When I was pregnant with my third child it was the extremely hot summer of 2012. 100+ degree days started in early may, and we had 60 straight days over 100. That summer I got addicted to Frappe’s they were cold, I was hot. In our town (we are pretty small) the Starbucks is inside our target. My daughter and I went to target by 10 am most mornings, to escape our hot Victorian era house (without air conditioning), for a large Frappe and more shopping than we did not need to do. At that time I was pregnant with my 3rd child and in that pregnancy I gained more weight than I needed or wanted to. I will go ahead and say it was probably the many many Frappe’s. I wish I knew this recipe back then, granted it wouldn’t have got me out of our Victorian era oven, I call home. However, it would have saved me from thousands of useless calories. Not to mention would have been putting good ingredients in not just keeping the bad ones out. May have helped keep my thyroid from crashing shortly after the birth of that 3rd child. So lesson learned.
The Recipe
- 2 c. milk (or almond milk, coconut milk or coconut water)
- 2 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1-2 c. Ice
- 1/8 c. Sugar
- 2-4 Tbsp. Dandy Blend
Blend it all together. Try adding cinnamon or cocoa or even fruit to fit your tastes. That’s it! Healthy, delicious, caffeine free.
What makes this recipe so healthy, you say? Well depending on the ingredients you use you could add mucho benefits. Dandy blend, being a herbal mix made from dandelions, is a whopper of a benefit. Dandelions are pretty much a super-food. Dandelions are a blood purifying, liver detoxifying weed that grows in everyone’s yard. Some of the benefits that dandelion can offer that I personally love.
- Better digestion (due to increased bile production)
- Clearer healthier skin (due to liver and kidney detoxification)
- Aids in weight loss
- Maintains healthy weight
- Liver, kidney and blood purification
Dandy blend makes a great replacement for hot coffee too!

Beth is a mother of 6 living on a handful of acres in an old farmhouse in central Kansas. Beth has a background in the military and health and fitness however her passions come from her homestead life. Beth is an enthusiastic homeschooling mom, avid organic gardener, chicken & goat wrangler, who is obsessed with herbs and natural remedies and maintaining an all-around Do-It-Yourself lifestyle. Beth loves to share all she has learned about and sustainable living. While striving for a healthy, natural life, family-centered life.