjoy!

Ice Cream in a Bag

Ingredients

1 T. sugar

½ C. whole milk or half & half

¼ t. vanilla extract

6 T. rock salt

1 pint-size Ziploc plastic bag

1 gallon-size Ziploc plastic bag

Ice

How To Make It

1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one and seal again carefully.
4. Shake until mixture is ice cream, 5-10 minutes.
5. Wipe off top of small bag, then open carefully and enjoy.
6. Feel free to add chocolate syrup, nuts, strawberries or any other ice cream topping!