UA-141369524-4

Healthy Vanilla Milkshake with Cinnamon (Low Sugar)

Vanilla milkshake is a plain shake, but made doubly delicious with cinnamon. And to shake it up even more, it can be enjoyably healthy.

healthy vanilla milkshake with cinnamon that's low fat and low sugar.

In fact, there’s no room for high-fat or sugar as this one is filled with egg yolk and protein nutrition full of vitamins. I remember the first time I made ice cream similarly with egg yolks, I was a bit scared.

But it worked! So I gave it a try with the healthy vanilla milkshake recipe below and I think you’ll love it too if you like eggs.

Jump to Recipe

vanilla milkshake mixed with low-sugar cinnamon
Recipe for this low-fat and low-sugar vanilla milkshake below. 🧡

And it’s only about 150 calories for an 8 ounce glass. 

That’s not your usual fast food milkshake, that can often be 500 calories or more.

Plus fast food milkshakes are usually loaded with 60 plus grams of sugar (that’s over 15  teaspoons).

Also on healthy notes and Ayurvedic terms, vanilla calms and cinnamon is Vata balancing and Kapha calming, so this is a healthy drink in more ways than one!

…But it tastes anything BUT healthy.

In case you’re wondering what Ayurveda is and why it matters here is that your body knows sometimes before you do, if you’re feeling balanced… and  where happy, calm, and peaceful are healthy.

You get clues through your 5 senses.

How this milkshake helps to give you clues…  when you smell cinnamon or vanilla, you’re attracted to the aroma and that means adding more is balancing! That’s an example of Ayurveda in a nutshell.

Another sure-fire sign: you don’t make a sour face and maybe you turn a frown upside down into a smiley face. 😊

And an interesting fact about cinnamon is it has been around since B.C. times long before vanilla that dates to modern A.D.

Cinnamon is referred in the Bible as a precious spice and anointing oil. Cassia is mentioned as cinnamon (that’s our common modern cinnamon spice in the markets).

Cinnamon is a symbol of love, prosperity, and abundance.

So in those ways, adding cinnamon is good luck in life blessings.

Cinnamon as variety to vanilla milkshake pleases Vata. And cinnamon is also great in an ice cream cousin like this cinnamon ice cream baked into Baked Alaska

baked alaska cinnamon ice cream.

…But, that’s getting dessert steps ahead, as Baked Alaska may be a step or two more work… and maybe one to try on another day or as a baking project where you clear out your freezer.

But making a milkshake doesn’t involve all that work.

It’s simple steps and you most likely already have the milkshake ingredients in your kitchen stash.

So let’s get started…

You don’t need to have an ice cream maker but that will make your milkshake making life easier.

Without an ice cream maker, you can freeze, and after 30 minutes stir up the icicles. And then freeze for another 30 minutes or so (or until slushie ice cold before you bring out and enjoy.

Part of the fun experience is watching your dessert melt in front of you.

And waiting builds up excitement!

…Ready to milk shake it up? 😋

Print

Healthy Vanilla Cinnamon Milkshake (Low-Sugar)

This is a low-sugar vanilla shake that has egg yolk protein.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

  • ice cream maker

Ingredients

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (vanilla)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon (common or Cassia cinnamon)
  • 1/4 tsp pinch of sugar (optional)

Instructions

  • Beat egg yolks with a whisk. Add a pinch of sugar to help emulsify.
  • Heat milk and cinnamon on medium heat until small bubbles form, stirring constantly.
  • Add heated milk to egg yolks while stirring constantly for at least 30 seconds. Don't let the egg yolks scramble but do temper heat them for a smooth milkshake.
  • Refrigerate until cold.
  • Add to ice cream maker for about 15-20 minutes.
  • Freeze in a freezer safe glass. Enjoy!

Notes

You can use a blender like a Magic Bullet blender to make it easy for steps 1 and 2.

Beet Smoothie With Blueberry and Ginger

Beet berry smoothie is one inviting drink that’s vibrant pretty to look at… and pretty gut healthy. Plus, tasty good!

Like a painting in creation, the Alizarin crimson hues in this beet red smoothie are deep saturated in color 🎨 and filled with rainbow polyphenol anti-inflammatory goodness.

More on this below…

Jump to Recipe

A beet smoothie drink with blueberry and ginger made at home.

Ginger as a punchy spice ingredient is good for digestion and calming bloating symptoms.

It’s one of the power spices for digestive health. And even recommended for IBS patients.

Plus, adding ginger to a beet smoothie gives it a flavor pairing knock-out punch…  that I’m all about coming from my catering days.

…And this one knocks you off your seat!

Ginger takes this beet drink from good to POW-WOW. 🤩

You may even skip a caffeine jolt as the flavors are awakening strong.

