Peaches and Cream Shake

This is a simple twist on a peach shake. When making the shake, add a peach (I added one and a half of a small peach) to the water before adding the powder. Then add a tablespoon of sugar free vanilla syrup to the mix just before adding the ice cubes. The extra vanilla adds a sweetness and smoothness to the shake that reminds me of my mom's peach torte, with none of the calories.

Root Beer Float Shake

The second snow cone flavor I found was sugar-free root beer flavor. This makes a reasonably tasty root beer float flavor with the vanilla shake powder. I added a generous amount of flavoring, and it really was a root beer float flavor. I wonder if a half a can of diet root beer instead of the water and flavoring would give me the same result. I'll check that out, too, when the opportunity presents itself, and get back on that one.

2 tablespoons root beer flavoring

1 scoop vanilla shake powder

4 oz. water

8 - 10 ice cubes

Make the shake as usual, except, add the root beer flavoring with the water right at the beginning of the process.

Hot Chai, HMR Style

One of my favorite hot drinks is this vanilla chai. It's made quite simply with my Keurig brewer and the blender. It's also easy to make if you just wish to use a chai teabag, and hot water for the basic liquid. I use an 8 - 9 ounce cup of liquid for this and all of my hot drinks, since the ice cubes are not added to bring up the volume of liquid. I warm this for about 30 seconds in the microwave, but if you are using freshly brewed tea, it's not necessary unless you really like your tea piping hot.

1 cup (8 - 9 ounces) freshly brewed chai tea.

1 scoop vanilla HMR shake powder

Pour tea into blender. loosely cover, and run on low speed for a few seconds. Raise cover to add vanilla powder carefully. Add powder while still blending on low. Recover, and turn speed to medium or high. Pour into a tall mug and enjoy.

Success! Lemon Lime Shake

After several tries with jello and juice, I've finally gotten a good lemon lime shake. It's not yet a key lime pie flavor, but at least I'm past the curdled texture of previous attempts at citrus flavors.

1 or 2 envelopes of 'True Lime"

1 envelope of Truvia

1Tablespoon of lemon flavored pudding mix, sugar free & fat free

1 scoop vanilla shake powder

6 oz. water

8 - 10 ice cubes

Put water, Truvia and True Lime into blender. Stir on low speed. Add vanilla powder and lemon pudding mix. Add ice cubes one at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Since this has a pudding ingredient, it will thicken quite quickly. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.

Pumpkin Creme - Another Great Hot Drink

I always think of the 'pumpkin juice' from the Harry Potter books when I make this. It is borrowed & then changed from one of the HMR recipe sites. On that site, this is a cold shake. In my remake of the classic, I drink it hot. I tried it without the sweetener and even though I usually get along fine with things that are less sweet, this drink can use the extra touch of Truvia. I'm also not particularly accurate on the measurements, so change it up as you like for your own taste.

7 - 8 oz cool water

2 heaping tablespoons of canned pumpkin

1/2 to 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 scoop vanilla powder

1/2 to 1 packet Truvia or other artificial sweetener

Put water into blender. Add pumpkin and spice. Blend on low speed until mixed. Add sweetener and vanilla powder. Blend on medium speed until frothy. Stop blender and pour drink into large mug. Heat in microwave until warm, about 50 seconds to a minute. Do not overheat.

Time for Hot Drinks! "Almond Joy" Cocoa Cream

While drinking my evening shake a couple of nights ago, I decided that a nice, warm drink before bedtime would be a welcome change at this time of the year. I looked up 'Hot Beverages' in my HMR Recipe Booklet, and found some good choices. I have, of course, done some variations that are quite tasty. I started out mixing my hot drinks with a fork, but found that the blenderizing makes a frothier drink, with fewer clumps of unmixed powder. (of course) I also like it better if I blend first, then gently heat in the microwave just to drinking temperature. Here's a variation that's similar to the candy bar shake of this summer:

7 to 8 oz. cool water

1 scoop vanilla 120 powder

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Put water and extracts  in blender. Run blender on low speed, adding vanilla powder and cocoa to the blender as it runs. Turn speed up to medium, blending until frothy. Pour drink into tall mug, and heat in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. (My drink is perfect for me at 50 seconds.)

I personally find the chocolate powder too overpowering, and prefer the vanilla/cocoa combination. Chocoholics, however, may find the chocolate powder exactly what they crave. I also like the less sweet, faintly bitter flavor of this recipe, but my daughter thinks it tastes better with a half of a packet of Truvia. Obviously, do what you like to get it just right for your personal tastes.

Apple Pie & Ice Cream Shake

One of my favorite Fall flavors is apple. Since I may have any kind of fruit on this diet, I am sampling several apple varieties that are new to me. Incorporating apples into a shake, however, was a trickier business. The secret ingredient for this concoction is coconut extract. It gives a smooth, buttery flavor which gives the illusion of pie crust without the calories. I tried a couple of ways to make this using fresh apples, but I've fallen back on natural applesauce without sugar as the apple ingredient. Here's the recipe:

1 single serving natural applesauce (mine had apples and water as the only two ingredients)

1/4 teaspoon coconut flavoring

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 scoop vanilla shake powder

3/4 cup water

8 - 10 ice cubes

Add water, applesauce, cinnamon & coconut flavoring to blender container. Mix on low speed until ingredients are combined. Add vanilla shake powder and continue blending on medium speed. Add ice cubes, a couple at a time, until shake is the volume & consistency you like. Pour & serve.

