In this week's P.O. Box:
I’m a Creami bro now
Stream roundup: The 12 most polarizing players
Offszn Book Club: Trading Game debates
On my radar: An EP I’m loving
On tap: A doubleheader w/ Chris Spags
I can’t believe I’m writing this post.
In fact, I’ve waited over a month to make sure it was true love and not just a honeymoon period that I moved on from.
But I recently purchased a Ninja Creami ice cream maker and it has rapidly become one of my favorite purchases I’ve ever made.
Some quick background:
I don’t have a big “sweet tooth” but god do I love some ice cream, especially after we thaw out from our New England winters
I’ve fallen victim to impulse ice cream-related purchases before (I once asked Lauren for a malt mixer as a birthday gift and proceeded to use it only a few times)
I’ve tried many of the trendy, “healthy” ice cream options over the years, including a summer fling with Halo Top that eventually fizzled out when I stopped lying to myself about liking the taste
I’ve been hearing about the Ninja Creami for at least 6 or 7 months (the TikTok’ers loved it), but largely ignored it as another unnecessary fad product purchase that I didn’t need
But over the past few months, my friend Cody Main wouldn’t shut up about it on Twitter. Then I saw entrepreneur bro Sahil Bloom tout his favorite creami recipe…and I caved.
This blitz of influencing caught me at the perfect, vulnerable moment. I’ve been eating very healthy of late and have also mostly eliminated alcohol, so I was in need of something fun to look forward to after meals. I’ve also been lifting more and have been wanting more creative ways to boost my protein intake.
The main selling point for me on the Creami is 2-fold:
The consistency/creaminess is perfect. It legit has the texture of a Blizzard or a McFlurry:
You can make it as healthy or sweet as you’d like by altering the base recipe or what mix-ins you put in
Here’s the core ingredients and recipe I use:
1) Create a base to freeze overnight:
> 2 cups of whole milk
> 2 scoops of unflavored whey protein
> 2 tbsp of sugar-free pudding mix
<i have the “deluxe” creami, but you can just cut this in half for the regular>
2) Pull from freezer 30 minutes before using
3) Spin base in Creami on “ice cream” mode
<it will likely look like dip ‘n dots after this, don’t panic>
4) Remove & add a splash of milk
5) Spin in Creami again on “re-spin” mode
6) Add whatever mix-ins you want
<ideally scoop out a hole in the middle & place mix-ins toward bottom>
7) Spin in Creami one final time on “mix-in” mode
I’m a “vanilla guy” so I haven’t felt the need to explore other flavored bases, though Lauren has been making some chocolate ones she enjoys.
My favorite mix-ins
I’ve messed with a few of different mix-in options:
Peanut butter and banana (my current No. 1)
Snickerdoodle cookie (we had some of these frozen and it was perfect)
Protein bar (I like these FitCrunch ones)
Thin mints (s/o Girl Scouts)
I personally can enjoy it even without a mix-in, just tossing a few cashews on top for some crunch (but maybe that makes me a psychopath).
For the calorie counters…
The best part of this hack is how you can eat a relatively large portion with a low calorie count that simultaneously fills you up because of the protein base. Here is how the calories break down for my peanut butter banana version (™, bro):
Ingredient | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|
2 cups whole milk | 300 | 16g |
2 scoops of protein | 200 | 40g |
2 tbps of pudding mix | 40 | |
banana | 100 | 1g |
2 tbs of peanut butter | 190 | 7g |
Total (3-4 servings) | 830 | 64g |
So depending on your mix-in and your serving size (I typically do 6-8oz of my 24oz pint and then re-freeze), you are getting a delicious, protein-packed dessert at a fraction of the calories of a regular pint of ice cream (3: 276 cal / 21g or 4: 207 cal / 16 g).
There are a few more in-the-weeds tips I’ve discovered, so if you take the plunge, feel free to message me and I’ll share some of my other findings.
📺 The 12 most polarizing players in fantasy football. Divisive fantasy picks in April, who would have thought. I compared three top rankings sets—ETR, Leg Up, and Rotoviz—to find the most controversial players in fantasy football right now. This exercise revealed some big time RBs who are easy fades, a must-draft veteran WR, and the ultimate enigma at the QB position. Watch here.
🔮 5 Bold Predictions For The NFL Draft. Grabbed my flame-thrower and fired off some hot takes for draft night.
☣ The Best Card Ever (UFC 300 Preview w/ Jon Kelly). Our resident UFC/MMA expert, Jon Kelly, joins LOLz to preview the stacked UFC 300 card and share his favorite bets, Underdog Pick 'Ems (link to tail) and DraftKings DFS plays.
🚢 JJ Zachariason’s Favorite 2024 Rookie Sleepers. JJ joins us to discuss his favorite 2024 rookies and deep sleepers from this class, as well as an inside peek into what inputs his model weighs the most.
😱 A truly scary J.J. McCarthy comp. You can’t unsee it.
☕ Best Ball Breakfast: 2 Big Board Drafts. Can I recover after making major detours for both Elite QBs and Elite TEs? Additional topics discussed: Texans WR ADPs after the Stefon Diggs trade, pushing QB, a perfect Zero RB selection, and whether Caleb Williams is too expensive.
🏆 Fantasy Life roundup. Wrote about the rookie QB screaming up draft boards and the NFL heading to Brazil for an opening week game.
💪 The Swolecast with guest Mike Leone. The one where we tried to make Davis’ X account great again.
🍾 NBA Playoff Best Ball Strategy & Drafts w/ Mike Zakarian. Mike Zakarian from Team Hold joins us to discuss strategy for The Dance, Underdog's NBA playoff best ball contest with $50,000 to first.
⏰ The Legendary Mr. Teebox. A celebration of an Underdog beast on Off & On The Clock.
💸 Book #6 for April (45%): The Trading Game: A Confession by Gary Stevenson
I’m still plugging away and enjoying Trading Game, although I heard from Laird this week and he’s hating it haha:
I can’t really disagree that the writing is bad. It is sloppy and he jumps around pretty willy nilly, but I still find the story to be captivating. Maybe I spend so much time consuming disheveled internet writing that it didn’t really make me blink twice, but it hasn’t bothered me.
We agreed to save the rest of our debate for the show we’ll do in early May.
There was another line from Stevenson that reminded me of bankroll management stuff that we talk about a lot on LOLz and in other spots with fantasy sports and betting:
Having the right trade is not all that matters. It’s also important that you survive.
His anecdote in the book was a good reminder of the balance needed between pushing edges and making sure you stay in the game.
🚂 Book #7 for April (Still Haven’t Started): Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
✅ Book #5 for March (COMPLETE): Recursion by Blake Crouch
✅ Book #4 for March (COMPLETE): The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
✅ Book #3 for February (COMPLETE): Gambler Secrets from a Life at Risk by Billy Walters
✅ Book #2 for February (COMPLETE): Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
✅ Book #1 (COMPLETE): Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parris
Loving this new Nourished By Time EP (Catching Chickens). Sounds like TV On The Radio if they made a shoegaze album. “Hell of a Ride” is terrific.
We got two shows on tap this weekend, a doubleheader with my buddy Chris Spags.
🍺 Splash Play: Drinking Game Draft
Last year I agreed to a drinking stream when my channel hit 15k subs and the Splash Play channel hit 3k. Now it’s time (8pm ET) to pay the piper despite having barely imbibed over the past couple months (sigh):
🥃 Best Ball After Dark: Interview w/ Chris Spags
We’ll then pop over to Best Ball After Dark (9pm ET) to talk to Spags about Probly, going full streamer, and anything else we feel like. Become a YT member to watch live (top 2 tiers).
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