Make It Better With Milk « Back

Even a small amount of milk at a time will add up at the end of the day. Remember you need three servings of dairy a day to meet your daily calcium needs.

Breakfast Bonus

• Stir up a bowl of oatmeal or other hot cereal made with milk instead of water. Whether you choose the instant or old-fashioned variety, just substitute milk for the water.
• Make fluffier scrambled eggs and omelets with milk. Whisk about 2 tablespoons of milk into each beaten egg.
• Skip the fat and empty calories of nondairy creamers and add calcium to your coffee by using a shot of milk instead.

Super Soups, Sides and Main Dishes

• Use milk instead of water when preparing canned or packaged soups to achieve a richer, creamier soup. Best choices include tomato, chowders and cream soups, like chicken, potato or mushroom.
• Use milk instead of water when preparing instant mashed potatoes, rice, couscous or stuffing for a quick calcium boost.
• Microwave processed cheese and milk together for a quick topping for baked potatoes, steamed broccoli or cauliflower.
• Dip chops, fish or chicken in seasoned milk instead of beaten egg before coating with breadcrumbs and baking.

Boosting Baked Goods

• Add milk instead of water when preparing boxed muffin and quick bread mixes, pancakes and waffles.
• Substitute cold milk for water when making pizza dough, piecrusts and when mixing bread dough in your bread machine.

Drink It Up

• Heat a cup of milk in the microwave or on top of the stove and use in place of water when making instant hot cocoa and specialty coffee drinks, like cappuccino mixes.
• Enjoy a tempting milkshake by blending fat-free milk, your favorite fruit and a few ice cubes in your blender. For extra thickness, as well as calcium, add some yogurt or make your ice cubes with milk instead of water.

Sweet Endings

• Thin fruit preserves with fat-free or low-fat milk to make a low-fat sauce for ice cream or frozen yogurt.
• Melt dark chocolate morsels and fat-free milk in a fondue pot or double boiler, and then dip fruit slices and wedges of angel food cake.