Tuesday, November 10, 2009

SWW: Strawberry Cacao Milkshake & Blog Awards

Posted by Marillyn Beard




Don't they look good?!

I came up with this milkshake idea when I was in the mood for ice cream, but it was too late to throw some together in the ice cream machine. I had this sudden flashback of drinking/eating milkshakes as a young girl and my favorite was Strawberry Chocolate. I used to go to this retro diner that was famous for their huge milkshakes and choices of crazy flavors where you could make up your own personal milkshake (my cousin loved Dr. Pepper & peanut butter milkshake..ugh!!). I always got Strawberry Chocolate... never anything else... just the same old, never disappointing Strawberry Chocolate milkshake.

It had been so looooong since I had a milkshake and knew I had to make one. It was so easy to whip together and SO HEALTHY that I couldn't understand why I didn't think of this sooner! The cacao has more amazing antioxidants then green tea, red wine or blueberries put together. They are also a great source of copper, potassium, magnesium & iron... which makes sense as to why cacao beans are considered "the food of the gods"...

Ok, I'm sure most of you are thinking what I thought myself... what's the difference between cacao (ka-cow) & cocoa? I just thought cacao was raw while cocoa wasn't, but knew I had to look it up. After researching around... I was able to confirm that it was indeed correct. “Cacao” refers to the bean that comes from the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. The beans are harvested, fermented, dried... which makes them "raw cacao". But then they are often cleaned & roasted, which makes them considered processed and often referred to as "cocoa".

So, to put it simply, if you’re after the raw product, go for ‘cacao’ whereas ‘cocoa’ refers to the processed product. Either way, they both are so good for you... obviously, in moderation :o)




Strawberry Cacao Milkshake

  • 30+ frozen strawberries
  • 3-5 Tbsp cacao
  • 1/4-1/2 cup raw honey
  • 3 cups milk of your choice

Put everything in the blender and blend till smooth, but I also like to have some chunky strawberries floating in there so I don't blend it too smooth. Pour into tall glasses, top with sliced strawberries & enjoy!

Before I get into the blog awards... Kristy over at My Little Space shared a recipe with me... a Steamed Brown Sugar Cake, also called "Pak Tong Go". I've NEVER seen or heard anything like that in my life! I would love to give this a try someday with raw sugar and coconut oil. I bet it smelled so good while it was steaming. Thank you for sharing Kristy!


Now, I want to take the time to share some blog awards I received over the last couple weeks from 3 different great bloggers! I am flattered and grateful!

First, Divina @ Sense & Serenpity & Kristy @ My Little Space each gave me the Kreative Blog Award. Muchas muchas gracias Divina and Kristy!


Kreative Blogger Award rules:
  1. Thank the person who has given you the award
  2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog
  3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award
  4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting
  5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers
  6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate
  7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated

I already shared the 7 things about myself a while back when I received this as my first blog award... I think I'll past doing it again, but you can go & read it :o)

But OF COURSE I will nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers! So, in random order they are:


Then, Kristen @ Goodie Goodie Gumdrops gave me the Best Blog Award. Thank you SO much, Kristen! I love your fun site :o)

The Best Blog Award Rules:
  1. In order to accept the award, please post it on your blog with the name of the person(s) who gave awarded it, including the link to the blog.
  2. Pass the award onto 15 other blogs that you have newly discovered and think are great.
  3. Remember to contact the bloggers and let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Okay, now I am supposed to share 15 (Wow! 15 is a lot!) most recent, newly discovered blogs that I enjoy and they are:

Whew! That was a lot of work, but worth it! Hey, before you go... if you haven't yet... could you please take the time to VOTE for my blog? Especially if you Love! it :o)
Thank so much and have a great week!



PS- Don't forget to enter for the 1 gallon Organic Palm Shortening Giveaway!!!

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20 comments:

  1. I love milkshake. Who doesn't?? They're a childhood favorite but of course they're overloaded with refined sugars.:) Congrats on your awards Mare. :)

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  2. thanks for the award and the yummy recipe here!

