They're a cool and creamy summer treat, but you can end up sipping over 500 calories in just a few minutes. Can you have your milkshake and drink it, too? With a few recipe tweaks, yes! (Scroll to the bottom of the post for a printable PDF version of the recipes!)

Typical Milkshake (16 oz serving)

Original Recipe Ingredients:

• 3 cups chocolate ice cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons chocolate syrup

• Switched to light ice cream
• Skim milk instead of whole/regular
• Cocoa powder instead of syrup
• Added Greek yogurt for protein
• Decreased serving size! Our milkshake is so rich that you'll be satisfied with far less.

Rich Chocolate Milkshake (Printable PDF Version)

Makes about two 10-oz servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup reduced-fat/light chocolate ice cream
• ¾ cup skim milk
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cup light vanilla Greek yogurt (or plain nonfat Greek yogurt – will be less sweet)
• Optional: Whipped topping, chocolate sprinkles

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend on high until smooth.
2. Pour into serving glasses and add a dollop of whipped topping and chocolate sprinkles if desired.
3. Enjoy!

Variations:

• Use more or less cocoa powder to change the intensity of chocolate flavor
• Add mint, almond, or other extracts to change the flavors without extra calories
• Use soy, almond, or coconut milk instead of dairy if desired

Very Vanilla Milkshake

Makes about two 10-oz servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups reduced-fat/light vanilla ice cream
• ¾ cup skim milk
• ½ cup light vanilla Greek yogurt (or plain nonfat Greek yogurt – will be less sweet)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: Whipped topping, sprinkles

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend on high until smooth.
2. Pour into serving glasses and add a dollop of whipped topping and sprinkles if desired.
3. Enjoy!

Cookies and Cream Milkshake

Makes about two 10-oz servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups reduced-fat/light vanilla ice cream
• 3 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
• ¾ cup skim milk
• ½ cup light vanilla Greek yogurt (or plain nonfat Greek yogurt – will be less sweet)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• Optional: Whipped topping, sprinkles, additional cookie for garnish

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend on high until smooth.
2. Pour into serving glasses and add a dollop of whipped topping, sprinkles, and garnish with a cookie if desired.
3. Enjoy!

Today's post was written by Leia Kedem. Leia Kedem, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian and Nutrition & Wellness Educator covering Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties. She appears weekly on WCIA-3/WCIX-49 and is a biweekly contributor to the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. She also maintains Facebook and Twitter accounts where she regularly posts health tips and answers nutrition questions for free.