Ok, so let me start by explaining for anyone who doesn’t know what a shamrock shake is, it’s an American based minty green milkshake that a certain, highly famous burger chain created a while ago in celebration of St Patrick’s day.
If you missed it last year, check out my green St Patrick’s day omelette here.
As St Patrick’s day is approaching, I thought I’d create a healthier version using wholefoods and even better, make it sugar free!
After having to change up my diet to ease my gut issues it’s made me realise even more that not everyone can use standard ingredients or recipes which can be very frustrating and is why I’ve been wanting to create more sugar free recipes here for anyone who can’t, for whatever reason, tolerate traditional sweeteners, even the unrefined ones I tend to use such as honey or coconut sugar.
Plus, most shakes/smoothies tend to have a banana chucked in, which again, some people may need to omit or would like to change up every now and then so I’ve used liquid stevia drops in this recipe, reasons include:
-sugar free (so diabetics can use it)
-doesn’t cause digestive flare ups like other natural sweeteners may do
-doesn’t negatively alter gut bacteria like certain artificial sweeteners
-easier to measure out than uncut, green powdered stevia (which is the preferred form but as I mentioned harder to use and source)
As stevia is over 200 times sweeter than sugar you only need a little bit so measure it out carefully anytime you use it. You can find it online or in health food shops, try to find ones that aren’t diluted with other sweeteners and that are alcohol free.
In order to mimic the creaminess of a milkshake I’ve used avocado plus it helps with the green colour and adds great healthy fats to the recipe as well. Another great ingredient which is optional but highly recommended if you can get it and great for a boost in the morning is matcha, which is pure green tea in powder form. Check out my post on green tea here if you want to learn more. Then I’ve also thrown in some cacao nibs because mint and chocolate are best friends of course.
Recipe (serves 1)
250ml milk of choice
½ ripe medium avocado
4 drops liquid stevia*
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1 handful spinach
1 Tbsp cacao nibs
optional: ¼ tsp matcha
optional: 1 Tbsp protein powder
*If suitable you can of course use maple syrup/honey to sweeten this recipe
Directions
Simply blend everything together until smooth then drink.