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  3. Thank you for the Kreativ Blogger award! I'm flattered :)

    I'm also glad you posted that list of 15 blogs you enjoy...now I have some new bloggies to check out (you know, in my free time, LOL)

    Your milkshake looks absolutely DECADENT! I just want to dive into that glass. What a treat that was, I'll bet. We are big fans of raw organic cacao also, I buy it in bulk and we make sure to include it fairly regularly in our diet...so good for us! A little goes a long way, too, as this stuff in its pure raw form is potent :)

    Have a beautiful day, dear!

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  4. HI hon--thank you so much for listing me as a great find. I voted for you on Divine Caroline. I hope we visit each other and learn lots of tips. See you on twitter @savorthethyme

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  5. I love your posts on wednesdays -- A chocolate shake would be ideal right now with the perfect weather we're having in Texas! Congrats on all of your blog awards you are definitely deserving with your talent!!

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  6. Those shakes DO look good. And thanks for the blog lists .. so many good ones to check out that I hadn't heard of!

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  7. We make a shake like this in the mornings for my older daughter to throw in her gym bag and drink up as a healthy protein shake after her intense training sessions. We use raw milk, cocoa, pinch of sea salt, some vanilla bean and 3 raw eggs. It's divine! I highly recommend the raw eggs which make it so creamy with zero affect on the taste.

    Love your blog!

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  8. Divina - I noticed you are almost always the first to leave a comment on most food blogs! How do you do it? Anyway, yes.. milkshakes are so good! Thank you!

    Emily - you are welcome and thanks!

    Sheri - you are welcome! I'm glad you like the milkshake :o) Yes, we are getting hooked on cacao now! so good!

    Jennifer - You are so welcome! Thank you for voting for me :o) We will see each other around!

    Joy - Thank you! I'm so glad you are enjoying the wednesday posts. I bet the weather in TX is nice :o)

    Alisa - Thank you!

    Tara - I'm totally with you on raw eggs! We HEART raw eggs in our smoothies and oatmeal :o) So good and adds a great silky flavor!! Thank you for stopping by and hope to see you more often!

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  9. Haha. You're the third person who notices. :D I'm unemployed at the moment. And blogging (reading and commenting) is one of my pastimes. I thought nobody would notice. :)

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  10. Congratulations on the awards. Well deserved! You have one lovely blog.
    Now that we are into a very reliable source of Raw Cows Milk your milk shake sounds great and far more nutritious than anything you would get elsewhere! Will give it a try soon.

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  11. Thank you Marillyn for enjoying my blog! :). Raluca

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  13. sorry I've been M.I.A. lately, I've been sick with a nasty cold!

    first off, it is so hard to say no to a yummy milkshake like yours. I love that it's all natural and it does not have any refined sugars or icky additives

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  14. Divina - How can we not notice when you are the first to comment on everybody's blog? LOL! Everybody loves you and your blog!

    Pamela - Thanks! You guys will love the milkshakes. We have a great source of raw cow's milk and use it as much as we can in smoothies. We don't drink milk, but we drink it in smoothies & milkshakes :o)

    Raluca - You are so welcome! love how simple yet eye-catching your blog is :o)

    Jessie- I hope you are feeling better!! When you are 100%... celebrate with a milkshake!!! LOL!

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  15. Thank you so much for the award, and that shake looks yummy!

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  16. Thanks so much for the award! I'm quite honored. :-)

    and seriously - I may have to try out those shakes!

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  18. Thank you so much for the award! You are so sweet.I think Sally Fallon would LOVE this shake! :)

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  19. i'm so honored to be listed here, and in such good company.

    and also, I'm really enjoying your blog. I'm so glad you stopped by and introduced yourself. so many yummy ideas (and I can't believe I never knew that about cacao!!)

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  20. Cacao is one of our favorite snacks! I'm referring to my wife and I. We use a VitaMix to make our cacao shakes and we usually use cubes of frozen coconut milk to give it a good consistency. We also love adding a raw cacao beans into a home made trail mix which is tasty and great for energy!

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