I don’t know what season it is.
First it’s cold, and my body says:
Girl, please give me some Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal.
Then the very next day is bright and sunny; over 100 degrees again. Yesterday was one of those hot days, which meant the canned pumpkin in my fridge didn’t receive any love. (Sorry, pumpkin.) Instead, I went with something cool and refreshing: a thick strawberry milkshake.
It’s so thick you can even opt to eat it in a bowl, like ice cream!
Strawberry Thickshake
- 1 cup frozen strawberries (160g)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk (you can use lite, but it won’t be as rich)
- optional: stevia or other sweetener to taste (agave, sugar, etc)
- optional: cocoa powder
Thaw your strawberries until they’re *just* soft enough to blend. Then blend everything until smooth and serve with a spoon—this shake is thick! (Have I mentioned how thick this is yet? Only about 100 times?)
This milkshake is another one of my Vita-Mix Recipes.
But it works in a regular blender, too. My Magic Bullet was easily able to handle it.
Why not also bake some Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets…
McDonalds of the Future?
Maybe in ten or twenty years, places like McDonalds will be serving healthy foods, as opposed to Big Macs and McFlurries. They’re already heading in that direction, with new menu offerings such as apple dippers and oatmeal. Consumers have become increasingly more health-conscious in the past decade, and movies and books like Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation are swaying public opinion even further towards the side of health. I really feel like the growing demand for healthier restaurant options will soon render obsolete our current definition of “fast food.” But maybe I am just an idealist?
Question of the Day:
Do you think fast food places will become healthier in the future?
Can you imagine Burger King serving lentil curry? Or Wendy’s giving out Spinach Frostys? (Hmm, maybe Spinach Frostys is taking it a little too far…)
Unfortunately I don’t see fast food becoming healthier. The public votes with their dollars and there are still way too many people out there who want their happy meals. I do like that there are some “better for you options” so in a pinch I can find something on grab on the road.
Congratulations!!!!! 😀 😀 So happy for you! 😀 The fast food places of the future may sell healthy food, but I don’t know, unhealthy food has lots of fans, so its surely a large source of profits… hmmm…. but I really really wish McDonalds in Singapore would start having vegan options. The only food I want and like enough to eat is the fries… with garlic chilli sauce and curry dip. Ohhh… 😀
PS: I love the strawberry milkshake! Its so pink and pretty!!!! 😀 😀 And with that strawberry hand in hand? Just divine!
This looks amazing!!! Side note–I just got a food processor and am now able to make all of these wonderful recipes that my little blender could not handle. Cannot wait to make this!
I sure hope that restaurants become a healthier with time. If they don’t the obesity issues of our country are only going to get worse!!!!
I think that will take a huge cultural shift that our country is very resistant too. As part of the blog world its easy to get caught up thinking everyone is on their way to healthy lifestyle but I think we (or at least I) forget that so much of the country is on the other end of the spectrum. We can only hope (and keep creating fun healthy recipes like you do) that more and more people will eventually make better choices…
Unfortunately I doubt fast food places would ever be healthy. It wouldn’t be “fast” food if it was. I do see them providing a couple better options so that they’d potentially have health-concious customers as well, which I suppose is already somewhat being done. But do we *really* think the better options are actually healthy and not just lower-calorie? another question to ponder…
VERY good point! Society has brainwashed people into thinking that high cal = bad and low cal = good. It is NOT that simple! A handful of walnuts make for a much more nutritious snack than a lower-calorie twinkie!
hey katie! 🙂
this shake looks YUM! 😀
healthier fast-food menus? i think this is gonna take some more decades(ok, maybe i’m being pessimistic here;))..
i would love if you’d put my blog in your blogroll, you’re already in mine!
oh, and if you’re interested, go & check out my band: facebook.com/ohitastethequeen
🙂 have a nice day, whether sunny or chilly!
