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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a healthy way with this Shamrock Shake Knockoff!
Every March I get a hankering (oh yes, I did just say that) for a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. I used to look forward to the end of winter every year when I could get a taste of that rich pepperminty deliciousness. Several years ago I came to terms with the fact that I am a sugarholic. If I have just one bite, I might go on a sugar bender that would put Cookie Monster to shame. I try to avoid it as much as possible. Yes, every once in a while I choose to indulge, but if I stay well fed and eat protein and fat at each meal, I would rather pass, the craving just isn’t there anymore.
I don’t exactly want to live my life feeling deprived, so I enjoy making typically unhealthy foods, not only less harmful but beneficial.
That’s what I did with this knockoff superfood shamrock shake.
You could eat 5 of these in a day and feel amazing, have no cravings and know you’ve nourished yourself. You might be a bit gassy from the veggies, but hey, there are worse things than broccoli farts. Like a sugar hangover that lasts for 3 days!
Before I give you the recipe, let me just remind you how gross the genuine shakes are. I mean, they sure taste good, but the McDonalds Shamrock Shake has 71 grams of sugar and 500 calories in just 12 ounces! They are loaded with preservatives, corn syrup & artificial colorings too.
Ewww.
I think I’ll pass.
Here is what you’ll need for my version which will make about 24-36 ounces (2-3 times the amount in the McDonald’s small).
- A high powered Blendtec
- 1/2 – 1 cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk (You can make your own and a ton of other recipes with a Blendtec) Don’t have almond milk? You can use coconut milk or cashew milk or regular milk if you want. Or use water, it won’t matter too much.
- 1/4 teaspoon of pure peppermint extract
- 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 5 Tablespoons of grass-fed collagen, OR if you don’t mind dairy, you can use 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. To be honest, the cottage cheese is the tastiest option, but sometimes I like to cut out dairy periodically as it tends to increase my hormonal acne. I also feel like I can’t get enough, and there’s an explanation for that. The lactose and casein proteins can trigger opiate-like feelings in the brain that contribute to addictions and cravings.
- A few tiny spoonfuls of pure Stevia extract
- A pinch of Himalayan sea salt. The salt brings out the flavors. You can skip this if you used cottage cheese as your protein because it has enough salt already.
- 1/2 teaspoon of guar gum. You don’t want to leave this out – it’s what gives you that soft serve milkshake texture instead of a separated runny smoothie mess.
- 1/4-1/2 of an avocado
- 2 cups of frozen broccoli or 4 cups of packed spinach (I’ve used both, you can’t taste it)
- About 12-14 ice cubes
- Put the top on your Blendtec and hit the Ice Crush Milkshake Cycle. You might need to do this twice depending on the amount of liquid you use.
Nothing artificial, nothing you can’t pronounce and we all need some extra green vegetables!
If you want to make an extra special treat, add some healthy homemade chocolate magic shell to the top and it will taste like a Peppermint Pattie!
Here’s how you make the magic shell:
- 1-2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
- 1 Tablespoon of Dark Cocoa Powder
- 1 tiny shake or two of Pure Stevia Extract
- Melt in microwave for 40 seconds and stir
Pour over shake and wait about 30 seconds. The magic shell will harden and you will have a Thin Mint Shake!
this looks amazing!!!!!!!!
im gonna use this recipe
Gotta admit that I’m not that into peppermint, but I will totally be using the shell recipe! I am a fellow sugar holic and have been working on reducing that intake without feeling deprived. That sounds fantastic and I bet my family won’t even be able to tell that it’s not a sugar/fake chemical mess! My husband was fooled by coconut oil pb cups 😉
Thank you my dear for sharing this, totally surprising my hubby with it
Great idea! I like to use avocado and cocoa powder to make “chocolate pudding” for my toddler. He’s never had the real stuff and thinks it is pudding.
I can’t wait to try this! #ibabloggers
Awesome! I LOVED McDonald’s shakes as a kid but would much rather prefer a healthier alternative. As a side note, the eggs can be substituted for something vegan, such as The Egg Replacer. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂 #ibabloggers
I love what you did here.
I have actually never had a Shamrock Shake but my friends have been raving about it lately! I try not to go near sugar when I can (I’m currently abstaining from my one kryptonite: ice cream) but this looks like such a good option. I’ll keep it in mind the next time I’m craving something on the sweeter side!
#ibabloggers
I’m not a big peppermint gal – but I am definitely going to share this with my daughters – I think they would really enjoy it!
I absolutely love this because I love Shamrock Shakes but this looks soooo much more nutritious! I’m sharing it with the hubby’s too!
I am not to sure how I feel about broccoli to make a mock shake. I am trying to eat better and smoothies seem to be a place I have issues. I just can’t wrap my head around it. Probably because the only one I ever had tasted like grass!! Gonna give this a shot because I love the shakes.
You might want to try the spinach instead – but you really can’t taste it if you use enough stevia and blend it well!
Thanks for this great information. I will be sure to share it with my daughter and son-in-law who are trying to find additional ways to stay healthy.
Yum! I don’t have a Blendtec but I have a Vitamix and love it! We make smoothies all the time. I’ll be trying your recipe soon! Pinning for later reference and share! #ibabloggers
G’day I could go for one of your shakes right now!
Cheers! Joanne
#ibabloggers
This looks delicious! I have some friends who would LOVE LOVE LOVE this! I will be sharing it with them. Thank you!
Oh yum! I absolutely love shamrock shakes! 🙂
~Lorelai
Need to try this! I am trying to transition to eating a Paleo diet & I”m a sugarholic too. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty 🙂
You’re welcome, here’s to feeling great!