Ice Cream Bites That Won't Wreck Your Progress
Summer in Lindenhurst means one thing at every cookout: somebody's got a cooler full of ice cream sandwiches, and you're standing there doing math in your head about whether one is "worth it."
Here's a bite-sized fix. Freeze them ahead of time and you've got a grab-one-and-go treat in the freezer all week — for a party, for the kids, or for the 9pm sweet tooth that shows up right when you're trying to stay on track.
Credit where it's due: this recipe comes from Katie Hoehn, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS, a registered dietitian over at 1st Phorm. I didn't invent this one — I just think it's good enough that our members need to know it exists.
What you'll need
16 oz full-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp almond butter
3 cups dark chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp coarse or flaky sea salt
Gear: a blender, a 24-cup silicone mini muffin pan (or two 12-cup pans), a small bowl, a sheet pan, and parchment paper.
How to make them
Blend the cottage cheese, honey, vanilla, almond butter, and Level-1 together until it's completely smooth — no cottage cheese curds hiding in there. Divide the mixture across the mini muffin cups and freeze for about an hour, until each one is solid all the way through.
While that's freezing, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each one, until it's fully smooth.
Pop the frozen bites out of the muffin tins and dip each one in the melted chocolate to coat it completely. Sprinkle with sea salt right after dipping, while the chocolate's still wet, so it actually sticks. Set the coated bites on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze for another 5 minutes or so, just until the shell hardens.
That's it. Eat one now, and stash the rest in the freezer in an airtight container for whenever the craving hits.
The numbers
Makes 24 bites. Per bite:
Calories: 122
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 13g
Fat: 6g
Fiber: 1g
Worth knowing going in: this is a dessert with a protein boost, not a protein shake in disguise. Most of the calories are still coming from the honey and dark chocolate, and the protein number is modest per bite. If you're chasing a specific protein target for the day, this isn't the vehicle — it's just a smarter stop on the way to the ice cream truck than what you'd normally grab.
Prep: about 15 minutes. Freeze time: roughly an hour and 5 minutes total.
If you want help figuring out where a treat like this actually fits into your day — or you're not sure what your protein and carb targets should even look like — that's exactly what we sit down and map out in a Nutrition & Goals Meeting. No guessing required.
Stay cool out there.
— Mike
