Natural Ices

This is the time of year for sweet cool, treats. Ice cream and Popsicles are great yet they can be too sweet, Not only that their ingredients may not be  healthy. A better alternative is homemade Italian ice. You know that's it's fresh and full of good stuff because you made it. Not only that you can have fun creating your own flavors too.

Ices can be like the smooth creamy Italian style or crunchy and textured like the Hawaiian kind. Either is a cool relief on a hot day. Italian ice is made using fresh fruit that has been pureed with unsweetened apple and lemon juice .It is then pored into trays or pans and allowed to set for one and a half to two hours.It is then whisked with an electric beater until creamy. For all natural ice, used fresh picked fruits of the season. Try strawberry or blueberry for ices with dense rich flavors. Try fresh, pureed peaches for a lighter fare. For more exotic flavors add some fresh picked mint or basil for a different spin. For zing, add some ginger bits.

Italian shaved ice is another type of ice that is genuinely refreshing on a hot June day. Shaved ice or Sno cone ice just requires ice cubes . Here you can go the extra mile and freeze spring water for a really healthy treat. (you can also buy or freeze a block of ice but this will require an ice shaver). Put small batches of the cubes into the blender and ground. The pieces should be no bigger than bread crumbs ideally. Flavor with juices from your juicer. A good one is a berry mix using fresh strawberries and blue berries. You can also make a tasty dark blackberry one. Again peaches and nectarine juice, right from your juice are also flavorful. Even toss in the left over mashed pulp if you want to, too.

There's nothing like a cool ice on a hot  late spring or early summer's day .Make one that is not only soothing but also super healthy. It's  great way of beating the heating and adding more vitamins and minerals to your warm weather diet.