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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.

Shamrock Shake Knockoff Dairy Free Gluten Free Paleo

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.


Blendtec Blenders
Voila!

 

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:

 

Pour over shake and wait about 30 seconds. The magic shell will harden and you will have a Thin Mint Shake!

 

What are some of your favorite junk food turned healthy recipes?

Comment and link to them below!