How to Curb Your Milkshake Addiction

Are you addicted to milkshakes? I know I am! I give a list of top ingredients to help make your smoothie recipes deceivingly similar to a milkshake so you can nix those cravings right in the bud. And of course, I give you one of my all time favorite smoothie recipes – Banana Coconut Cardamom Shake.

It’s the summer time and I literally want a milkshake every single moment of the goddamn day. Like even the thought of a milkshake makes my mouth water.

This is concerning because according to a 2011 study involving young women, just looking at a milkshake can activate the same areas of the brain that light up when an addict sees cocaine.

Oh fuck. And there’s other problems with me and milkshakes like:

A) I’m pretty sure I’m mildly lactose intolerant

B) Does anyone actually enjoy the feeling of milk in their body on a hot day? Blegh.

But don’t despair because I’m here offering hope! I’ve learned to curb my milkshake addiction by tuning into exactly what I like about that bomb ass beverage. Let’s analyze. Milkshakes are pretty much just a smoothie made with ice cream instead of fruit. They’re creamy, cold, and sweet beverage and because of that – we can hack our smoothies to be shockingly similar in texture without sacrificing your healthy. Let’s get into it.

TOP CREAMY SMOOTHIE MAKERS

Banana

Bananas are my personal go-to when it comes to replicating a milkshake. I like to keep a big bag of slice frozen banana on hand for whenever this craving calls (which is pretty much daily).

Avocado

Avocado makes any smoothie creamy and flavor is milder than banana so easier to hide. Keep in mind – avocado is green so just be careful when mixing it up with various colored fruits because you may end up with an unappetizing brown smoothies (which might be delicious but some of us eat with our eyes).

Vegetable purées

Vegetables. Yep – you read that right. I’m not talking kale and spinach though. Consider adding a scoop of sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, or carrot purée to your smoothies to make a creamy masterpiece.

Milk Ice Cubes

Instead of making boring ass plain old ice cubes, replace water with a non dairy milk. It’ll add a boost of creaminess to your drink without watering that bad boy down.  Just put your milk of choice (coconut, hemp, cashew, hazelnut, etc) in ice trays and put the cubes in sealed bags after they’ve frozen. Whenever a recipe calls for ice cubes, put in your special milk cubes instead.

Yogurt

Yogurt is a no-brainer. If you’re a dairy addict like me, use full-fat plain greek yogurt and avoid the sugary processed crap. Otherwise, if spring for those (expensive) yogurt alternatives made of coconut or almonds or cashews. I like to hate on these because they’re pricey but they texture is actually pretty darn good. Also, adding a tart yogurt to pretty much any flavored smoothie will give you something akin to an Indian lassi.

Silken tofu

I actually don’t love the flavor of tofu in my smoothies, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that this ingredient can cream up a smoothie like a mofo. Silken tofu is dense, soft, and rich making it absolutely perfect for a thick plant-based smoothie. You don’t need to go overboard with this – see what just ½ cup of tofu will do for your smoothie and increase from there based on your personal tastes and preferences.

Soaked Nuts

Not only will adding in soaked nuts / seeds boost your smoothies with healthy fats and nutrients AND they’ll help you create a creamier smoothie.

Coconut Flesh

 Coconut flesh is just a tad bit sweet and packs a nutritional power punch with it’s high iron, phosphorus and zinc count. It also has naturally occurring high concentrations of electrolytes, meaning you feel guilt free about drinking a coconut flesh filled smoothie after a workout.

I’m not gonna leave ya’ll hanging. Here’s one of my all-time favorite recipes for nixing a Milkshake fix right in the buds. Give this recipe a spin and if you have any variations or suggestions, leave em in the comments! Oh and don’t forget to apply some of these variations to some of my other favorite smoothie recipes.