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As a mother, I am constantly trying to find ways to get my family to eat more nutritious food. I often try to sneak in extra vegetables, fruits, or other nutritious foods into my cooking and baked goods. I have also been teaching my daughter about what food is nutritious. She already takes pride in saying which foods are good for you and why! Milk is definitely one of those foods I try to encourage my family to consume more of. And one that I don’t have to sneak into their diets! They love it!
I feel good about serving milk, especially to my daughter because it’s such a wholesome, yet simple beverage yet has 9 essential nutrients like potassium, vitamin D, calcium, and high-quality protein that can help kids grow strong. It’s difficult to get enough of the nutrients you need without milk in your diet. There are decades of research and hundreds of studies that support the benefits of drinking milk.
I am aware that many kids are drinking less milk which is concerning because that could mean that many kids are not getting enough of the nutrients milk provides like calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D that they need to grow. Diary milk is the top food source for those three nutrients most likely missing from American’s diets per 8 oz. cup. As a busy mom, I appreciate that milk is a simple, great tasting way to get natural, high-quality protein and other nutrients that kids needs to help power through the day. Per 8oz cup, diary milk protein is also a complete protein that helps provide some of the amino acids your body needs, unlike many plant proteins which are incomplete proteins. I love that milk is a budget-friendly, simple, and wholesome way to help kids get natural protein and balanced nutrition to help them grow up strong!
We go through several gallons of milk a week so it’s always a staple on our grocery list. I am proud of how much milk we drink and use in recipes. As an expecting mother, I know it helps me get the nutrients I need! A few days ago I headed to our local Pick N’ Save grocery store because we were running low mid-week. Milk is so easy to find in the diary section of the grocery store. I wanted to get a few extra gallons because I was planning on making some muffins my family absolutely loves for breakfast and snacks throughout the day. The recipe has over a cup of milk in it, and my family loves to enjoy these muffins still warm from the oven with a glass of cold milk! You can visit MilkLife.comfor more content and recipes and follow Milk Life on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
One of my favorite things to do with my daughter is cooking and baking. We share time in the kitchen and I feel like I am teaching her so many things like math, vocabulary, nutrition, and life skills. Using nutritious ingredients in the recipes we make sets a good example for her. These muffins are ones we have had time and time again because they get eaten so quickly! My daughter never misses a chance to bake them with me either. She will help me measure out all the ingredients and add them to the batter.
She also likes to choose the muffin liners and fill them with batter. Sometimes more batter gets on the pan than in the muffin liners, but I still cherish the time with her!
Here is how you can make a batch of your own!
Chocolate Chip Muffins (makes 16 muffins)
Ingredients:
1/2c. butter, softened
1/3c. brown sugar
1/3c. sugar
1 egg
1T. vanilla
1 1/3c. milk
2t. baking powder
1t. baking soda
1/2t. salt
2 1/2c. flour
3/4c. chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line muffin tins with liners.
2. Cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add egg and mix again.
3. Sift together baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to batter and mix. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes until tops are golden brown. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!
Fun alternatives:
1. For fall: Add 1t. pumpkin spice to batter and use cinnamon chips or pumpkin spice chips instead of chocolate chips.
2. For Christmas: Use half milk and half egg nog instead of all milk.
3. For Valentine’s Day: Use almond extract instead of vanilla extract, cherry chips instead of chocolate chips, and a few drops of red food coloring.
I hope this inspires you to incorporate more milk into your diet!
