Ice cream is my weakness. This time of year I love the holiday flavors, like pumpkin and peppermint. Unfortunately, these rarely are available in lighter or lower-sugar varieties, and as much as I love ice cream, I don’t love the calories that come with it.
And boy-oh-boy, can they add up quickly! A single one-half cup serving of premium ice cream can have as much as 250 calories (along with an entire days’ worth of both added sugar and saturated fat!). If you pay attention to points instead of calories, that same one-half cup of a premium ice cream can have as much as 12 smart points.
Fortunately, I found a tasty solution to my holiday ice cream woes and it’s as easy as can be. Simply take a healthy vanilla variety and mix in the seasonal flair! With just 107 calories, 4 smart points, and 75% less sugar per half cup serving, this perfectly seasoned pumpkin ice cream can be easily enjoyed by all!
(For a super seasonal treat, serve pumpkin ice cream topped with a tablespoon of crushed gingersnap cookies, or place it in a pretty bowl and use a single gingersnap cookie as a garnish).
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 1/3 cup no-sugar-added (or light) vanilla ice cream
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
1. Place ice cream in a large bowl. Add pumpkin and spices and stir until incorporated.
2. Place the bowl in the freezer and re-freeze until ice cream hardens to consistency of your liking.
(Plan on at least 2 hours for hardening.)
NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING (1/2 cup): Calories 107 | Carbohydrate 18g (Sugars 6g) | Total Fat 4.5g (Sat Fat 3g) | Protein 3g | Fiber 6g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 55mg | Food Exchanges: 1 Carbohydrate 1 Fat | Carbohydrate Choices: 1 | Weight Watcher Plus Point Comparison: 2 Smart Point Comparison: 3