And if ginger is not a flavor vibe you’ve gotten accustomed to… (or maybe even detest today), I can totally relate.

…When I was a kid, my mom cooked ginger in meals. Not just hints of ginger spice, but actual whole chunks of ginger.

And that’s when I made a face ☹️ and didn’t want to eat food or anything that came within millimeters of the infected ginger taste.

But as our bodies change, our tastes also change.

Little did I know that ginger is Vata balancing.

And it’s surprising I started to like the taste of ginger decades later… it grew on me with ginger and cookies and gingerbread cookies. 😊

…And ginger chocolate.

…So, maybe those are the sweeter ginger tastes needed for you to see the value and bring ginger alive in your life. 😉

Crystallized ginger goes well with chocolate and is one of the happy foods (as it has a little bit of sugar). Sugar and spice is balancing.

You can even make a puzzle game out of it if that’ll bring in the likability factor.

And slowly your tide can change one ginger taste at a time and you find yourself one day drinking ginger water.

And graduate to a smoothie like this one where ginger is one of the star ingredients that gives this beet smoothie some good stars! 🌟

Along with a red apple, this is one anti-inflammatory beet smoothie.

Apples are high in quercetin that daily help us keep the doctor away. 🍎

…And finally, another star ingredient is the blended in super berries, like blueberries (and you can substitute or mix in with strawberries if you prefer).

So, that’s 4-anti-inflammatory ingredients in the smoothie if you’re counting. Anti-inflammatory is good for all ages, as you can never start too soon.

That makes this a super healthy berry beet smoothie slushie ride!

This is one punchy medley of a drink that you just can’t get in a regular fruit punch.

Are you ready to jump in?

And if you like blueberry smoothies, a Blueberry Cheesecake Smoothie or Blueberry Pina Colada smoothie are others to try.

Print

Beet Berry Ginger Smoothie

It's gonna be hard to beat this berry punchy smoothie drink.
Course beverage
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

  • blender

Ingredients

  • beet, canned (or chopped beetroot and water)
  • berry mix (blueberries and/or strawberries)
  • 1-2 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 medium apple

Instructions

  • Use a can of beets with juice.
  • Add berry mix (1:1 ratio) and chopped apples.
  • Add ginger powder. Tip: use fresh ginger powder that hasn't expired.
  • Blend. Enjoy!

 

Fresh Peach Healthy Drink Ideas

Fresh peach healthy drink ideas are a great way to celebrate summer like the Peach Sunrise drink recipe below.

Print Recipe

And get special sunrise effects when you add water that brightens the day. Looks like a summer glow or sunrise effect. 🌅

A morning sunrise fresh peach juice drink.
A morning sunrise fresh peach juice drink.🌅

Peach juice drinks are great summertime-vibe drinks as peaches are traditionally summer fruits. They’re bright, juicy, and high in both Vitamin A and C antioxidants.

You can also make one other summertime fresh peach healthy drink: old-fashioned porch peach sun tea…  that’s a great way to celebrate a summer break! ☀️

But before that… I have a peach drink that’s surprisingly good: peach cold brew coffee. 🍑

…You may find that an odd sounding pairing, but give it a try and tell me if isn’t da-bomb! 

All you do is add 1 tablespoon peach juice (squeezed from fresh peaches) to 1/2 cup of coffee. This will let the sweet peach flavor punch through the bitter coffee and produce a mellow fine semi-sweet coffee.

You can also add milk of choice to smooth and enhance the flavor. And you can pair with a healthy gluten-free peach cobbler.

This is one of my natural flavored summertime sipping coffees. Another is watermelon coffee that I love also with easy to make organic cold brew.


Peach healthy coffee drink.

Then with coffee and/or peaches, you can add cinnamon too.

And speaking of cinnamon… c’mon, if you want to make your peachy drink taste like a peach pie without the fat calories, you can also do that. And drink your few calories with more fresh peach healthy drink ideas below.

Or you can pair your drink with an actual peach pie  or peach dessert 🥧 like an open faced galette.

peach galette to go with fresh peach juice.
A whole wheat peach galette is a whole way to get your peach-fill. 🍑

Either way, cinnamon is an Ayurvedic balancing spice for Vata that’s calming and sweet. That’s what I’m talkin’ about!

There are two common types of cinnamon in stores I see: Cassia and Ceylon.

For this drink, you’ll want to use the Cassia cinnamon that’s most cinnamon spice abundant on shelves.

 

 

 

 

The Vietnamese cinnamon is also Cassia.

I think Cassia types are the tastier cinnamon version that is great for baking.

Ceylon is the anti-inflammatory one good to add to daily drinks like tea or coffee.

