Miracle Protein Shake

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.

Ingredients (items in bold are my go-to combo):

Milk

  • 1.5 cups low-fat milk
If you like, you can substitute any combination of unsweetened soy, almond and oat milks.

Nuts, Seeds, Fruits

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 2-3 dates, diced
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tbsp rolled oats
  • ½ tbsp flax seeds
  • 5 almonds, chopped
  • 3 walnut halves, chopped
  • 5 pistachios, chopped
  • 5-6 coffee beans
  • ½ bag hibiscus tea
The dates are 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
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • ¼ tsp 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

  • ½ scoop protein shake powder
  • 1 scoop beef collagen powder
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp psyllium husk
  • 1 tbsp hemp hearts
  • 2 tsp beet powder
  • 1 tsp moringa powder
  • 1 tsp matcha green tea powder
  • 1 tsp ashwagandha powder
  • 1 tsp spirulina powder
  • ¼ tsp chlorella powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • pinch of salt (beef collagen powder contains salt)
The protein shake powder is necessary, hence the name. It's a great post-workout supplement. Everything else is optional.

Steps

And that's it.

If you combine everything at once, I can't vouch for the taste. And the colour is going to be somewhere in the uninspiring range between brown and grey. 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 950 calories, which is a significant chunk of your daily consumption. And the dried fruits are the bulk of the carbohydrates and sugars. While this drink provides a lot of nutrients and will make you feel fuller, it won't help with weight loss. Milk, dates and protein powder are the biggest contributors, with the nuts following closely. Reduce as you see fit.

Check out the AI summaries of this drink.