Nourishing drink recipes

A variety of one minute nourishing recipes using fortified milk, to build energy and protein back into your diet

Important hygiene information

Before preparing nourishing drinks, make sure hands are washed and check food expiry dates to reduce the risk of infection. 

If you have a medical condition, food allergy or have problems swallowing meaning you are following specific dietary advice, this leaflet may not meet your needs. Please discuss this with your Dietitian or Healthcare Professional. 

For staff or carers involved in food preparation in care homes or inpatient settings, please follow your local infection control and food hygiene policies relating to the storage, preparation and serving of food and drink. 

Nourishing fortified drinks can be an extra way of helping you

to build your weight up if taken in addition to fortified high calorie food and snacks.

Fortified diet means adding extra high calorie foods to our meals, without increasing the portion of what we need to eat, for example:

• Adding an extra small handful of grated cheese on top of mash, pasta, cottage pie, beans, into sandwiches and soup to add extra energy and protein
• Add an extra knob of butter or margarine onto potatoes, vegetables or spread it thickly in sandwiches, on toast and crumpets to add extra energy
• Pour extra cream onto your puddings, cake, cereal, or into custard, soups, mashed potato, milk puddings to add extra energy
• Add a 1 tablespoon of dried skimmed milk powder into milk puddings, cheese or milk based sauces, soup, mashed potato to add extra protein. 

Your dietitian will give you personalised suggestions about how you can fortify your diet to get the most energy from it. 

Nourishing fortified drinks can incorporate easily into our daily diet, to top up our energy (kcals), protein and vitamins and minerals to help keep our body better nourished and strong. 

Nutritional requirements

On top of your current dietary intake, aim to add at least an additional daily 500 kcals and 25g Protein into your diet, which you can achieve by incorporating some of the homemade supplement recipes. 

Speak to your dietitian, they can discuss how many additional calories you should be aiming for to help achieve your goal weight, if you need different to the above suggestion, you can record this below:

………………….. Kcals      …………………… g protein

Your plan 

You can follow a simple plan like this.

Shopping List 

Choose the recipes you want to use first and then tick the products below that you need to add to your shopping list. 

You won’t need all the items in this list, just a few depending on the recipes chosen and what you already have at home: 

• Measuring jug to measure the milk or juice volume
• Whisk or shaker to mix the ingredients
• Full cream or whole milk

This milk has a blue label, it is the one of the most nourishing types of milk. If you feel unable to use this type of milk, the recipes can be made with semi  skimmed milk (green label) but this will affect the energy content please tell your dietitian if you are doing this 

• Dried skimmed milk powder

This could be a supermarket’s own skimmed milk powder or branded items such as Marvel, which are often found in the tea and coffee aisle, near the long life milk section. Dried skimmed milk powder should not be mistaken for coffee whitener - that is a different product altogether

• Milkshake mix that is vitamin fortified

This could be a supermarket’s own brand milkshake mix, is Aldi the brand is Cowbelle milkshake mix, in Lidl it it’s called Goody Cao milkshake mix or branded items such as Nesquik. Choose the flavour/s that like.

• Double cream

Double cream is preferred as it is more energy dense, if you choose to use single or alternative creams these will compromise the energy content of the drinks - please tell your dietitian if you are doing this. 

• Ice cream

This is used in one of the recipes only, choose the ice cream that you enjoy.

• Fruit juice

This is used in one of the recipes only. Look at the suggestions made in the ‘Nourishing Fruit Smoothie’ but feel free to choose the pure fruit juice drink that you think you will enjoy the most. 

• Thick and creamy yoghurt

These should be whole milk based yoghurts to get the most nourishment from them. Avoid light, diet or reduced fat versions as these will affect the energy content of the recipe. Have a look at the suggestions made in the ‘Nourishing Fruit Smoothie’ recipe but choose the yoghurt flavour that you feel you will enjoy the most. 

• Coffee granules  

This is used in one of the recipes. Choose your preferred brand, decaffeinated coffee can also be used.

• Hot chocolate or malted milk drink mix
• Custard, rice pudding, milk pudding, yoghurt  

These should be whole milk based puddings to get the most nourishment from them. Avoid light, diet or reduced fat versions as these will affect the energy content of the recipe.

• Soup

This can be a flavour of your choice, we recommend ‘cream of’ soups which are more energy dense. Soup can be tinned, fresh, or homemade, whichever you have available or prefer to use. 

Nourishing drink recipes

 Fortified milk

• 568mls or 1 pint of full cream milk 
• 3 to 4 heaped tablespoons or 6 to 8 heaped teaspoons (45g-60g) of dried skimmed milk powder 

Measure the milk into a measuring jug, whisk in the dried skimmed milk powder and keep it in the fridge. Use in cereal, tea, coffee, to make up sauces, and other milk based recipes.

Per pint (approx.): 550 to 600 kcals, 35-40g protein

  Nourishing milkshake

• 180mls or 1/3 pint of full cream milk 
• 2 heaped tablespoons or 8 heaped teaspoons (30g) of dried skimmed milk powder 
• 1 tablespoon or 4 teaspoons (15g) of milkshake mix 

Measure the milk into a measuring jug, whisk in dried skimmed milk powder and the milkshake mix, then pour it into a glass to serve.

Per 200ml serving (approx.): 310 kcals, 17g protein

 High energy nourising milkshake

• 180mls or 1/3 pint of full cream milk 
• 2 heaped tablespoons or 8 heaped teaspoons (30g) of dried skimmed milk powder 
• 1 tablespoon or 4 teaspoons (15g) of milkshake mix 
• 2 tablespoons or 30mls of double cream

Measure the milk into a measuring jug, whisk in dried skimmed milk powder and the milkshake mix, then stir in the double cream and pour it into a glass to serve.