Blueberry Cheesecake Shake

At the farmer's market last Saturday, one of the sellers was selling blueberries. I didn't know blueberries were a September fruit, but apparently different varieties ripen at different times, and I'm getting the end of season blueberries just before cranberry harvest time. These berries are juicy, but rather tart, so after my daughter used some berries in her scones, I used a half a cup of berries in a shake. The cheesecake pudding mix in the shake is a good balance for the tartness of the berries, and really makes a delicious shake as a meal replacement, or as a dessert shake after a meal. This shake doesn't mix up totally smooth. The skins and tiny little seeds float around in the shake. (It doesn't bother me, but I know some people are sensitive about texture.) Here are the instructions:

1/2 cup washed, fresh blueberries

1 teaspoon sugar free, fat free instant cheesecake pudding mix

1 scoop vanilla shake powder

3/4 cup water

8 - 10 ice cubes

With water in blender container, turn blender to low. Add blueberries and process until berries are liquified. Add vanilla shake powder and cheesecake pudding powder. Turn to medium speed, and add ice cubes one at a time until shake is desired thickness. Serve immediately.

Vanilla Mint Shake

This is a shake that actually looks kind of odd, sort of like a grass milkshake would look, if you decided to try that. It is, however, very tasty, and if you're a fan of mint, it's great. I have huge spearmint plants overwhelming my herb garden right now, and I'm trying to use that mint without my usual quotient of sugar. This shake has a bit more 'bite' than, say, a shamrock shake, and a bit more complex mint taste - it's hard to describe. One thing to do when you prepare your mint leaves, is to use the smaller leaves, and to be sure that you've removed all stems. Also be sure to wash well in running cool water. I use a colander under the tap. I used almost a cup of mint leaves. It was a little overpowering. Next time, I'll use between 1/2 and 3/4 of a cup of fresh leaves. I don't know about the nutrient values of fresh mint, but it must have some health benefits, right? Anyway, here's the recipe.

1/2 to 1 cup fresh small mint leaves

3/4 cup water

1 scoop vanilla shake mix

8 to 10 ice cubes

Pour water into blender container. Add mint and process on low, then medium power until mint is liquified (I had to scrape down the sides a couple of times.) While running the blender on low, add vanilla powder. Turn blender to medium, and add ice cubes one at a time until desired volume and consistency is reached.

Caramel Coffee Shake

This shake uses a great caramel flavoring that I originally bought for a coffee flavoring, but it translates really well to this shake. I've made this with both chocolate and vanilla flavor shake powders, and I prefer the vanilla flavor, but I can certainly enjoy either one. The flavoring syrup was purchased online, from a company called 'Coffee A.M.' over a year ago. They carry a different brand now. I've seen the Dolce online in other places, but I'll let you do the investigating yourself. Google 'dolce syrup' and you should be able to find it available at several online shops. A plain, strong coffee works well for this, and it works better if the coffee is chilled. The recipe as written calls for a tablespoon of caramel flavoring, but I have admittedly used more at times.  Here's the recipe:

1 cup cooled coffee

1 tablespoon sugar-free caramel flavoring

1 scoop either vanilla or chocolate shake powder.

8 - 10 ice cubes

Add the coffee to the blender container. Begin stirring at low power. Add the caramel flavoring and the shake powder. increase power to medium speed. Add ice cubes one at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Pour and enjoy.

Vanilla Chai Shake

I really like Chai. I have made my own spice mix for chai, and even have made it by using the time consuming method of heating whole milk and steeping the black tea and spices in a muslin bag in the milk, and adding copious amounts of sugar to the mix. Yum! This recipe admittedly doesn't have quite the heady aroma and fabulous flavor of authentic chai, but it's a good substitute when whole milk and cane sugar are not on the dietary list. This is a 'make ahead' recipe. If you can make the chai a couple of hours or even the night before, and then put it in the fridge to chill, your shake will be thicker, since cold ingredients whip up fluffier than hot ones. I make chai for this purpose in a couple of ways. Either using my Keurig brewer with a spiced chai pod, or a teabag of Bigelow Vanilla Chai in a cup of hot water work just fine. I don't add sugar, since the vanilla shake powder is sweet enough for me, but if you want, Truvia is a good sweetener with no calories. Here's the recipe:

1 cup prepared chai, preferably chilled

Vanilla HMR powder

8 - 10 ice cubes

Add the chai to the blender and begin blending on low speed. Add the vanilla powder, then increase the power to medium. Add the ice cubes one at a time, until your shake is the desired consistency.

