So a few days ago I got a rather desperate email from an Optavia Health Coach who wanted to know HOW her clients could make some of the Optavia Fueling products taste a little “different.” She explained that her clients really wanted some ideas to add flavor, variety and at times make them more exciting! Could I help? Challenge accepted!
I got my hands on a few products and over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be sharing some Optavia Fueling recipe hacks that not only taste amazing, but that don’t change up the calorie counts or mess up the program.
This week, since it’s the dog days of summer and so many people love the luscious, cool, frosty idea of a frozen treat that doesn’t break the calorie bank, I’m hacking the Optavia Creamy Chocolate Shake and Wild Strawberry Shake and taking them from tasty to OMG Delicious in this yummy dessert recipe. I mean, who doesn’t love a ridiculously good & creamy ice pop, right?
First, I tried the chocolate shake. By itself, it’s pretty good. Good chocolate flavor that makes for a good ice pop base. I mixed according to the directions, but for extra flavor, I added 2 pinches of Sinful Cinnamon Blend to the blender and then whipped it all up for about a minute until it was light and fluffy. While this made for a delicious and flavorful alternative to the “regular” shake and would have been perfectly good on its own, I decided I wanted to take it to the next level…
I poured the mix into 2 ice pop molds (mine are only 4oz molds so in my case 1 ice pop is 1/2 a fueling- which means… I get 2 a day!!!) and then froze them.
The result?
A frozen treat that was sooooo yummy and delicious, my kids wanted them! Can’t you just imagine eating this on a hot day? The complexity of the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger & other rich flavors along with the smooth mouth feel of the frozen fueling were enough to make us all giggle. I had to mark the next batch as mine so they didn’t disappear….
Next on my list was the strawberry. I’m one of those people who doesn’t truly appreciate things that are super sweet, so for me the Wild Strawberry shake, although yummy, needed a little something a bit “more” to help brighten it up a little and tone down the sweetness. Into the blender along with the water and the shake mix, I added two pinches of Brightening Blend– a killer mixture of citrus peel, and natural intense lemon flavor. This really helped the strawberry flavor to “pop” as well as gave a slight tang to it that was verrrryyy reminiscent of the inside of a Strawberry Shortcake Good Humor bar (yeah… you know the ones I’m talking about….)
Once again, this would make a fabulous alternative to the regular version of the strawberry shake, but, you know me, I decided to try this one frozen too.
And now it’s confession time… they looked so yummy when they came out of the freezer we ate them right up!
BTW- if you want more flavor, just add more Brightening Blend (another pinch or two) and it’ll turn it from a creamy strawberry to a more tart & tangy mouthwatering strawberry-lemonade version.
Oh and talk about flavor luxe!! When I was looking for an image to share… I also came across THIS image that got my creative juices flowing… I mean, if you’re gonna do strawberry… why not do chocolate too?!? I can only imagine that this powerhouse combination of flavors would make you flip.
But WAIT there’s more! If you’ve got a little extra time on your hands and are really feeling adventurous, why not whip up an Optavia Vanilla shake and do this version too??
Photo by Recipe Rebel
The key to these, of course, is to pour in the first layer, freeze, then pour in the next layer and repeat as needed. It can be a little time consuming, but the results are really worth it! And, the flavor combinations are endless.
By following the “recipes” above, you only add 1/4 of a condiment to your fueling, so there’s not much more to account for. This is just a simple and delicious way to take an everyday Optavia fueling and hack it for a really fun dessert or flavorful shake alternative. Enjoy!
8 ounces of ice pop (1 or 2 pops depending on mold size) is 1 fueling and 1/4 condiment.
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