Both or either work for special drinks like the ones here and Cassia cinnamon is added to make this taste like an old fashioned apple pie

The key note is don’t be shy with the cinnamon. Think dollop, not dust.

To get the peach juice (for your fresh peach healthy drink): it’s easy to make with a blender when peaches are ripe and super soft.

That usually takes time (or some days) from when you buy your peaches from the market that’s intentionally set at colder temps.

And that can be a good thing

For a later date future juice you want to make, you can ripen peaches in a time controlled environment.

How?

Two ways:

Either place your peaches in your fridge fruit (or crisper) drawer that’s lower humidity than other parts of the fridge, where fruit will ripen faster and stay fresh.

You can preserve your peaches there for weeks.

When you’re ready to make your fresh peach juice drink, it will already be ready to serve cold because the peaches are cold.

Quicker Peach Ripening Method:

…Or if you keep peaches out at room temperature in a fruit bowl, they’ll ripen even faster if you’re ready to make your drink.

At room temps, peaches are sensitive and can go from ripe-to-rot pretty quickly.

…Maybe that’s where the saying “bruise like a peach” comes from. 😊

And when you get past ripening, you can make your fresh peach healthy drink ideas.

You can also turn your juice into a refreshing sweet peach-ade with a little lemon juice or make a sweet tea.

Old Fashioned Summer Porch Tea from Fresh Peach Juice

You can take a large glass jar and brew old-fashioned summer tea that’s super easy to make. I’m pretty sure that comes from my adult southern roots living in the Carolinas. 😉

You would basically pour fresh water into a glass jar that has a lid. Then set the tea bags in the jar, using about 4 tea bags for a  6-cup or 3-pint jar.

A classic brisk tea like Lipton gives a super crisp or brisk tea taste.

The bags conveniently have strings, so you can easily tie the bag strings together and hang the labels over the top opening and then secure the lid.

Then set the jar outdoors on a patio that gets sun for at least part of the day. You don’t have to boil water.

And like magic 🪄, you have sun tea in about a day or two. You can leave outside longer for an even more raw, brisk tea taste.

When it’s done, refrigerate or add ice cubes and enjoy!

And finally, with peaches you can use also add fresh diced peaches  into your drink or daytime Sangria mocktail for some zhugh and sunny hues.

…How fun in the sun, right? 

And if you’re peach inspired and don’t want to stop there (or still have extra peaches you don’t know what to do with), you can make or pair with a peach profiterole dessert that could take the summer peach vibes to a whole ‘nother (baking) level! 🍑

Along with a healthy transition or back-to-school whole wheat peach cobbler that fills.

I’d love to know your fave peachy ways that maybe turn your peachy days!

Print

Fresh Peach Juice Sunrise

Course beverage
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

  • blender

Ingredients

  • ½ cup diced peaches
  • ½ cup water
  • Cassia cinnamon spice to taste

Instructions

  • Blend softened ripe peaches leaving about 1/3" or 1 cm to top of glass. You can add a little water if you prefer less concentrated juice. For peach pie drink: blend in cinnamon spice to taste.
  • For the sunrise effect, add fresh cold water to fill up to the top of the glass. Bottoms up!

Watermelon Smoothie with Coffee

Watermelon smoothie is an idea you can make to use up watermelon leftovers and the reserved juice. It will keep you hydrated and cool.

…And it is cool looking like a watermelon!

watermelon smoothie as a healthy coffee plant-based layered drink.

watermelon smoothie with fun watermelon star and heart shapes.

And since the watermelon taste is balanced, it adds a nice subtleness to mellow out the bitter in coffee.

Watermelon is juicy, hydrating, and stronger than water or ice… afterall, watermelon is 90% water. It’s good for weight loss.

You gotta love watermelon water that tastes like a sweeter cucumber if ya think about it! 🍉

And as  you’re quenching your thirst, you’re also getting watermelon fruit nutrients all-in-one swoop!

Oh, in this watermelon smoothie you’re getting coffee energy that you can sip on all day with cold brew coffee if you choose!

Coffee is a healthy plant-based option that comes from a seed. It grows from the ground and the healthy is actually in the caffeine.

When made as watermelon coffee where you add watermelon to coffee, you get a crisp enhanced coffee taste that’s good and healthy. It’s low calories and loaded with Vitamin C, B6, and magnesium.

And many eat-from-the-rainbow 🌈 benefits like lycopene in watermelon.

Unlike a plain morning coffee, this watermelon coffee drink you can sip on all day or until your caffeine quitting time. ⏰

How to make watermelon coffee:

It’s made effortlessly in a day with cooled liquids ready-to-go and to mix together.

