I used to love ice cream. I could eat it every day, but of course I didn’t. Well, maybe I did if you count small bowls too. Anyway, I found it just a bit ironic that ice cream was the very thing that tipped me off to a dairy intolerance. After eating some particularly creamy ice cream I felt some pain in my stomach. Then I had some more of that creamy ice cream a few days later and sure enough I noticed the pain again.

It was not an easy thing to give up, but I’m not a big fan of pain so the ice cream had to go.

I’m not a fan of feeling deprived either. So that means it didn’t take long before I began to experiment with making vegan versions of my favorite ice cream treats. Take this chocolate shake. (Ok. Don’t mind if I do!)

I combined 8th Continent Chocolate Soymilk with some vanilla So Delicious non-dairy frozen ice cream and voila! I had a shake on the making!

I added a little vegan whipped topping to top off the sweet treat. Much better than a pain in the stomach if you ask me!

And I’m pleased to announce that we have a give-away from 8th Continent Soymilk! Five lucky readers will receive two half gallon cartons of their choice (vanilla, original, or chocolate). My favorite is the Chocolate Lite because that way I can have a little something sweet after dinner without all the calories. With all the holiday festivities going on, I need to trim corners (or calories) where I can!

And 8th Continent is also offering a contest, Ultimate Mom Sweeps. They’re sending one lucky Mom and a friend to Hollywood to meet the ladies of Hollywood Mom’s Night. A trip to Hollywood did you say? It’s getting a little chilly here in the upper part of the country so a trip to California sure sounds nice about now! Go the the Ultimate Mom’s Club site to enter to win 8th Continent’s Ultimate Mom Sweeps and click on “Enter Now” to register.

To be one of the 5 lucky winners to get 2 free half gallon cartons of 8th Continent Soymilk, do any one of the following:

{Leave a separate comment for each}

1. Leave a comment below saying what your favorite flavor of 8th Continent Soymilk is (vanilla, original, or chocolate)
2. Follow Namely Marly on Twitter
3. Follow Namely Marly on Facebook
4. Follow Namely Marly on Google+
5. Follow 8th Continent on Facebook
6. Follow 8th Continent on Twitter

There you go – 6 chances to win for 5 lucky winners!

Small Print Lingo: This contest is only open to US residents. Contest runs through Friday, December 9, 2011 at midnight. Five winners will be chosen by random number generator. Winners will have 48 hours to claim prize or an alternate winner will be drawn.

The luck winners are: Feast on the Cheap, Monet, Ariel, Steven Cox, and Christine. Congrats!

Thick Vegan Chocolate Shake

1 Cup 8th Continent Chocolate Soymilk
1 – 2 Cups Vanilla Soy Ice Cream (depending on your preference for thickness)
1 – 2 Cups ice cubes
1/2 frozen banana (optional)
1 – 2 Tablespoons Cocoa
Vegan Whipped Topping (optional)

Directions: In a blender add the soymilk, vegan ice cream, and 1 cup of ice cubes. My blender has an “ice crusher” speed so I used that to get the mixture nice and frothy. Then blend on high for a bit until the mixture is smooth. Add the frozen banana (if you’re going that route), the cocoa, and the remaining ice cubes. Follow the same process above by beginning with the “ice crusher” speed, followed by about 30 seconds on high. Pour into a glass and top with some vegan whipped topping. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I was provided 8th Continent Soymilk for review. 8th Continent is providing two cartons of soymilk for 5 lucky winners. The opinions shared on this site are my own. They’re the only ones I know.