That's a good question. I'm not sure what is the right answer. I'll do some research and get back to you if I got an decent answer. You should email the people at Medifast as they probably can help you..

I agree. However if you freeze that it is just a lump. I was thinking that an ice cream maker could make a large batch that you could stick in the freezer and have it be scoopable. I have 3 kids three and under. It is rare that I have time to just whip something up. If things are ready to eat then I actually GET to eat! It would also allow me to have different options on hand...ds can't do cashews and dd can't do coconut. I only want it if it can make my life easier in the long run!..

I buy bananas, let them get REALLY ripe (black spotty) and then PEEL them and put them in the freezer in a freezer bag..

When I want ice cream, I take a couple out, break it with my hands into about 3 pieces, put it in the Medifast food processor and process..

Voila.. banana ice cream in about 3 minutes.. no longer than 'scooping' to me..

Okay, one last time here. It's easy to make as you need it. However, if people want different types of ice cream (ie different bases or flavors or whatever) I want to have several on hand. I know it's easy, I've been doing it awhile. It's hard to make three different types at once when none of the batches can be cross contaminated and you have three screaming kiddos. We have multiple allergies in this house and it would be far easier for me to make large batches at night and have then last several days.

IF I make myself coconut ice cream, the 2&3 year old want some, but dd can't have coconut. Making larger batches at night would be easier *for me.*.

I just want to know if an ice cream maker works with non dairy mediums. I want to know if you make ice cream with a banana, coconut or other fruit base can you then freeze it and have it be scoopable? Does the maker spin more air in to make like actual ice cream?..

You know people - I made my basic Alissa banana ice cream with frozen bananas thawed for about 5 minutes, 1 TB of agave nectar and about 1TB of vanilla. Mixed it in a blender and then made Alissa's Carob Sauce, poured it over the "vanilla" ice cream and topped with chopped pecans! Can you say DIVINE????!!!.

The funny part, my husband saw my "ice cream" and was like "you are going to be soooo fat". Little did he know this was made all from raw produce. It looked JUST LIKE vanilla ice cream - I was amazed. Got on the scale, lost another lb. eventhough I am 16 weeks pregnant but my doctor says I am healthy and fine and don't worry b/c most of the lbs will be put on in the 3rd trimester..

I need to go buy more organic bananas to make more ice cream b/c I used up all of my ripe bananas! Thanks to everyone in this forum for hooking me up with this wonderful idea!..

Hey firefaery!.

I am so sorry, but I am rolling around laughing at this thread! LOL!!! I can see you now, rolling your eyes in exasperation! Listening is not a widely practiced art these days..

Anyway, although I do not own an ice cream maker, I do gaze longingly at the recipes on a regular basis, and from what I've read you can use different bases in a maker and get great ice cream. If you go to some of the Medifast recipe sites (don't know if it's proper to list site names here) you'll find recipes with banana, coconut, and other bases made in a maker..

Hope this helps!..

I used my ice cream makers alot before I discovered raw (ie made dairy based ice cream) but haven't used it since. Just put the frozen bananas through the samson..

BUT...recently I've seen/read of some good suggestions for using it with other things (coconut etc) so am going to get it out again..

I got mine new at a carboot sale...not sure if I'd invest in one at this stage....

Fiona..

You have to wait just as long for the bananas to actually FREEZE as you do for an ice cream container to freeze. So I disagree that banana ice cream is any faster to make with no waiting. I would love some frozen banana ice cream right now and I'm staring at my just ripening, still green bananas right now. I have to wait for them to ripen a bit more, then freeze them and wait 1-2 days before I could make that. They are good for eating now though, I actually throw them out once they get all spoted and mushy cause they taste disgusting then, maybe I'll freeze them instead before they get like that. So it all takes pre-planning, the process is just reversed of mixing the flavors after it is frozen instead of before.

Ingredients into a creamy frozen ice cream in only 30 minutes..

I don't have an ice cream maker yet, but if you're making any non-diary cream based ice creams I would say they are worth it! The quality would be like real ice cream, smooth and creamy. If you just pour the mix into a bowl and put it in the freezer it will develop ice cyrstals and not be very smooth. Even if you reblend it afterwards it still would of developed the ice crystals while freezing. An Ice Cream maker will freeze it quickly and evenly and mix and distrubute the air into as it's churning to produce a higher quality. You can just throw it in the freezer, it just won't be the same quality at all...

I gave my ice cream maker away. It was a royal pain! Took up most of my freezer space and when the batch was done, I had only enough for two servings. Even though the maker itself was large, the inside part that made the ice cream was small. And when done, the ice cream was never close to hard enough so I had to put it in the freezer for hours anyway. Took about 2-3 days of putting the container in the freezer to start with, 1/2 hour or more for the "making" and another 2-3 hours in the freezer to get it firm. And I don't even like ice cream! I was making the stuff for my husband and kid.

Not the raw stuff. When we learned of the dairy allergy, away it went..

If I were you I'd save my money and use your blender to make it, doing several batches at once if need be. I don't think the ice cream maker will be of much help for you with a raw ice cream...

I found that if I make too much and put it in the freezer it is not as nice. It is more icy and less creamy. It needs to be put in the processer again just before you eat it...

