My morning energy drink

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is to heat an oversize mug of skim milk in my microwave oven.  Then I put in a spoonful of Ovaltine and a spoonful of instant coffee.  The spoonful can be either a level teaspoonful or a heaping tablespoonful, depending on my mood.  The delicious mixture makes me energized to face the day.

Recently I shared my recipe with some friends of mine, who liked it a lot.  I would be pleased to think others might like it, too.  If not, no harm has been done.

It is not food.   Instant coffee is of course not food.  The main ingredient of Ovaltine is sugar.  Skim milk is barely food.  It is like a no-fat Starbucks drink.  But I do not make the mistake of regarding it as a substitute for food, as some of my acquaintances do with Starbucks-type concoctions.  After I dress and wash up, I eat a bowl of Total and skim milk, or sometimes oatmeal and skim milk.

Formerly my morning drink was a mug of hot water, with spoonfuls of instant cocoa and instant coffee.   In my working days, I would sometimes feel exhausted but have more work to do.   I would drink the cocoa-coffee mixture, take a short nap or doze off, and wake up feeling like a new man.   Years later I started drinking a cup of warm Ovaltine and milk – the stereotypical old-guy drink – when I had trouble getting to sleep.   Now a spoonful of instant coffee turns my bedtime drink into my wake-up drink.

[Update 4/8/12]   Whole milk probably would be better than skim milk.   The reason I drink skim milk is that, for various medical reasons, my doctor wants me to eat a lower-fat diet.

I just got around to noticing that Ovaltine is a Nestle product.   Some friends whom I respect refuse to use Nestle products because of the company allegedly markets infant formula products in the Third World in an irresponsible way.  Click on Looking back on the Nestle boycott for reasons why I am not a Nestle boycotter myself.

Tags: Energy Drink, Instant Coffee, Ovaltine, Personal, Practical Advice, Skim Milk