It’s the time of year when just about everyone you know is racing the clock to get in shape before they have to don that cellulite-bulging, fat-roll showing bathing suit. Eventually, the opportunity will pop-up (if not already), and – if you’re like me – you won’t be any closer to looking svelte and debonair than you were last year at this time.

I was reading an article earlier today about weight loss because the opening sentence caught my eye: “Avoid eating too much.” Immediately, my mind started racing. What? A new trick I didn’t know about? A new gadget? Please, Lord, just let it be easy! Or at least real.

Once I got into the article, I realized it wasn’t any of the above. Scientists have not discovered any new tricks, there are no new gadgets on the market (at least none that really work), and it isn’t easy.

The deal is this: Spend at least 30 minutes enjoying your food. OK. Right. That means an hour and a half of every day should be spent eating. This doesn’t include your snack times. And it does say “at least,” which to me means, if you are not losing weight, then you aren’t enjoying your food as much as you should be.

Heck, take another 30 minutes. Really feel yourself “eating” that weight off!

I’m not knocking their test results, nor am I a scientist, and so I’m sure there are legitimate facts behind their new findings, but puh-lease.

The rest of the article gets even better: “In the study, volunteers were served two-and-a-half scoops of ice cream twice. On one day, they wolfed down the treat in five minutes flat. Then, on another day, they lingered over the bowl for a full half hour. Blood tests showed that slow eating increased levels of two appetite-lowering chemicals (peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide-1) by 25 to 30 percent. And these satisfaction hormones stayed high for the next two-and-a-half hours.”

OK, so not only is this a way to always be eating something, it’s good for you! And you can eat ice cream – a 30-minute bowl of two-and-a-half scoops of ice cream. I like it. I’m not sure how much weight I will lose, but jiminy, this sounds like the best weight loss plan ever. Forget sweating it out at the gym for an hour. Head for the freezer.

Well, I’m through making fun of the newest findings, and in all honesty they probably do have some good points. But I didn’t get to those. I had to stop and hop on over to the store. I sure wanna look good for summer.

I haven’t printed an ice cream recipe lately, and there are so many good ones out there. With summer right around the corner, it would be the perfect time to try a few new flavors. I’ve found some I really like that are easy and quick.

Don’t scowl at the sound of the Olive Oil Ice Cream. It’s tastier than you might be thinking. Serve it alongside a brownie or piece of scrumptious chocolate cake! It’s really cool and refreshing.

Make some right before you put those burgers on the grill, and by the time you get to dessert (remember to take at least 30 minutes to eat your burger), this ice cream will be ready.

Vanilla bean olive oil ice cream

1 1/3 cup of whole milk

1/2 cup of sugar

Pinch of salt

6 large egg yolks

1 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Coarse sea salt, for serving

Combine the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Heat until steaming and little bubbles appear around the edges. Cut open two vanilla bean pods, place them in the milk, and allow them to sit for 30 minutes. Remove the pods and then reheat mixture to steaming.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Pour in the scalded milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to medium heat. Cook, while stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large bowl. Pour in the heavy cream and vanilla, followed by the olive oil, whisking vigorously until well blended. Chill completely.

Freeze in an ice maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop the ice cream into a large bowl and let it firm up in the freezer for a few hours before serving. Serve with additional olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Banana split ice cream

4 bananas

1 large carton of frozen strawberries

1 15 oz. can of pineapple chunks

1 cup of pecans, chopped

1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips

1 quart of half and half (can use fat-free)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1 small lime

Milk

Mash three of the bananas and cut the fourth into round slices. Add the juice from one small lime. Add the vanilla, the half and half, and the can of sweetened condensed milk. Add the can of pineapple and its juice. Add the frozen strawberries, pecans, and mini chocolate chips. Pour in the milk to finish filling the freezer container. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.