Ever notice that or am I the only one?
Sure I LOVE my tea (don’t get me started about chai tea or matcha almond milk lattes), but sometimes I totally want a creamy hot chocolate.
It probably brings me back to being a kid again (which wasn’t long ago because I am a young duckling right…right?!)
As some of you may know I grew up out in the country on a farm. Like serious boonies!
We (myself, my brother, cousins and friends) used to go snowmobiling all the time with a sweet retro G-tee or toboggan tied to the back of our snowmobile. We would spend hours outside zipping around, falling off, hitting trees (attaining an impressive number of bruises on our legs from our ‘epic’ crashes into snow banks or trees).
Well, after all that madness was complete we would flop ourselves into the house and my mom would make us a big warm cup of hot chocolate.
Talk about a good day! Why did we ever quit doing that stuff?
Anywho…
I think that hot chocolate brings back some awesome memories from being a tomboy farm kid that created my own fun outdoors (plus my mom kicked me outside all the time..)
Speaking of hot chocolate, a lot of store bought hot chocolate powders contain a pile of sugar and ingredients that we cannot pronounce. Not the best.
Today I am going to give you an easy to make, healthy and homemade hot chocolate recipe! (Yumm!).
Here are a few of its health benefits (which most store bought hot chocolate powders cannot compare too):
Cacao: The unrefined version of chocolate is high in antioxidants, Magnesium and many other minerals such as Iron, Manganese, Zinc and Chromium. It even contains essential amino acids such as Tryptophan and Serotonin which are important for our moods and stress defense strength.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants, can protect us against heart disease and can help keep blood sugar levels balanced.
Turmeric: This spice is high in curcumin which is rich in antioxidants and has strong anti-inflammatory effects.
Maca: Maca can help support strength and stamina as well as act as a libido enhancer (woo woo!). It is usually consumed in powder form. Maca has many benefits especially helping to support our body to better adapt to stress. It is also known to improve many conditions such as chronic fatigue, depression, poor memory and menopausal symptoms. Maca is truly very powerful and a great superfood to add to your diet!
Down to Earth Hot Chocolate
(Natural, healthy, gluten free and dairy free)
Ingredients:
- 1-2 Tbsp. raw cacao powder
- 1 Tbsp. coconut sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
- pinch sea salt
- pinch cinnamon powder
- pinch of turmeric (optional)
- 1 Tsp. Maca powder (optional)
- pinch ginger powder
- small piece vanilla bean, scraped (optional)
- 1-2 cups milk of your choice or water
Directions:
1. Boil water or warm milk on the stove and let cool slightly.
2. Whisk in dry ingredients.
3. Serve with cacao sprinkled on top or cinnamon stick
Enjoy the chocolatey goodness ?
TIPS: – I warmed up milk and mixed in the ingredients, and then added more milk.. YUMM – Another good idea would be to mix up a batch of this powder and keep it in a can or jar for future drinks!
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Cheers to staying warm,
