Sorry…breaking into our little series on spring veggies ‘cause I just have to share these healthy but-oh-so-yummy! green minty “shakes” with you!  It is tradition to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day in our family…heritage and all, y’know!  (Your name can’t be coleen ann brigit mcelroy hayden…and not recognize your Irish background!)

So, I have to admit to indulging <in the past!> in a Shamrock Shake from a certain fast food place…uh-huh…you know!  But we are working on having a healthier eating lifestyle now…by God’s grace!…and so I took a little peek ‘n see about the nutrition facts (from the manufacturer) for that minty shake of my past.  Can you say “Holy Saint Paddy!”  530 calories, 86 grams of carbs (of which 73 were sugar carbs, mostly corn syrup), and 15 grams of fat in a 16 ounce cup!

I think you will find this healthy but-oh-so-yummy version equally satisfying and delicious. I would love to hear from you!

Ingredients:
1 scoop protein powder
2 cups almond milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 packet of stevia sweetener
2 hefty tablespoons of vanilla greek yogurt
1 ripe avocado
2 handfuls of raw spinach
2 cut-up frozen bananas
4 or 5 ice cubes

Directions:

• Start off with all the liquid ingredients, the protein powder and stevia; blend for 10-15 seconds.
• Layer in the balance of the ingredients. Whirl away ‘til nicely blended!
• This made more than enough for two big servings; the glasses pictured hold more than 14 ounces each.

** Certainly can be prepared in a standard blender, too. I would suggest doing it in two batches, however, using 1/2 of the ingredients at a time.

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen