Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Cheap, Easy Milk Shake Recipe, No Ice Cream Required

I love Burger King milk shakes. When I was in high school, my friends and I would walk to Burger King after school and I always got a chocolate milk shake. I commented once that it couldn't be too bad for you, after all, it has milk. A friend who worked at Burger King informed me that there was no milk, but that they made it from a powder that came in big buckets.
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I pass Burger King on my way home from Walmart and it brings back those memories. Sometimes, I am tempted to stop for a chocolate milk shake. A $3 milk shake just once won't hurt my budget too much.
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Then, I remember what my friend said about the powder. And, I remember that I can whip up one of these shakes in seconds at home with no guilt about the budget or the nutrition.
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In a blender combine:
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3 ice cubes - $0
3/4 cup milk - $0.16
1/2 teaspoon stevia - $0.08 (or maybe 1/3 cup of sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla - $0.03 .
Blend until smooth. This recipe is good for one milk shake, so just multiply it by how many people you are making it for. There are unlimited variations, which will increase the cost a little. But if I'm having a milk shake, I want it to good.
Add 1 or 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Use frozen banana chunks instead of ice cubes
Use frozen berries instead of ice cubes
Add coconut
Add pureed pumpkin and nutmeg
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Okay, I should stop listing, because now I want a milk shake. These have replaced ice cream in our home. They are super quick to make and can be made nutritiously. We used to go through almost a box of ice cream per week, each, at $2 per box, or $4 per week. Now, my husband has a shake five nights a week (when he's not working second shift), for $1.35. I don't have them often, but I really want a pumpkin one, like now.

5 comments:

Lisa said...

I found your blog by way of the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op.

I will definitely be trying your milkshake recipe as I take the time to catch up on all your posts. Looks like a great blog.

The Pittsburgh Pair said...

I buy my ice cream at Aldi's. They have, hands-down, the cheapest price on ice cream at 2.8 cents per ounce. I think their ice cream is about $1.68 or so. I've been reading your blog and find it very interesting. We're super frugal as well!

Tammy said...

Hey--I freeze MILK in ice cube trays and use them in the blender for milkshakes, it makes them more creamy and still low cost.

sunnymommy said...

I tried this and it just came out like really cold (sweet/flavored) milk! Really thin for a milkshake. Anything you can do to thicken it up do you think?

Emily said...

sunnymommy, add more ice, and make sure it is completely crushed in the blender and it should thicken up.

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