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Anyone else get a hankering for Shamrock Shake’s this time of year? I certainly do! March is obviously synonyms with St. Patrick’s Day, college basketball, corn beef and cabbage, and McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. Each year I crave a Shamrock Shake in March but rarely cave to the craving because SECONDS after I drink a Maccy D’s shake, I immediately regret it, I feel ill.
And I’m not clowning around, I mean what I said literally. The second I finish drinking a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake, I feel sick. Perhaps I drink the sugary beverage too quickly, so my body goes into shock. Or perhaps the artificial ingredients in the fast food shake makes me feel sick, but each time I drink a Shamrock Shake I feel horrible shortly afterwards. I think, “Why Christina, WHY did you do that to yourself, AGAIN?!?”
So, I did some Googling and found a better way to enjoy a version of the Shamrock Shake that’s healthier for you!
As you may have noticed, I’m late posting a recipe for Shock Munch. I missed posting a recipe last week all together. Unfortunately house hunting has enveloped Kieran’s and my life. Buying a house in Portland is like trying to breath in outer space without a space suit, it’s impossible. Ok, I’m obviously being facetious, but buying a house in Portland is hard as f*ck for middle class, 1st time home buyers.
Kieran and I have been outbid 11 times so far and counting. The bartender at our favorite brewery told us she’s been outbid 16 times so far. Not only are 1st time home buyers being outbid by wealthier people, but there’s SO much housing competition in Portland, we’re also being outbid by people who are waving the home inspection!! Can you imagine being so desperate for a house, you’re willing to bypass the inspection? Kieran and I will never skip the inspection OR the appraisal (as wealthier people often do) so sadly, it sounds like Kieran and I will be house hunting for a long time to come.
Those of you who’ve been outbid on a house, you have first hand experience on how time consuming and emotionally draining the process can be. The Portland housing market is so fierce, homes normally have 5 offers (or more) within the first 2 days of being on the market. So if you want a shot at owning property, you have to be quick. I check real estate websites on an hourly basis, as SOON as I see something I like, I contact my agent. She quickly works on getting us a showing, so we have to be ready to view houses on a minutes notice. We rushed to see 4 houses last week, so buy the time we got home, ate dinner, and finished working with our agent to submit an offer, we’re exhausted and ready for bed, leaving no time for me to blog.
Dude, during one of the showings last week, our real estate agent was busy, so she sent her assistant to get us into the houses. At the last house we viewed she turned to me and asked if we would be interested in buying HER house. The assistant said she wouldn’t even put her house on the market, we could buy it (offer pending) with NO competition. She showed us pictures and encouraged us to drive by the house to take a look. Later in the evening she sent us a detailed email with the house specifications and additional pictures. The plan was, if we got outbid again, we would be invited to view the assistant’s house, to see if we wanted to buy it. Kieran and couldn’t believe our luck, we felt her offer was too good to be true, but after being outbid 11 times, despite ourselves, we let our hopes soar high. We found out we were outbid again on Sunday morning so I sent the assistant an email, saying we would be interested in seeing her house. She promptly emailed us back, saying she changed her mind, she’s not looking to sell anymore. #whatthef*ckjusthappened
Kieran and I knew the assistant has every right to change her mind but her sudden decision felt like a punch in the face, then a punch in the gut, then back in the face, then square in the crotch, ect. We know she has every right to do what she feels is best for her and her house, but we were crushed. The hunt for a home continues…
I would be lying if I said Portland sucks and you shouldn’t move here. Portland, Oregon is a magical place and we’re smitten. However, the housing market is out of control. If you’re looking to move here and buy a house, be prepared to spend a lot of time, spend a lot money, and shed some tears, it’s difficult.
So, even though I shot the Shamrock Shake pictures last week, I wasn’t able to balance photo editing, writing, and house hunting, hence, why this post is late. Whelp, better late than never. I give you a Healthier Shamrock Shake.
The base of this Shamrock Shake is frozen bananas. Using frozen bananas as the base, you can make an array of delicious flavored ice cream and shakes. In fact, you can add chocolate chips and additional ice to this recipe to make mint chocolate chip ice cream, if that’s your preference.
