It’s no secret that I have a sweet tooth that I indulge often. I think that life is too short to not enjoy some dessert here and there. One kind of dessert that I most definitely am a fan of is ice cream.
Recently, Arctic Zero reached out to me to see if I’d like to try some of their frozen desserts. I was intrigued by their products because they’re:
- Gluten and fat free
- Non-GMO
- Made with whey protein
- Free from artificial sweeteners or flavors
- Sweetened with monk fruit and organic cane sugar
- 150 calories per PINT
I immediately knew that I had to try these desserts. I mostly eat fro yo or light ice cream to avoid the excess fat and calories in real ice cream, but Arctic Zero appeared to take guilt-free desserts to a whole new healthy level. When I came home to my fun Arctic Zero package, my dog was very interested in Arctic Zero too.
I love how the nutrition lists are made up of short, easily identifiable ingredients. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been taste testing Arctic Zero’s products. The frozen dessert pints are made in the following flavors: chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, coffee, cookies & cream, mint chocolate, strawberry and vanilla maple. They also make frozen dessert bars, which are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or orange cream ice cream coated in chocolate.
My overall verdict is that I really like Arctic Zero’s treats. I like that it allows me to feel like I’m eating an ice cream-like treat, yet I don’t have to worry about measuring out a serving. In fact, I can (and did) eat the whole pint in one sitting and feel fine about it. Keep in mind, at 37 calories in a half-cup serving, it can’t be expected that Arctic Zero will taste as creamy and rich as real ice cream. It’s good stuff, but it’s not a miracle food.
My favorite pint flavors were cookies & cream and mint chocolate. I also really liked the dessert bars, particularly the strawberry and chocolate flavors. At only 85 calories a pop, the bars tasted more like a conventional ice cream treat. My only qualm with the bars is that the chocolate coating easily falls off of the ice cream, but that wouldn’t stop me from buying the bars at the store.
Besides eating my Arctic Zero treats all on their own, I played around with eating the ice cream flavors in different ways. Here are my 3 favorite ways to eat Arctic Zero’s pint flavors thus far:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake
After tasting it, you’d seriously never guess that this shake is under 200 calories and has 12 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber. It has lots of chocolate peanut butter flavor without tons of calories or fat!
Chocolate Mint Pancakes Topped with Arctic Zero Chocolate Mint Ice Cream
I got a little chocolate mint crazy one evening and made these pancakes for dinner. These healthy pancakes are made with ground flaxseed, banana, rolled oats and protein powder. Topped with Arctic Zero chocolate mint and dark chocolate chips, the meal doubled as dessert. I kid you not, I devoured them and can’t wait to make them again!
Strawberry Banana Milkshake
Adding Arctic Zero strawberry ice cream into my standard strawberry banana protein smoothie made the drink creamier and more dessert-like.
The possibilities are endless in adding Arctic Zero frozen treats to recipes for extra flavor without lots of added calories. I am certainly planning on experimenting more with their flavors!
If you’re interested in trying Arctic Zero treats, the good news is that they’re now sold in all 50 states. You can check out their store locator to find out where Arctic Zero is sold near you. The recipes for my pancakes and shakes are below!
Tell me…
Have you ever tried Arctic Zero’s products?
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Strawberry Banana Milkshake
Ingredients
- 1 cup vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup Arctic Zero strawberry ice cream
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/4 TSP vanilla extract
- Ice
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth, then enjoy.
Nutrition
Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake
Ingredients
- 1 cup chocolate almond milk
- 2 TBSP PB 2 powdered peanut butter
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup Arctic Zero chocolate peanut butter ice cream
- 1 TBSP cocoa powder
- 1 packet Stevia sweetener
- Ice
Instructions
- Pulse all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a glass, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Chocolate Mint Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole grain rolled oats
- 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate almond milk
- 2 TBSP ground flaxseed meal
- 1/2 banana
- 1/4 TSP peppermint extract
- 1 cup Arctic Zero chocolate mint ice cream
- 1 TBSP cocoa powder
- 1 TBSP dark chocolate chips
- 1 packet Stevia sweetener
- 1 TSP baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Blend banana, almond milk, flaxseed, cocoa, stevia, mint extract, oats, protein powder, baking powder and pinch of salt in a blender until mostly smooth.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Coat with baking spray.
- Spoon the pancake batter onto pan to make 3 pancakes. Place a few chocolate chips into each pancake, using about half of them. Cook until lightly browned on each side, then place on a plate.
- Top pancakes with remaining chocolate chips and Arctic Zero ice cream. Eat immediately.
FitBritt@MyOwnBalance says
You are so creative! I would not have done anything except eat it! Looks like a yummy treat! I want to try the cookies n’ cream!
foodielovesfitness says
Ha. Thanks Britt! Yep, cookies & cream is yummy.
Paige@FitNotFad says
I’ve never heard of this but it looks soooooo delicious….those mint chocolate pancakes are screaming my name!
foodielovesfitness says
Not to pat myself on the back too much, but those pancakes are the bomb!! 😉
Jennifer says
OMG! I keep seeing this at my grocery store and have been debating whether or not to try it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it!
foodielovesfitness says
Hope I gave you some good insight! 🙂
Davida @ The Healthy Maven says
I loooove arctic zero but it’s way too cold here to even think about ice cream! Next spring 🙂
foodielovesfitness says
Oh yes, I totally hear you. Even though Canada is obviously WAY colder than California, it’s still chilly here now… yet I still drink smoothies and eat ice cream and just shiver my butt off! Haha.
Ali says
Chocolate peanut butter is without a doubt my favorite ice cream flavor, which is why I want that milkshake right about now!!
foodielovesfitness says
Agreed!! Chocolate and peanut butter is a match made in heaven 🙂
Paula says
Ice cream is my #1 favorite dessert! Chocolate mint pancakes with chocolate mint ice creams sounds like something I need to try ASAP.
foodielovesfitness says
Try it and let me know what you think!