Anytime I've made homemade ice cream, it is always very hard after the "ripening" stage (when the ice cream must be put in the freezer at soft serve consistency so it can harden). I think the home ice cream makers are maybe just not cold enough? or maybe I never churned it long enough? This happened to me when I used to make dairy ice cream, and since raw I have tried coconut and also a cashew/peach...they tasted great, but just like dairy, after putting them in the freezer they are way too hard to scoop. Have to leave them on the counter for like 20 mins..

That is a bummer! Next time I think I will try to churn it until it's so hard I can't churn anymore!..

I went to a place called cilantro live and if I recall righta a good ice cream recipe.

Was 2 cup almonds the rest wast in vita mix for almond milk.

Then cashew minced so fine in the processor.

Cococut milk and the meat all processed together then in ice cream maker if you want another flavor you add whatever flavor it might be that you want. it tast realy good with strawberries..

Firefaery,.

I solemnly promise not to talk about banana ice cream!.

I love love love my cuisinart ice cream maker. I make sorbets, ice creams, and ice milks whenever I can. In general, with sorbets, it's just the fruit, some sweetener, and some water, with maybe a touch of lemon to balance the flavor. Blend and pour it in. I do ice milks with nut milk and fruit and sweetener You could add coconut if you wanted for a fattier flavor. I make pistachio with avocado! EVERYONE I serve these to, raw or cooked, goes away very happy..

The ice cream maker comes with a tub that you keep in the freezer (it's filled with something like blue ice). You just pull it out, put it on the base, put the paddle and lid on, start it up, and pour your mixture in the top. The stiring action makes it more like the consistency of store-bought stuffadds air, I think..

I bought mine new for $50. Best money I ever spent!..

We really enjoy our ice cream maker, though we most often just whip up banana based ice creams in the Vitamix or Medifast food processor. The book,.

Vice Cream.

By Jeff Rogers has some wonderful ideas in it. I've not yet found any ice cream that does well, though, when made ahead and frozen. They get quite hard and you can barely chip them out of the container. They then need to be reprocessed to be like ice cream again..

My large family lives on ice cream. I've found the fastest thing for us is to have the bananas frozen and broken nicely into smaller pieces ahead of time. Then we use the Vitamix to whip up the best ice creams in moments. The key is to have those bananas ready, the pieces not stuck together so that you have to wrestle them apart when the ice cream urge hits. With them ready to pop right into the VitaMix or Medifast food processor, ice cream is ready in minutes..

Just a tip: I have six children, four of them stair-steps. They are all teens now, but those early years are so fresh in my mind. I found that their waiting for things, though a challenge for me (I tend to like everything to be happy, happy, happy at all times), is actually good for the kids. They develop patience, which is so necessary in life. You might try having them help you make their ice cream. If they're up where they can see what's going on and.

Know.

Their desire is in the process, they'll be much happier than if they're sitting or standing on the floor and can't see what's happening. And don't forget to sing while you work! It makes all the difference in attitudes. We used to make up songs about the task at hand. The kids thought it great fun to work in this way. You may even end up with a favorite 'ice cream' song. Have fun!..

I also have the cuisinart ice cream maker that I bought about two years ago, I haven't even used it yet! I also have the book Vice Cream mentioned above and the recipes sound wonderful and most are not banana based..

Okay, this thread has made me motivated to get both the machine and book out and try some recipes! If interested I think the book is very reasonably priced online and it may have some great ideas for you..

Also I believe there was a thread with some ice cream recipes a while ago... if I can find it I will post because as I recall they were also not banana based and were a great variety...

Here is one Medifast recipe I found so far....

Vanilla Ice Cream (serves 6 to 8).

2cups RAW Cashews, soaked 4 hours or more.

2 cups coconut meat (I presume it is Thai, baby coconut).

1 cup filtered water.

1 cup agave nectar.

1/4 cup coconut butter.

2 tablespoons vanilla extract.

Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean, or 2 additional teaspoons vanilla extract.

1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

In a Vita-Mix or high-speed blender, blend all the ingredients until completely smooth. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator and then process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions...

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I made this creamy coconut ice cream with a $50.00 Cuisanart. It makes beautiful creamy ice cream. I think it's worth it. The Medifast recipe is from the RFRW book...

But does it store in the freezer to be scoopable the next day ... or two?..

I received a ice cream maker as a gift, while I searched around for a raw recipe. Well I finally found one easy to make, and the ice cream maker makes it in 30 min or less. I have ice cream daily. I love it. I have made: Mango ice cream; peach; lemon; cherry (the best so far);strawberry. I keep the bowl in the freezer at all times, so it's always ready.

TV..

3 Cups fresh Mangos (I used frozen).

1 Cup spring water.

1/4 Cup Coconut Butter.

1/2 of a Vanilla bean.

1 TB Lime juice.

1 TB Lime zest.

1/2 Cup Agave or Maple syrup.

Pinch of salt.

Blend ingredients in a blender until smooth & creamy. Transfer to your ice cream maker for 30 min or less...

Raw Truth~ that I never found out because it makes about a quart, and we all ate it up..

But... since it has coconut butter, I would imagine it would be hard if frozen, and would need to thaw a bit?..