This week we decided to try out a few new recipes because we have added a new appliance to our kitchen- the smoothie maker! I have wanted one of these for a long time, but $40 seemed like a lot of money for something that I didn’t think I would use all that often. My girlfriend was selling one in her garage sale though and I decided I wouldn’t mind spending FOUR dollars to try it out. I can tell you that we have already gotten our four dollars out of it (and probably would get forty dollars out of it, if that were the case) and made some incredibly yummy summer treats.
The recipes that I wanted to review this week were from one of my favorite websites- Hillbilly Housewife. This website is full of great information and I particularly enjoy her budget-friendly recipes & menu plans. If you haven’t had a chance to swing by her site, I highly recommend it. Don’t be fooled by the title- there is so much that you can learn from this woman.
We tried two of her recipes and they have already made numerous repeat performances at our house. The first was the incredibly yummy, Magic Milkshakes. What makes them magic? Well, you don’t have to dump a carton (or two) of ice cream in the blender to make them. In fact, it involves no ice cream at all! Not using the ice cream and only using powdered milk, makes this the most budget-friendly yummy milkshake you will ever drink. If you don’t believe me, look at my son and his magic milkshake mustache! I call them magic in our house though because they have been magically disappearing. It is the closest thing to a Wendy’s Frosty that I could ever make and one batch of these will give you four shakes.
The other recipe that we tried were for her Slushies recipe. These are seriously just as good as any you will buy in a store or restaurant. Don’t be fooled by the simple ingredients- they make amazing slushies. We were drinking these often enough that I decided to purchase the sugar-free versions of fruit drink mix so that we weren’t consuming so much sugar before bed time. She estimated that these were about six cents per serving, but it is a treat that is worth so much more than that! I let my son pick his favorite color for the evening and it provides good motivation for him to pick up his toys before he goes to bed. Now that is a drink that keeps on giving!
I hope you can enjoy these sweet summer treats and feel free to comment what you thought about them. If you have a favorite summer dessert or snack that you would like to share- feel free to include your recipe in the comments section.
Thank you to Hillbilly Housewife for providing me with some (much needed) inspiration in the snack department! Please visit her website for more great recipes and ideas.
Isn’t Maggie’s site amazing? I have learned more from her than from most of my cookbooks combined.
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Hi Amy, thanks so much for posting this. I often wonder if other folks enjoy these two recipes as much as my family does. They are easy, cheap, and so darned good. Real kid pleasers, especially in the hot weather. Good luck with your blog, it’s got a lot of good information.
Maggie
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those sound great – going to go check out the site now…
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I love Maggie! We all love the milkshakes!
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Thanks the slushies sound great will make them today. Is the fruit flavor package is that kool-aide?
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Yes, that is what we used. I actually purchased the off-brand at Aldi and we used those. I think they are called Mixaide. I did buy the sugar-free version though for snacks at night time. My son seems particularly sugar sensitive…I do not mean that in a good way either
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I love Maggie’s website..
If you want to cut down on sugar, but avoid artificial ingredients, I can’t say enough about KAL Stevia.. I’ve had a lot of other stevia and it was gross, another blogger turned me onto Kal Stevia. I tsp= 1 cup of sugar, but start with half as much and add a little more until you reach your desired sweetness… My family loves it soo, and that’s HUGE! It may seem expensive, but the 20 dollars will last a long time..
http://vitanetonline.com/description/10412/vitamins/Pure-Stevia-Extract-Powder/
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Well these shakes sound like something I make, I need one of those milkshake makers! I usually use coconut milk instead of milk, can’t have the real stuff, but I thought that coconut oil might be an option for those who don’t want to use corn oil. It adds a coconut flavor but mixed with the chocolate it’s a chocolate coconut concoction! Also as Melody said the stevia is a great way to add lots of sweetness with out the sugary rush and calories. I have a vanilla creme flavored stevia by Sweetleaf stevia and I use this in place of vanilla extract so it adds vanilla and sweetness, 2 in one. They also have other flavors such as grape, root beer, chocolate, orange and many more that would be great in the slushies. I make sparkling stevia soda with the root beer stevia in sparkling water and the kids love it:)Thanks for the recipe and advice!
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Question: Slushie Recipe, is the fruit flavored drink mix like a Kool-aid non-sweetened type? Also, when your recipe calls for ice water am I right to assume this is ‘ice-cold water?’ and contains no ice? Thanks for sharing like you do. Kim
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M.L. Can I clarify something in a recipe? Slushie recipe calls for 1 pkt of fruit flavored drink mix, would this be like a pkt of Kool-Aid mix that is unsweetened? Also, when the recipes call for ice water, do I assume that is the same as ice-cold water, containing no ice? Thanks for sharing recipes like you do. Kim
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I use SweetLeaf vanilla creme stevia in baking and in my fruit smoothies! Also, in plan yogurt with berries–it’s probably my favorite flavor, but I like their chocolate flavor, too!
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