This is my first published post under COVID-19 self-imposed quarantine (read: urged social distancing). This has been a super weird time in our city (Seattle is basically “Ground Zero” in the US in regards to coronavirus), within our country, and across the world; it feels like totally uncharted territory. Most of us have been told to work from home if we can, only leaving the house if we absolutely must for essentials like groceries. It’s been incredibly scary for the economy everywhere… I know that in Seattle specifically, small businesses are closing left and right, people are losing their jobs and can’t find new ones because hardly any companies can even afford to keep their full staff of employees much less add new ones! We have no bearing on how long this situation may hold and what kinds of lasting effects this virus will have on the world as we’ve known it. We have been trying to support our favorite local businesses by ordering takeaway or delivery whenever possible over the past week. I know that not everyone has the means to do this (which is another super scary thing to think about… how are people going to pay their rents or buy food if this lasts for months?!), but every little contribution helps… it all adds up!
Anyway, today is St. Patrick’s Day and normally we would go out and celebrate with some friends at a local bar over some green beers, but with social distancing and a mandated closure of dine-in restaurants and bars we are having to deviate from our usual plans this year.
On that note (and this opinion may be controversial), but I really dislike the Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s. It tastes too syrup-y and overall just grosses me out. I want to like it because it’s a fun novelty for this holiday, but I just can’t get into the flavor. I also tend to prefer a chocolate and mint pairing (York peppermint patties! Andes mints?! SO. GOOD.) so this version is definitely a departure from the “traditional” Shamrock Shake, but I feel that it tastes exponentially better (and is WAY kinder to the waistline).
The last shake recipe that I shared (Cheesecake!) had a few more ingredients and is more along the lines of my typical shake formula, but due to my current lack of usual groceries (thanks, coronavirus…) this particular “recipe” is way easier and features one of my all-time favorite Weight Watchers discoveries – Premier Protein shakes!
Ingredients:
– 1 bottle / carton of Premier Protein Cookies & Cream Shake
– 1/8 tsp pure mint extract *
– a few cubes of ice (I used ~8)
*(do NOT use peppermint essential oil!)
Note: if you end up adding too many ice cubes and the blender is having trouble, you can loosen the beverage up a bit with a splash of milk (dairy or non… my favorite for shakes and smoothies is almond!)
Obviously, adding the Sugar-Free Cool Whip and Lucky Charms as a festive garnish adds more calories to the drink, but I just couldn’t resist adding them today.
This minty shake was tasty, felt festive, totally hit the spot, and only cost me a total of 2 WW Freestyle Points! (Please note that adding Cool Whip and Lucky Charms cereal will affect the total WW Points.)
Admittedly, I’ve been a bit more anxious than normal lately because of all of the unknown ripple effects from this virus, so I added a boost of CBD to my Shamrock Protein Shake. The company that I get my CBD from (and LOVE!) just came out with 3 flavors of their CBD oil. One of those flavors is mint and it felt only natural to add a dropper to my shake to help me to chill out (pun intended 😉). More details on CBD and my experience with it here.
If you are inclined, this could easily be made into a boozy shake by adding a shot of your favorite alcohol (I made this around 12:00pm, so it was still a bit too early to imbibe, but I plan to make it into an “adult-friendly” shake in the future!).
I think that a shot of whiskey, a crème de menthe, or even a boozy Irish cream would be tasty additions / swaps for this shake! Again, adding alcohol would adjust the drink’s WW Points, but the total would still be less than if you were to get a traditional McDonald’s Shamrock Shake (one of their small sized shakes is a whopping 23 WW Freestyle Points!!! 😳).
I really love an Irish Cream, so a pump or two of my Irish Cream Skinny Syrup into the shake instead of the mint extract would be delicious! And the syrup has no WW points so it’s guilt-free as well!
I hope that you make this shake for yourself and enjoy a few moments of reprieve from the current state of the world!
Sending e-hugs and a gentle reminder to please wash your hands! ☺️
xx, Natalie
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