I have a thing for ice cream. It’s one of my favorite treats, especially in the summer… or in the winter if the heat is turned up high. And what better place to have it than Le Mars, Iowa – The Ice Cream Capital of the World. It’s home to Wells’ Dairy, the maker of Blue Bunny ice cream and other dairy products. More ice cream is made in Le Mars by a single company than in any other city in the world!

I’ve actually known this for awhile. Years ago, I worked in this area as a TV News Reporter. That’s when I first developed a soft spot for Blue Bunny. And last week, I got to go back to my old stomping grounds. Blue Bunny hosted me and the bloggers you see in the picture above (Classy Chaos, The Broke Socialite, Iowa Girl Eats, and Selfish Mom) for a tasty Blogger Summit. It was time for me to *splurge responsibly.

We learned a lot of interesting things throughout the day, like the latest consumer trends, but I gotta say, ice cream stole the show! How could it not? Here are some pics from the Wells’ plant tour.

Looking good in our safety gear.

Ice cream sandwiches in the making…

And tasting!

Yes, it’s true. Ice cream was incorporated into our main meal.

Dessert was a Chocolate Bordeaux Cherry Cordial, a Macadamia Nut Lollipop, and a Mint Bite. I tasted them all, but did not finish them – an important component of *splurging responsibly.

Only a couple of hours later, it was time for MORE ice cream. A chance to make our own flavor using any of these options!

So many choices! What to do???

My flavor creation? Vanilla ice cream with brownie bites, chocolate flakes, and lots of almonds! So good!

It doesn’t seem possible, but we managed to fit in ice cream a couple more times before we left. Thanks for the sweet trip, Blue Bunny!

By the way… I’m now in ice cream detox. And have no desire for any of the temptations in my ‘hood. I would rank this as an extreme case of indulgence, which is a rare occurrence for me – my treats are usually on a smaller scale. Thankfully, I know how to*splurge responsibly and adjust accordingly.

*Splurge responsibly (as defined by FatFighterTV) – a process in which you make up for your splurges by eating healthy the rest of the time and exercising a bit more. In extreme cases, do not – I repeat – do not completely finish said splurge.

Do you splurge responsibly?

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I live in an area surrounded with art galleries, shops, and restaurants. Then there are all the “treat boutiques,” as I like to call them. Within a block or two of my house, it’s like a gourmet sugar wonderland!

This place has THE BEST ice cream. They often leave their door open to lure you in with the irresistible smell of the freshly-made waffle cones.

I come here when I gotta have pumpkin cookies. They are to die for – melt-in-your-mouth soft, pumpkin-y, and with just the right amount of icing on top.

And now look who moved into my ‘hood! Just when I thought things couldn’t get any sweeter around here, this new shop opens up with my all-time favorite treat. Ever. Chocolate!

With all these temptations being so close, what’s a sweets-lovin’ gal to do? Two things work for me:

1. Try to forget they are so close to my home.

2. Indulge every once in awhile.

You may be surprised (I am actually shocked!) that I don’t go to these oh-so-tempting shops very often, even though they are just around the corner from my house. Since around April, I have only gone to two of them! But I have to be honest – I have had other sweets, just not from these places…

My philosophy about treats: don’t waste your calories on anything mediocre – save them for something you really enjoy. Indulge now and then. Know what your body’s calorie bank can handle.

Do you have temptations near your home or work? What is your treat philosophy?

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When you eat ice cream, do you top it off or eat it as is? I usually eat mine plain – straight up in my special pretty ice cream glass! But sometimes I will have some slivered almonds on top, add a banana to the mix, or have a scoop in a fresh waffle cone. Of course, all the tempting add-ons cost us calories and can quickly add up. Here’s the scoop on just how much…

• 1 tablespoon hot fudge – 65 calories

• 1 tablespoon caramel – 55 calories

• 1 maraschino cherry – 10 calories

• 2 tablespoons Reddi-whip – 15 calories

• 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts – 50 calories

• 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles – 60 calories

• Cup cone – 15 calories

• Sugar cone – 50 calories

• Waffle cone – 160 calories

Yikes! That waffle cone really piles on the calories. Good thing I don’t have them very often…

How do your add-ons add up?

[Source: Consumer Reports]

[photo credit: stock.xchng]

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I swear I’ve heard ice cream containers talk. They say things like, “Eat me, I’m super yummy!” But what is the label on the carton trying to tell you? Maybe that the ice cream is fluffed up with air… or that it has three grams of fat or less. Here’s the scoop on the label lingo.

Light
Like other foods labeled “light,” this means the ice cream has one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the full-fat version.

Low fat
A serving has three grams of fat or less.

Fat free
A serving has less than 0.5 grams of fat.

Premium
A notch below Superpremium (see below)

Superpremium
This is really more of a  marketing term than anything else. It means the ice cream is higher in fat and might have the best-quality ingredients. Also, it tends to have less air in it, which makes the ice cream more dense than fluffy.

Slow-churned or double-churned
A process that gives lower-fat ice creams a richer and creamier texture.

I am caught somewhere between eating the slow-churned and the premiums – I like the slow-churned for the reduced calories and fat, but I’m trying to get away from the artificial stuff that you find in those, so I sometimes will just have a little of the real stuff. You?

Source: Consumer Reports, FDA

[Photo Credit: stock.xchng]

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Have you noticed that bacon is popping up in more foods lately? It’s in chocolate (weird), ice cream (weirder), and the new KFC Double Down sandwich (gross!), just to name a few. This article from MSNBC says the tough economy might have something to do with it – bacon is cheaper to add to foods, and unfortunately, to our arteries.

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Congrats to FatFighterTV friends – Carissa, Tara, Rachel, Just Kelly, and Fab Kate – for winning last week’s giveaways for the Weight Watchers ice cream bars. Enjoy!

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[Disclosure: I received a complimentary sample of these products. My policy is to only post giveaways about products I honestly like, or those I think FatFighterTV members would enjoy.]

Just in time for the warmer temperatures, Weight Watchers® has two new tasty fruity ice cream bars to keep you cool – Dark Chocolate Raspberry and Strawberry Smoothie. They’re big on flavor, but low in calories – perfect for those ice cream hankerings!

The raspberry bars have a dark chocolate flavored coating on the outside and low-fat raspberry ice cream on the inside. Each one has only 80 calories and 4.5 grams of fat. The strawberry bars are a mix of low-fat strawberry frozen yogurt and real strawberries, and have just 60 calories and one gram of fat. See more info on the new bars here.

Up for grabs this week, someone will win a box of each of the two new flavors, along with a coupon for a free Weight Watchers product. PLUS 4 more people will each get a coupon for a free Weight Watchers product. That’s a total of 5 winners!

To enter for a chance to win, head down to the comments and tell  me how often you have ice cream… and what you usually have.

Me – now that it’s warm again, I have been having protein shakes 2-3 times a week (not really ice cream, but definitely a good alternative). I also live close to an ice cream store but hope to only be tempted once a month!

See you in the comments!

Contest runs through midnight EST this Friday, April 9, you have to have a U.S. mailing address to enter, and we will use random.org to pick the winners.

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First, the Food and Drug Administration cracked down on this food labeling program because it was misleading consumers. Now this week, the FDA warns 17 food manufacturers that their claims may be misleading, as well. Foods under fire range from Dreyer’s ice cream to POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice to Gerber’s baby food. You can find the complete list of foods and their labeling violations here.

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Congrats to FatFighterTV members – Lissa, Gianna, Cammy, Carol, and Laura T – for winning last week’s giveaway for the Blue Bunny ice cream vouchers – enjoy! Thanks, Blue Bunny!

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[Disclosure: I received a complimentary sample of this product. My policy is to only post giveaways about products I honestly like, or those I think FatFighterTV members would enjoy.]

We’ve been having some Indian Summer weather here in Ohio, which made getting the packages of Sweet Freedom ice cream from Blue Bunny® last week even sweeter! I’ve been enjoying these Almond Ice Cream Bars, and I’m looking forward to sampling the Ice Cream Sundae Cones, too. And because I am such a sweet aunt, I’m going to save some to share with my nieces and nephew over Thanksgiving.

Like I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. To coincide with this time, Blue Bunny wants you to know about its Sweet Freedom line – it has no added sugar and is reduced fat, which could help if you have diabetes, or if you are watching your sugar intake.

Up for grabs this week – 5 winners will each get a voucher good for one free carton or novelty pack of Blue Bunny ice cream.

To enter for a chance to win, just tell me what your favorite ice cream flavor is and how you like to eat it – in a cone, in a dish, etc. Lately, I’ve been loving pumpkin ice cream in a waffle cone. Mmmm… (just as an occasional treat, of course!)

See you in the comments!

Contest runs through midnight EST this Friday, November 20, you have to have a U.S. mailing address to enter, and we will use random.org to pick the winners.

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