Per 230 ml serving (approx.): 450 kcals, 17 g protein

Compact nourishing milkshake

• 80mls of full cream milk
• 1¹/₂ heaped tablespoons or 6 heaped teaspoons (23g) of dried skimmed milk powder 
• 2 tablespoons or 30ml of double cream
• 1 tablespoon or 4 teaspoons (15g) of milkshake mix 

Put the milk into a measuring jug, whisk in skimmed milk powder and the milkshake mix, then stir in the double cream.  

Pour into a glass and serve, or alternatively, divide into 3 “shots” and take one “shot” after each meal (store the rest in the fridge)

Per 120ml serving (approx.): 340 kcals, 12g protein

 Nourishing ice cream shake

• 180mls or 1/3 pint of full cream milk 
• 2 heaped tablespoons or 8 heaped teaspoons (30g) of dried skimmed milk powder 
• 2 tablespoons or 30mls double cream
• 1 scoop of ice cream 

Measure the milk into a measuring jug, whisk in dried skimmed milk powder, then liquidize in the scoop of ice cream and the double cream, then pour it into a glass to serve.

Per 240ml serving (approx.): 440 kcals, 20g protein

Nourishing fruit smoothie

• 200mls of pure fruit juice 

This could be orange, apple, pineapple juice etc.

• 1 small pot (100g) of thick and creamy yoghurt 
• 2 heaped tablespoons or 8 heaped teaspoons (30g) of dried skimmed milk powder 

Perfect partners

• Apple juice with lemon yoghurt 
• Orange juice with natural yoghurt or mango yoghurt
• Cranberry juice with strawberry yoghurt
• Mango juice with apricot yoghurt
• Pineapple juice with coconut yoghurt

Stir skimmed milk powder into yoghurt until smooth, then use a shaker or blender to mix the yoghurt into the fruit juice and serve in a glass.

Per 310ml serving (approx.): 330 kcals, 18g protein

Nourishing creamy coffee

• 180mls or 1/3 pint of full cream milk 
• 2 heaped tablespoons or 8 heaped teaspoons (30g) of dried skimmed milk powder 
• Coffee Granules (amount as desired)
• 2 tablespoons or 30ml of double cream

Melt the coffee granules in the bottom of a mug using a small amount of boiled water. Add the measured full cream milk and whisk in the dried skimmed milk powder. Then heat the mixture in the microwave until the desired temperature is reached, then stir in the double cream and serve (stir and check the temperature before drinking to avoid being burnt if it is too hot).

Per 230ml serving (approx.): 360 kcals, 18g protein

 Nourishing creamy hot chocolate

• 180mls or 1/3 pint of full cream milk 
• 2 heaped tablespoons or 8 heaped teaspoons (30g) of dried skimmed milk powder 
• 1 heaped tablespoon or 4 heaped teaspoons of Hot Chocolate Mix 
• 2 tablespoons or 30ml of double cream

Melt the Hot Chocolate mix in the bottom of a mug using a small amount of boiled water. Mix in the full cream milk, then whisk in the dried skimmed milk powder. Heat the mixture in the microwave, stir in the double cream and serve. (Check the temperature before drinking to avoid being burnt if it is too hot)

Per 230ml serving (approx.): 460 kcals, 20g protein

If made without double cream (approx.): 340kcals, 20g protein

Nourishing malted milk drink

• 180mls or 1/3 pint of full cream milk 
• 2 heaped tablespoons or 8 heaped teaspoons (30g) of dried skimmed milk powder 
• 1 heaped tablespoon or 4 heaped teaspoons of Malted Milk Mix 
• 2 tablespoons or 30ml of double cream

Melt the Malted Milk Mix in the bottom of a mug using a small amount of boiled water. Mix in the full cream milk, then whisk in the dried skimmed milk powder. Then heat the mixture in the microwave, stir in the double cream and serve (stir and check the temperature before drinking to avoid being burnt if it is too hot)

Per 230ml serving (approx.): 450 kcals, 21g protein

If made without double cream (approx.): 330kcals 21g protein

Nourising pudding

• 1 pot of full cream yoghurt, custard, rice pudding, milky pudding 
• 2 heaped tablespoons or 8 heaped teaspoons (30g) of dried skimmed milk powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons or 15-30mls of double cream

Open the pudding and stir in the dried skimmed milk powder until smooth. Then stir in the double cream until smooth and serve.

Per pot (approx.): 320-380 kcals, 20g protein

 Nourishing soup

• ½ tin or 200mls of your preferred soup (‘cream of’ ideally and avoid light or reduced fat versions)
• 1¹/₂ tablespoons or 6 teaspoons (23g) of dried skimmed milk powder 
• 2 tablespoons (30mls) of double cream

Heat the soup until simmering, whisk the skimmed milk powder into the soup until smooth and stir in the double cream. 

Serve in a bowl (check the temperature before eating to avoid being burnt if it is too hot).

Per 250ml serving (approx.): 315 kcals, 10.8g protein

Further suggestions

• Serve with a slice of bread and thickly spread butter (150 kcals)
• Sprinkle over a handful of grated cheese (125kcals)
• Melt in a heaped teaspoon of cheese spread (75kcals)
• Tip: If using powdered soups, make up with full cream milk (instead of water) and add the additional dried skimmed milk powder and double cream. 

Prevention infections

Preventing infections is a crucial part of our patients’ care. To make sure that our standards remain high our staff have regular infection prevention and control training, and their practice is monitored in the workplace. We ask patients and visitors to help us in preventing infections by cleaning their hands at regular intervals and informing staff of areas within the clinic that appear soiled. 

As a patient there may be times that you are unsure whether a staff member has cleaned their hands; if in doubt please ask the staff member and they will be only too happy to put your mind at ease by cleaning their hands so that you can see them.