Who doesn’t love a good milk shake? What if you could make a healthy smoothie that tastes as good as a milk shake? With a few simple tricks that is certainly possible. You’ll even end up with an icy, thick drink that’s just as tasty while adding a lot of nutritional benefits.
You may not want to have these smoothies every single day but they make the perfect treat that’s delicious and healthy.
Start with frozen fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and banana make great frozen fruit choices when you’re making a healthy smoothie that resembles a milk shake. Put them in your blender along with a little milk or yogurt. Vanilla flavored yogurt will add some extra sugar, but also a lot of flavor and body.
Alternatively, use a bit of plain yogurt, even Greek yogurt and either enough ripe fruit to sweeten the smoothie or a little natural sweetener like agave or maple syrup, or even a dash of stevia. Blend it all up, going light on the milk and adding just enough to get the consistency you like.
Frozen banana blended with milk and a little vanilla extract tastes and feels very much like vanilla ice cream. It’s a great base for a smoothie that reminds you of a milk shake. Add some other frozen fruits like strawberry, peaches, and even pineapple for a delicious treat.
Of course you don’t have to stick to only fruit. Avocado is a surprisingly tasty and nutritious addition to any creamy smoothie. It will give you that creamy, smooth flavor and texture. For something similar to a chocolate milk shake, try blending avocado, cocoa powder, banana, ice and a bit of milk. Of course you can use rice milk, almond milk, soy milk or any other milk like product instead of regular dairy.
Adding peanut butter also gives a lot of body and a smooth texture to your smoothies. If you like a good peanut butter chocolate shake, use the suggestions above, but add a spoon of peanut butter to the mix before you blend it all up.
Ice is another great addition to any smoothie that will thicken it up and give it that ice cream feel without any added calories. Play around with how much ice you add to your blender, and make sure you have a blender that can handle grinding down and blending in ice cubes. Go easy on the liquids and keep blending.
For a thick, creamy smoothie, you need a lot less liquid than you may think. Above all, have fun, blend away, and create some yummy frozen treats.
