Trading Milkshakes for Nutrition

Have you ever substituted lunch with one of these:

High-Calorie Deliciousness

Well, I'm not proud of this, but I would be lying if I said that I have never swapped out a meal or some other form of nutritious food with a high-calorie, zero-nutrition, absolutely delicious McDonalds milkshake.  

But now, I know better. Now, if I'm in no mood to eat a proper meal, I'm craving something cold and sweet, and I still want to make sure I get some nutrition... I turn to an age-old drink from India.    And I love it.  

From the time I was a child, we would drink what is known as panchamrutha in our home. The drink is often given in temples in India and it literally means "a nectar made of five ingredients". The five simple ingredients that make up this drink are:  

You have probably noticed the sixth ingredient (bananas) in this picture, but I'll get to that later...

So the five ingredients that traditionally go into panchamrutha are: 

1. Milk 

2. Yogurt (Plain) 

3. Ghee 

4. Honey

5. Sugar    

Of these ingredients, four of them are very good for the body. Milk has calcium to keep our bones strong. Yogurt gives our digestive system necessary probiotic support (and also provides calcium). Ghee, when taken in small amounts, also has wonderful health benefits, and is often used in Ayurvedic medicine. Finally, honey is also well-known for having a number of both nutritional and medicinal benefits. Sugar, while not that great, makes the panchamrutha tasty, and is only added in small amounts.  

To make a good glass of panchamrutha for myself, I usually use the following (approximate) quantities: 

1. 2 - 3 cups of milk 
2. 0.5 - 1 cup of plain yogurt 
3. 1 - 2 teaspoons of ghee 
4. 1 - 2 tablespoons of honey 
5. 1 - 2 tablespoons of sugar 
6. Bananas are not an "official" ingredient of panchamrutha but they are also often mashed in to get even more nutrition into this awesome drink.

And there you have it, a delicious and nutritious replacement for a delicious but not-at-all-nutritious milkshake. The next time you're craving a cold, sweet drink, I highly suggest making a glass of this for yourself, you will love it.  

And, to not dismiss milkshakes completely, I found this do-it-yourself recipe online for my all time favorite McDonalds milkshake: 

Shamrock Shake 

I think it's ok to relish that once in a while too :-)  Enjoy!