I think being an idealist is the way to go! How else has anything in the world ever been changed? Keep believin’, sistah! I’m right there with ya! 🙂
I definitely think fast food places will be come healthier, but I think spinach smoothies and lentils is definitely pushing it. They’ll probably start with healthier versions of what they already serve to keep their customer base. Although I would LOVE some indian-inspired fast food! Also, I know you use a Vitamix, but do you happen to know of any other really good blenders that aren’t as expensive? I want to ask for one for my birthday next month but the vitamix is the only one i hear about (haha yes, i realize that’s because it’s probably like magic).
Magic Bullet Magic Bullet Magic Bullet!!! !!!
😉
Seriously, though, I use that thing every single day. And if you print off a coupon for Bed Bath Beyond, you can even get 20% off!
I was thinking about getting that! I’ll have to give it a try, and thanks for the coupon tip! There’s a Bed Bath and Beyond just a half mile up the street from me, so I’ll have to get it soon!
Lovely pictures in this post. Just had to say that first. Great food styling!
I hate to be a downer, but, although fast food places are offering healthy options, I highly doubt that fast food will disappear altogether. Especially in third world countries, there will always be a demand. Well, at least until those countries become more developed. I don’t know for sure of course, but it seems like there will always be some people, somewhere, that refuse to give up their supersized burgers and coke and fries, etc. I think fast food could even be made healthier if it was just once again made with REAL ingredients as opposed to corn-everything! Of course, then it’s too expensive, time-consuming, (insert other excuses from the fast food industry) and so on. Oh well… It’s nice that more and more people are picking healthier options, though!
I’m sorry, but i would pass out if burger king sold lentil curry because i HATE lentil anything, or if Wendy’s served spinach frostys. If that EVER happens, Wendy can kiss her little pigtail braids goodbye. Sometimes a little fast food is that little indulgence i love to have on road trips, you know like to the grocery store 🙂 Anyhow, i would REALLY miss the expression on people’s faces when my dad orders 6 20-piece Mcnuggets, 5 burgers, 6 chicken sandwiches, and 8 large cocoas. I tell ya, you should see their smiles the minute we come through, as big as my smile when i saw this milkshake.
Your shake looks so refreshing! I haven’t had anything resembling a strawberry shake in a long time. As for fast food restaurants, I don’t see it changing in the near future. Unfortunately, processed food is cheaper than fresh produce and can usually be made in larger quantities. As long as people are willing to pay for convenience (which seems likely in our fast paced, “need it now” society), fast food restaurants will continue to offer what gives them economies of scale. Given the abundance of corn and corn-fed beef in America, they have certainly achieved that cost efficiency. I also know that a lot of people deny that what they are eating is bad for them (case in point, I was addicted to Diet Coke, despite knowing about aspartame, but have not had one in 2 months!) Anyways…now that I have left a ridiculously long comment, THANK YOU for always posting delicious recipes that are affordable and nutritious!
I love ridiculously-long comments! And you are so right… sadly. Ugh, I just wish people would realize that cheap food will COST us in the long run, in the form of doctor bills!
Your blog ate my comment 🙁 . And I am too tired to write it again because it is 1 am and the only reason I am awake is because the adrenaline rush doesn’t let me fall asleep. It looks like my frozen strawberries will survive for a little longer 😀 .
I hate when blogs eat comments! That is the worst :(. I tried to find you in spam, but apparently spam got hungry and didn’t keep you around long. Must’ve been a very yummy comment 🙂 :).
This looks delicious!! I usually am not a big milkshake fan because I’d rather eat things slower and with a spoon, but this looks so thick and yummy that I can eat it out of a bowl! I think you bought up an interesting concept- it would be great if fast food restaurants really were eradicated. I hope that is the way our future is headed!!
PS I would love it if you would like my page! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glitz-Glam-Granola/245050322200466
I think fast food will only become healthier if we change the definition of “fast”. Does it mean quick food-like-substance out of a package, or quick service of healthy foods?
I think that it won’t be anytime soon that fast food restaurants give up their unhealthy options but they are taking steps in the right direction. Burger king now offers oatmeal for breakfast. I think we definitely need to take a cue from foreign fast food places. I remember this one fast food burger place I went to in Japan had veggie burgers served on buns made of rice and green tea lattes.