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Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Extracts

In the first three “Make a Shake, Make it Great” blogs, we discussed using diet soda and sugar-free flavored water, then sugar-free syrups in your shakes, and finally sugar-free puddings and jell-o. The next stop in our series is using extracts in your shakes.

Extracts are widely available, and even small grocery stores will carry at least a few flavors, while large grocery stores will carry many flavors. Perhaps the widest selection can be found online. Some of the sites that sell extracts include:


The first real benefit of using extracts is variety. At last count, extracts come in 60 different flavors – some flavors you just can’t find in any other add-in. There are lots of fruit flavors: apple, apricot, banana, blueberry, raspberry, lemon, lime, peach, pear, and watermelon, to name a few. A few of the more obscure extract flavors I’ve seen include: anise, bourbon, brandy, burnt sugar, champagne, cotton candy, cream cheese, pomegranate, violet (I wonder what that tastes like?), root beer, pina colada, and fig.

The second real benefit to extracts is that they aren’t sweet. All of the add-ins we’ve discussed so far add their own additional sweetness. Extracts bring flavor without the added sweetness, which is nice, because you could add, say, banana or apple flavor to an HMR Multigrain Hot Cereal without making it sweeter.

A quick word of warning on extracts: They are strong. I’m not kidding here – they are like weapons-grade powerful. The general rule of thumb when adding extracts is a ¼ teaspoon per shake (basically a drop or two). You can always add more, but if you add too much…

Here is a recipe to get you started with extracts – a Banana Colada Shake using banana and rum extracts.

Banana Colada Shake
¾ cup cold water
1 scoop any HMR Vanilla Shake mix
1/8 teaspoon banana extract
1/8 teaspoon rum extract
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
6 ice cubes
  • Pour cold water into blender. Cover blender and start blending on low speed.
  • Add one scoop or packet of HMR Vanilla Shake mix.
  • Add ice cubes, one at a time, replacing the blender cover after adding each ice cube.
  • Add the extracts and cinnamon.
  • Continue mixing until ice is thoroughly blended and the shake is creamy.


Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

 
 

by KeithVanGasken on 09/26/2011 | Share Story With a Friend

tags: Weight-Loss, Recipes, Diet Tools, in the box, strategies

About the Author

Keith Van Gasken

Keith Van Gasken began obesity treatment in a clinic setting in 1982, and has been with HMR since 1992. Roles have included health educator & mentor, as well as program and product development, with a special affinity for product & recipe development. He has maintained a 100-lb. weight loss since 1982.

Comments (2) Post a comment
Congratulations on you weight loss RtBrShake! 92 pounds down is a tremendous accomplishment. Good luck in Healthy Solutions.
by KeithVanGasken on 09/26/2011
Thanks Keith! I just order several extracts from http://hackleyhealthmanagement.com last Friday. I am really looking forward to trying these. I have tried, and love, root beer; as my screen name might indicate. After 16 weeks, and a 92 pound weight loss, I am transitioning from HMR Decision Free to HMR Healthy Solutions. I am also beginning to enjoy blending fruit into my shakes and adding fruit to my cereal.
by RtBrShake on 09/26/2011