Healthy alternative to fast-food shakes

Unlike many fast-food shakes, my Shamrock Shake does not contain artificial colorings, and if you are selective with the kind of ice cream you add to it, you will avoid synthetic preservatives. My recipe contains the following ingredients:

• Organic vanilla ice cream
• Coconut milk
• Organic mint flavoring
• Fresh mint leaves
• Homemade coconut whipped cream (optional)

To make this shake, all you have to do is throw the ingredients into a blender, blend until well mixed and voila… you have a cold, smooth, creamy and minty sweet treat.

 Tips

• Allergic to cow’s milk? No problem. Substitute a store-bought or homemade dairy-free ice cream.
• When buying the ingredients for this recipe:
  • Stick with organic whenever possible.
  • Avoid low-fat and no-fat ice cream and coconut milk.
  • Make sure the ice cream you buy does not contain unnatural preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers or colors. It should contain milk, cream, eggs, a sweetener like cane sugar and vanilla bean. Nothing more. Avoid ice cream that contains the following ingredients:
    • Acesulfame potassium
    • Artificial food coloring (Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 3, Red 40)
    • Artificial sweeteners (sucralose/Splenda, aspartame/Nutrasweet)
    • Carrageenan
    • Corn syrup
    • Maltodextrin
    • Mono- and diglycerides
    • Polysorbate 80
    • Potassium sorbate
    • Propylene glycol monoesters
    • Sodium benzoate
    • Sorbitol
  • Some people use peppermint extract in their homemade Shamrock Shake recipes. I recommend skipping the peppermint and using mint flavoring instead. Using mint will give you a more authentic Shamrock Shake flavor. 🙂

This recipe is much healthier than the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake, but is still high in sugar and calories. Remember – sugar and dairy contribute to inflammation. Also, be sure that you are mindful of food allergies and intolerances.

Shamrock Shake recipe

Try it and let me know what you think!