Power Nog

The holidays don't have to be a fitness train wreck. Come enjoy a cup of this protein rich Power Nog without the saturated fat, artificial flavors, added color, corn syrup or preservatives often found in processed eggnog cartons, and maintain your muscle gain throughout the holidays instead.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup nonfat milk

1/3 cup liquid egg whites

1/4 cup vanilla protein drink

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

A dash of nutmeg

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, egg whites, protein drink and cornstarch

2. Stir continually over medium-high heat until hot and bubbly (about 7-10 minutes)

3. Remove from heat and add vanilla 

4. Pour into mugs and froth with an electric whisk

5. Sprinkle with a dash of nutmeg

Makes two servings 

To make this healthy, holiday workout recovery drink, I used Premier Protein from Costco, which comes in a liquid sweetened form, but any brand of vanilla whey protein will do. Just keep in mind that if you use an unsweetened vanilla protein powder you may need to add an additional 1/4 cup milk and sweeten to taste with maple syrup or agave.

Enjoy!

Homemade Muesli

While traveling through Europe this summer, we discovered muesli unlike anything sold here in the States.

The muesli here is mostly oats, and sells for about $7 a box, which explains why it is not a common commodity in America. European muesli leans more toward trail mix than oatmeal and is everywhere. We must have sampled at least a dozen brands as we passed through England, France, Belgium, Germany and Ireland. The sheer variety was amazing.

Whether you have a full day of sightseeing planned, or just a typical day ahead, muesli is power food. 

My family is now hooked, so we have begun creating our own muesli at home for a fraction of the box price. 

Here's a basic recipe, but feel free to improvise:

4 cups raw oatmeal
2 cups dried and diced pineapple/mango chunks
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 cup chopped dates (rolled in flour)
1 cup chopped dried apples
1 cup chopped nuts (macadamia, peanuts, almonds or walnuts)

Store in an airtight container.

Serve mixed with Greek yogurt or milk
topped with fresh fruit and honey if desired.