The upcoming sultry summer days call for a refreshing, cold drink to enjoy on the patio watching the birds and soaking up the sun! One of my favorite drinks to enjoy is a vanilla milkshake, but not so much with all the fat and calories…

This vanilla “milkshake” is a great breakfast, snack, or even a night time treat. I read in a magazine years ago that adding some cottage cheese to smoothies was a great way to get more protein in, and I was surprised how THICK they were! Almost too thick to drink…so I decided maybe having cottage cheese as a base with some other flavoring would create more of a dessert. Many flavors are good, but I really love vanilla! And I promise, you won’t actually taste the cottage cheese once it is blended 🙂

Low Calorie Vanilla “Milkshake”

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese ( I like 2% with a brand that only has a few simple ingredients)
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2-3 tsp vanilla extract (depending on how strong you want the flavor)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
• 2 packets truvia
• 1-2 cups of ice
• Optional: 1 tbsp sugar-free dry vanilla pudding mix or your choice of sugar-free dry cake batter mix, or any other kind if you really want to make this rich (although this choices aren’t as healthy :))

Directions:

Blend everything until smooth! I add the chia seeds last, then just pulse them in.

I love chia seeds as an added boost of nutrition to snacks like this. Chia seeds are full of protein and fiber. Chemistry fact → they contain ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) which is a plant based omega 3 fatty acid. There are numerous health benefits to ALA’s, but I love chia seeds in particular because they are filling and low in calories! They also help thicken the shake a little bit 🙂

Hope you enjoy!