Healthy Shamrock Protein Milkshake

This healthy shamrock protein milkshake uses whole milk ice cubes to make an authentic creamy sweet base so you’d never guess it’s high protein and low sugar!

First up, smoothies totally count as a one-dish meal right?  Well, this one definitely does and if anyone disagrees I’m sorry.  I’d like to say I promise they won’t become a regular thing on one dish Monday, but in July when it’s 120 out I typically eat smoothies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

When it’s 120 outside, I don’t make promises about anything and I don’t apologize for my erratic behavior when it’s so hot I can’t think straight.  Luckily it’s been in the low 70’s all week so 120 is still just a distant threat.

Second, I must say, thank you to McDonald’s for running your ad for the Shamrock Shake over and over and over and over again until I had to make my own version, better than yours!  The Shamrock Shake used to be the one thing I still went through the drive-thru for every single year, like a moth drawn to a flame my car would drive there automatically.

No matter how hard I tried at home, how many recipes I went through, I couldn’t get it right at home.  I tried so many Pinterest versions, some of them were better than others.  Over and over again I was disappointed.

Either the serving size was appropriate for a mouse, ingredients included food dye, the texture was not like a milkshake, or it just didn’t taste like the real thing.  Disappointment after disappointment leading me to the drive-thru to enjoy my beloved Shamrock Shake.

This year, all that has changed, I figured out the sweet creamy super secret ingredient that can make a healthy shake taste like my beloved chemical loaded version.

Lucky for you, I am generous enough to share the secret with you so that you can act like a human and not a moth.  Ready for it? The super secret, the life-changing ingredient is…drumroll please….  whole milk ice cubes. Yep, the necessary basis for making anything ice cream.  (For dairy free full fat coconut milk ice cubes would work as well, you will get a slight coconut flavor though.)

Without the whole milk ice cubes, it won’t be a milkshake, it will be something else much less worthy of the name shamrock milkshake. Just freeze a tray of ice cubes with whole milk and you’ll on your way to having a healthier smoothie in no time!

To sweeten it I used stevia, my favorite protein powder, a half a frozen banana, and then all the chocolate chips.  BOOM!  The texture was perfect and so was the taste, I couldn’t believe I’d finally nailed it!  Which brings me to today’s Monday motivation topic.

How many times do you do the same thing over and over again expecting the same results?  Eat the same food, do the same workouts, think the same way, whatever it is.  We are certainly creatures of habit.  Oddly enough this recipe is a perfect example, I was almost afraid to make and use whole milk ice cubes after I had the idea.

What if it didn’t work?  What if I didn’t like it?  But, I had to face the facts, I need to try something new if I wanted a new result.  As Albert Einstein said the “definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

While HH constantly challenges me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things like new recipes and YouTube (shameless plug: remember first 100 friends to subscribe get an amazon gift card or FREE nutrition coaching! ) I can think of so many areas in my life recently where I have been resistant to change, trying the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome:

• Continually doing exercises that bothered my shoulder, thinking they shouldn’t bother my shoulder so I would do them again.
• Working all the time and then complaining I was stressed and didn’t feel connected.
• Not sticking to my meal plans and wondering why I wasn’t getting results.
• Insisting I knew my daily tasks for the month and not have enough time.

Once I tried something new, I got everything I wanted and more :

• I tried new and old workouts at the gym, plus I stopped walking the dog.  –> My shoulder felt better.
• I scheduled in plans with family and friends.  –> I felt more excited about life in general.
• I stuck to my meal plan. –> I got results.
• I scheduled out all my tasks for the month –> I felt less stressed.

So friends, tell me what are you doing over and over again expecting the same results?   What can you do even slightly different that might change your outcome?  

Healthy Shamrock Milkshake

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Looking for more delicious smoothie recipes or treats?  Check out my recipe index or check out my protein smoothie recipe round up for loads of inspiration!

13- Smoothies