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.