'Thin Mint' Protein Shake

Am I the only one who LOVES thin mint cookies?  I seriously doubt it.  But I may be one of few who avoids the Girl Scouts like the plague when they're trying to sell cookies.   Seriously.  So there's the blizzard at DQ (pictured above) which I'm sure tastes delicious, BUT it packs over 1000 calories, 31 tsp sugar, and more saturated fat than one should have in an entire day! (One article said it was like drinking two big macs!!)

So why binge and then feel guilty and beat yourself up -- Just make a smart choice.  Making a lifestyle change - and living healthy - is not as hard as a lot of people make it out to be.  Living healthy is not about deprivation.  Living healthy is finding a balance, and being able to take care of yourself physically & mentally.  Sure, I avoid places like DQ (and most fast food places really) like there's no tomorrow, BUT I do not deprive myself.  If I am going out to eat, I do research beforehand to figure out what my more healthy choices are.  Here's an Easy - HEALTHY - PROTEIN PACKED treat that tastes guilty but totally isn't!!

1/4 cup white kidney beans

6-7 ice cubes

dash mint extract (It doesn't take much!)

dash Truvia (Or sweetener of your choice - but really, just a PINCH)

1 tbsp cocoa powder

Chocolate protein powder (I used 1.5 scoops - a serving of the protein I'm using (Vitacost) is 2 scoops)

3/4 cup almond milk (I used So Deliciousl Vanilla Almond Plus Almond Milk - has 5g protein per serving)

Combine all ingredients in blender - blend until smooth! 

That's it. Stick a straw in it, enjoy.

Now, for the nitty gritty - nutrition info -

((This will vary a bit depending on what kind of protein you use - and almond milk as well))

214 Calories

4g Fat

23g Carbs

6g Fiber

30g Protein

175mg Sodium

You can thank me later....

Now if I can just come up with a healthy alternative to the Samoa..... ;)