This can be half pre-made cold brew coffee and half watermelon juice that comes out from carving a watermelon and saving the liquid..

watermelon coffee
Basic watermelon coffee

And then make a frozen layered drink as fun as this watermelon one if you dare… here you can take advantage of healthy plant-based food coloring (Pandan) that give a nice green color (…yes?) and saving part of the watermelon full of fiber that’s usually never eaten or shared.

Pandan has a slightly vanilla and fresh taste.

frozen watermelon smoothie.

Then you can zhugh your drink with fun watermelon cut out shapes and watermelon popsicles…

Stay watermelon cool! 😎

watermelon coffee plant-based layered drink.
Print

Cold Brew Coffee Watermelon Smoothie

Make healthy smoothie a fun layered drink that looks like a watermelon.
Course beverage
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cold brew coffee
  • 1 cup watermelon juice (from fresh watermelon)
  • watermelon inner rind
  • Pandan gel (plant-based for coloring)
  • milk of choice

Instructions

  • Add layer of watermelon juice from a fresh cut watermelon. Freeze
  • Cut the green section of the watermelon (that looks and tastes like a cucumber) into small chunks and blend with water. Add layer to glass and then freeze.
  • Add cold brew coffee with a drop of Pandan gel. Tip: add about half coffee and half watermelon for good taste results. Freeze.
  • Pull out of the freezer and add milk to see the watermelon layering effects!

 

Virgin Pina Colada – Low Calories Light

Virgin Pina Colada is a no-alcohol poolside dessert drink that can be made light without heavy cream (that’s often a star ingredient). This recipe has no cream… not even coconut cream. It does have light coconut water.

Virgin pina colada smoothie recipe with lower calories and no cream of any kind.

And if you want to save the heavy calories… and still have a delicious copycat tropical drink, you can make this low-sugar Light Virgin Pina Colada version without table sugar alternatives. Recipe below. 💕

I think a Virgin Pina Colada is a tropical drink dream come true.💭

And a deliciously light tropical smoothie is a great add-on drink for staying cool in hot weather. 🧉

Actually, any Virgin Pina Colada is cooling. This one comes to mind as was one sweet drink that gave tropical vacation vibes. 🏖️

Virgin Pina Colada drink poolside that has cream.

The problem with this drink is classicas in a classic Virgin Pina Colada version is high calories and sugar.

It’s heavy like a meal. And not a good one.

But, the good news is…

Instead, you can make a healthy, frozen light coconut water tropical smoothie version at home that’s delicious and easy to make.

…And it has no added sugar as fruit will serve as the sugar. Sometimes with all our variety choices, we forget coconuts are fruit too. 🥥

And from the fruits (like pineapple), this is a Vitamin C loaded drink that’s good for boosting the immune system. C is also an antioxidant (aka anti-cancer) that’s water-soluble, so it’s unlikely you’ll take too much. 😊

So this vitamin powerful drink, you can make for everyday healthy drinks. And if you want, add your ginger for a punchy smoothie digestif.

It’s your drink!

…And it’s cool triple layered one if you dare make the American flag colors 🇺🇸 or another (your) country’s flag colors. You can make any color palette  with your taste palate and fruit rainbow polyphenol colors. 🌈

Sound interesting? 🤔

If so, it’s simple to make this drink…

C’mon, let’s make this…

We start with the flag layers.

Jump to Recipe

Red, white, and blue layered tropical virgin Pina Colada made without any cream.

Btw, this red, white, and blue one is good anytime of year and especially July 4th Independence Day celebrations. I got a sparkler window show. 🎇

…And then after you’ve made the frozen flag, you’ll end up with this changing colors cool drink as you witness time passing. You may want to make two drinks at a time for yourself.

…One light virgin Pina Colada tropical smoothie you can watch, and another one you can enjoy in the moment.  🍍🍍 Gotta love healthy and happy!

For more healthy smoothie ideas and a FREE smoothie guide, check out these healthy beverages.

Print

Coconut Water Virgin Pina Colada Smoothie - Healthy

A delicious Virgin Pina Colada lighter in calories with no cream.
Course beverages
Cuisine American, latin american
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • frozen blueberries
  • Blue matcha tea, brewed and cooled
  • coconut water
  • pineapple juice puree from a fresh pineapple
  • cherry juice or frozen strawberry juice pressed
  • pineapple wedge (for zhughing)
  • ginger powder or minced ginger (optional)

Instructions

  • Add first layer of blueberries and blue matcha tea to your drinking glass. Freeze.
  • After the first layer is solidly frozen, add coconut water layer. Freeze.
  • Add red juice layer. Freeze.
  • Add pineapple juice on top. Tip: use fresh pineapple chunks and blend up so there's a thicker juice pulp puree that makes this drink good food drama and taste. Add your pineapple wedge. Enjoy and watch the drink melt like moving colored sand!