Shamrock Shake and HERB GARDEN

McDonald's SHAMROCK SHAKE INGREDIENTS: (Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream): Milk, sugar, cream, nonfat milk solids, corn syrup solids, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, dextrose, sodium citrate, artificial vanilla flavor, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, vitamin A palmitate. Shamrock Shake Syrup: High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, sugar, natural flavor, xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), yellow 5, blue 1.


One fun family project to do is to grow a small herb garden in the house. Most people think you must eat fruits and veggies to get all your nutrients in for the day, but a hidden food that has A TON of nutrients are herbs! Spices are also a product that should be bought organic since you eat the leaves that are sprayed with chemicals. One way to save money is to keep one of these cute plants in the kitchen!



The chemical compound menthol comes from the oil found in mint. Menthol has many healing properties for our body:
1. STOMACH PAIN: Relieves symptoms of indigestion, heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome by relaxing the muscles in and around the intestine.
2. CANCER: It is an antioxidant that kills free radicals, therefore protects the body against the formation of cancerous cells.
3. ASTHMA: Eases and unblock the breathing and respiratory passages and airways.
3. CANDIDA: Kills many different types of bacteria and fungus.
4. ANXIETY: Act as a mild sedative and has calming properties.
5. COLD/FLU/COUGH/SINUS PRESSURE: Relieves the symptoms of colds and flu. It can relieve congestion, head colds and headaches.
6. ALLERGIES: Mint can help with nasal allergies by relaxing vessels.
7. PAIN (MUSCLES and BURNS): Provides a cooling sensation to the skin and can help to treat minor burns, itching and skin irritations. It is often the smell added to topical pain relievers because it relieves minor pains such as muscle cramps and sprains.
8. SKIN and ACNE: is an awesome skin cleanser and a healthy way to combat acne. Click HERE to find the natural cleansing pads with mint oils.
9. ORAL HEALTH: Kills bad breath.

No food dye in this tasty treat!



"HEALTHIFIED" SHAMROCK SHAKE
1/2 cup avocado
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or full fat coconut milk)
1/4 cup Jay Robb vanilla protein powder
2 TBS cream cheese OR coconut cream, softened
1 cup crushed ice
4 TBS erythritol (or Swerve)
1 tsp stevia glycerite (omit if using Swerve)
1/4 tsp mint extract or about 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
OPTION: use a different extract to switch up flavors! We loved Mango! 

Place all ingredients in a blender (I use this BlendTec which is on sale now for $100 off!). Puree until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses. Makes 2 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 16 ounce serving)
McDonald's Shake = 680 calories, 20g fat, 14g protein, 111g carbs, 0 fiber
"Healthified" Shake (coconut milk) = 355 calories, 31g fat, 15 g protein, 8.9g carbs, 4.4g fiber
"Healthified" Shake (almond milk) = 146 calories, 10g fat, 12g protein, 4.9 carbs, 2.8g fiber

VARIATION: Use Strawberry Jay Robb protein powder, omit the mint and add strawberry extract. For the pink color, I added a tsp of natural food coloring. Click HERE to find. 






I get a lot of questions on what to replace for cream cheese. Coconut cream is an amazing product that is smooth and tastes great! If you have a dairy sensitivity or allergy, you can still enjoy this shake. Coconut cream also tastes great spread on "healthified" bagels! I have seen it in grocery stores, but it was very expensive. One trick I do is I buy a lot of things online. This way I save money and TIME! It comes right to my door and I don't have to drag my boys to stores, looking for the best deals...we would rather play outside! Click HERE to find coconut cream for a great price. 

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