Sunday, March 1, 2015

Healthy Mint Breakfast "Milkshake."

To celebrate the new month of March {my birthday month!} and the upcoming Irish holiday in a few weeks, I have a healthy new green breakfast "milkshake" to share. Yes, green for shamrock. Can you guess what this recipe is a a copycat of? The Shamrock Shake from McDonald's, of course.


The last time I had a Shamrock Shake was back in college. I remember driving around town with a friend one night in late March when an ice cream craving hit to find a McDonald's still serving the green treat. We eventually found one, but the shake wasn't as good as I remembered - it wasn't minty and had a weird soupy texture - and I haven't had another one since.


This "milkshake" version is healthy enough for breakfast but sweet enough for dessert if that's your preference. The sweetness comes naturally from Medjool dates. Vanilla flavor is incorporated by using vanilla almond milk {I used unsweetened} and vanilla extract. 


I added real mint leaves to give this smoothie the signature minty flavor, but you could also use peppermint extract for a little bit of extra kick. Fresh mint leaves promote digestion and contain powerful antioxidants. The mighty leaves also contain small amounts of other health benefits, including iron, Vitamin A, potassium, and fiber {source}.


Healthy Mint Breakfast "Milkshake"
Serves two.

2 frozen bananas {sliced}
3+ cups raw spinach
10 mint leaves
2 Medjool dates {pitted}
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 cups vanilla unsweetened almond milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend and enjoy!


9 comments:

  1. Yum yum! I am a sucker for a Shamrock Shake so it's nice to have a healthier version to try at home. Thanks for the awesome recipe!

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    1. Awesome to hear, thanks for stopping by!! :)

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  2. My daughter would absolutely love this! I will have to share it with her. Pinning. xo, Catherine

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  3. Yum!! This looks good! I never knew fresh mint was so good for you.

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    1. I didn't either until researching it for this post! You can add even more mint leaves for extra flavor :)

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