Orange Delight

This one took a couple of tries to get right. Usually I drink it up anyway, because I'm cheap, and the HMR powder isn't. I think I have a good mix here, though - not too sweet, lots of flavor. My husband said it reminded him of an 'Orange Julius' shake from back about 25 years ago. My initial experiment was a little overzealous in the addition of both sweet potato AND carrots, along with the freshly peeled orange. It was just too heavy, and the sweet potato flavor was overwhelming. I also discovered that cooking carrots first makes them much easier to blend into the shake without burning out the blender motor, and still getting hard little carrot bits in your teeth. Cook up carrots the night before, peel and zest the orange, too. Then it's an easy morning shake before work. So, here's the recipe:

1/2 cup cooked baby carrots (either use some you've made for a previous meal, or cook them up in a bit of water in the microwave. If you cook them, then chill them IN THE COOKING WATER, I suspect there's higher nutritional value. Then, you can use the cooking water as part of the liquid.)

1 orange, peeled and sectioned - check for and discard seeds

optional 1/4 teaspoon of orange zest

3/4 cup liquid (baby carrot cooking water with additional water to make 3/4 cup)

1 scoop vanilla HMR shake powder

8 - 10 ice cubes

Start with the water. Add to the blender, and set to 'stir' (low power) add baby carrots and then orange sections a couple at a time.  Add orange zest, if you're using it. Add vanilla powder and increase blender speed to medium. Once the mixture is smooth, add the ice cubes one at a time, until desired consistency.

This is a great morning shake. I've done a breakfast of Orange Delight shake and a serving of the HMR multi-grain cereal to help me resist temptation at breakfast meetings. Then, I just drink a plain coffee at the meeting so I feel like I have something in front of me, but I can honestly say that I'm just too full to be very interested in doughnuts or pastries.

Black Cherry Cheesecake Shake

This is one of my favorite flavors. I'm kind of 'squeaking by' on the 15 calorie additions, here, and I had to go through a bit of nutrition fact gymnastics to figure this out, BUT, a teaspoon of the Jello SF,FF cheesecake pudding has about 17 calories in it. A single package of this dessert mix has the ability to make 6 shakes taste like delicious, creamy cheesecake. It will also change the consistency of a shake to something more like soft serve ice cream. THIS is how I manage to stay on a diet. (Now if only there was a magic bullet for getting me to continue to improve on my exercise minutes.) I also love black cherries. I tried to use SF, FF jello cherry gelatin for a straight 'cherry cheesecake' flavor, but there is a grainy texture when using gelatin powder that is a bit strange to me. I'm thinking of getting some of that sugar free cherry flavoring for snow cones to try for the cherry flavor. (It's on sale at the end of the summer.) Stay tuned for that. On to the recipe:

12 to 15 black cherries, washed, halved and pitted

1 teaspoon Jello SF, FF cheesecake flavored pudding mix

1 scoop vanilla HMR Shake powder

3/4 cup water

8 - 10 ice cubes, or a cup of crushed ice

Put the water and cherries into the blender, and mix until cherries are almost liquified. While still mixing, add vanilla shake powder. Then add cheesecake powder. Add ice cubes one at a time, or crushed ice slowly. With the pudding powder, the consistency gets very thick very quickly, so be aware that it becomes more difficult to mix. I turn my blender to high and use crushed ice to ensure that all of the ice gets crunched up. Use a rubber scraper to get all of the shake out of your blender. I use a spoon to eat mine, but it does melt a bit if left to stand at room temperature.

Tropical Breezes Shake

This is a mix of three tropical flavors that I enjoy: banana, pineapple and coconut. It is easy to make this shake year-round, because fresh bananas are available any time of the year. You'll need:

1/2 to 1 cup of pinapple (I use either a single serving container or take some from a can of pineapple packed in its own juice) either tidbits or crushed.

1/2 teaspoon of coconut flavoring (find this in a little bottle in the extracts and flavorings section of the baking/spices aisle of your grocery store.)

1 small or 1/2 large banana (broken into chunks)

1 scoop vanilla powder

3/4 cup cold water

8 to 10 ice cubes

I put the pineapple, juice and all, in the blender container with the water and the coconut flavoring, and process on 'mix' (medium speed) until the pineapple is almost liquified. Then, add the vanilla powder and

banana chunks. Continue mixing, until creamy consistency. While continuing to mix, add ice cubes one at a time. You may wish to increase the blender speed to insure that all ice is crushed. Pour into a glass, and enjoy!

(The photo shows pineapple in heavy syrup - PLEASE, use the kind 'in its own juice' instead - I purchased the wrong kind to replace my previous can.)

Peaches and Cream Shake

For this recipe I use:

1 ripe peach, cut into 4 to 8 pieces, skin on

1 scoop vanilla shake powder

3/4 cup water

8 to 10 ice cubes

Add water to the blender, and start at slow speed. Add the vanilla powder, then add the chunks of peaches, one at a time. Set the blender at a higher speed, and then add the ice cubes one at a time. I usually add at least 8 ice cubes, sometimes more. Pour and drink. This one often fills more than a 20 oz. glass, especially if you add lots of ice.

No picture for this one, yet. I'll have to start photographing my food before I eat it so those photos can be posted here.