This recipe is so adaptable you can make it with regular milk, coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, honey, agave nectar, sugar, fresh mint, mint extract, the list goes on and on. Frozen bananas are the base, you add a handful of spinach for the green coloring (you can’t taste the spinach, so don’t be grossed out), approx 1 cup of your favorite liquid, your favorite sweetener, and lastly either fresh mint or mint extract, and you have yourself a homemade, healthier version of the Shamrock Shake. Dude, additionally you could use green food coloring if you loath spinach and want to skip it.
Use my recipe as a guideline but adjust for your own tastes. Depending on your flavor preference, you may want the Shamrock Shake sweeter, thinner or thicker, or have a stronger mint flavor. Keep adding ingredients until you find the perfect balance for you. If your Shamrock Shake is too thin, add ice cubes to thicken it. If your Shamrock Shake is too thick, thin it out with additional coconut milk or your favorite liquid. Note, the riper the banana the better for this recipe. Non-rip bananas can be used, but they don’t lend the natural sweetness I prefer in this recipe.
This Shamrock Shake recipe is an exceptional way to sneak in fruit and veggies while subduing your craving the unhealthy McDonald’s version. You’ll note the calorie count on this recipe is still high, it’s still an indulgence, but using natural ingredients is obviously much healthier for you then slurping down a beverage chalk full of artificial ingredients. I hope you make this recipe and enjoy. Happy St. Patrick’s Day Everyone!
Thanks for stopping by,
Christina
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Servings 2
Ingredients
- 2-3 frozen bananas
- 1 big handful of washed baby spinach
- 1 cup regular coconut milk
- 3-4 tablespoons honey
- A big handful fresh mint
- Additional toppings: more mint, whipped cream, chocolate chips
Instructions
In your blender add the coconut milk, bananas, spinach, mint, and honey. Blend everything together until it's the Shake consistency you enjoy most. Taste and add additional coconut milk, honey, or mint until you reach the flavor you like most.
Drink as is, or top with whipped cream or any toppings you prefer!
Notes
Very ripe bananas tastes the best (in my opinion) for this recipe. You can use normal bananas, but the beverage won’t be so naturally sweet.
To freeze bananas, take them out of their peel, cut them into chunks, and store in freezer bags. When completely frozen, take them out of the freezer and pop into your blender when needed.
This recipe is so adaptable you can make it with regular milk, coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, honey, agave nectar, sugar, fresh mint, mint extract, the list goes on and on. Frozen bananas are the base, you add a handful of spinach for the green coloring (you can’t taste the spinach, so don’t be grossed out), approx 1 cup of your favorite liquid, your favorite sweetener, and lastly either fresh mint or mint extract, and you have yourself a homemade, healthier version of the Shamrock Shake. Dude, additionally you could use green food coloring if you loath spinach and want to skip it.
Use my recipe as a guideline but adjust for your own tastes. Depending on your flavor preference, you may want the Shamrock Shake sweeter, thinner or thicker, or have a stronger mint flavor. Keep adding ingredients until you find the perfect balance for you. If you Shamrock Shake is too thin, add ice cubes to thicken it. If your Shamrock Shake is too thick, thin it out with additional coconut milk or your favorite liquid. Note, the riper the banana the better for this recipe. Non-rip bananas can be used, but they don’t lend the natural sweetness I prefer in this recipe.
I tried this recipe with both regular and lite coconut milk. Even though regular has more fat and calories, I preferred the taste to lite coconut milk tremendously. Use lite coconut milk if you prefer it, but I thought it had a funky aftertaste.
Calorie breakdown
1-2 frozen bananas…. 210 (2 bananas)
1 big handful of washed baby spinach.. 20 (roughly, 1 cup is 20 calories and a handful is usually a cup)
1 cup regular coconut milk…. 445 (depending on the brand you choose)
3-4 tablespoons honey… 192 (3 tbpl)
A big handful fresh mint.. 0
Total calories… 867
1/2 serving 433.50
1/4 serving 216.75
*Note, I am not a nutritionist, nor am I pretending to be. I found the calorie counts by reading the nutrition labels on the food I purchased, searching Google, and using my Lose It! app on my phone.using my Lose It! app on my phone.
