Miracle Muscle Milk

My cousin suggested a refreshing and healthy drink as breakfast every morning. I don't eat breakfast, so I modified the recipe a bit (okay, a lot) and made it into a post-workout super-food drink.

Milk Low-fat milk Unsweetened soy milk Unsweetened almond milk Unsweetened oat milk 1.5-2 cups of any one of the following. Or mix 'em up if you like.

Nuts, Seeds, Fruits 1 tbsp chia seeds 2-3 dates, diced 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds 2-3 dried figs, diced ½ tbsp flax seeds ½ tbsp rolled oats ½ tbsp almonds, chopped ½ tbsp walnuts, chopped ½ tbsp pistachios, chopped 5-6 coffee beans Get at least one of the fruits in for sweetness. Chia seeds are super-healthy, so get those in. Everything else is per availability.

Spices 2-3 strands saffron 2-3 pods of cardamom, removed from pods ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp cloves ½ tbsp sesame seeds ¼ tbsp fenugreek seeds All of these are completely optional. I prefer whole spices that I pound into powder, but if all you have is powders, that's fine too.

Powders 1 scoop muscle milk 2 scoops beef collagen powder 1 tbsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder ½ tbsp psyllium husk ½ tbsp hemp hearts ½ tbsp moringa powder ½ tbsp matcha green tea powder ½ tbsp spirulina and chlorella powder ½ tbsp beet powder ½ tsp turmeric powder pinch of salt (beef collagen powder contains salt) pinch of paprika The muscle milk is necessary, hence the name. It's a great post-workout supplement. Everything else is optional.

Steps

• Soak the nuts, seeds, fruits and spices in the milk. Leave overnight in the fridge.
• Dump the powders and soaked items into a blender.
• Blitz.
• Chug.

Don't combine everything at once - I can't vouch for the taste. Keep track of what you like and add 1-2 ingredients to see whether you continue to like it or not.

About the only thing I would caution is the calorie count: fully-loaded this is about 600 calories, which is a significant chunk of your daily consumption. While this drink provides a lot of nutrients and will make you feel fuller, it won't help with weight loss. Milk, dates and muscle milk are the biggest contributors, with the nuts following closely. Reduce as you see fit.