06 Mar A Lucky Shake for St. Patrick’s Day! (Hold the Polysorbate 80, Please!)

It’s time for me to fess-up a bit here.

I work in a health food store but haven’t always eaten healthy. When I was a kid, I used to look forward to seasonal holiday treats from fast food chains. My all-time favorite was when March would roll around. My mom would take my brother and I to our favorite fast food place for a St. Patrick’s Day-inspired shake we’d order off their seasonal menu. This was so cool because the shake was a lovely shade of bright green and tasted like sweet minty goodness.

I carried this tradition into my teenage years with my friends and then into early adulthood. That is, until I woke up to how the food I was eating was effecting my health. Let me shed a little light on exactly what is in this green cup of “goodness”.  According to the nutritional facts for the shake listed on the company’s website, the shake includes the following ingredients:

Phew… still with me? That is an awfully long list that leaves me with a few questions: Why is it called whipped “topping” and not whipped cream? And why does the cherry have a list of ingredients- isn’t it just a cherry? Also, do green sugar crystals grow out of the ground? Might I add that there isn’t actually any mint in this minty-tasting beverage?

As if this wasn’t enough information to scare you away, check out the nutritional facts associated with a small and large shake:

That’s why we created the Lucky Mint Chip Shake – available at both of our locations for a limited time. Our shake uses none of the above and is actually healthy and naturally energizing and detoxifying. Here’s OUR ingredients: At Basil Bandwagon, we think everyone should be able to enjoy a holiday treat without having to dowse themselves in artificial colorings, flavorings and 3 days-worth of sugar in one glass.

Organic Banana

Organic Spinach

Spirulina

Organic Mint Leaves/Extract

Organic Coconut Milk

Organic Cacao Nibs

Come visit our café to enjoy this delicious shake today!