On cold days like today (And by cold, I mean it is 61 degrees and cloudy with a breeze. I’m sure it’s MUCH, MUCH colder in other parts of the world, so this applies even more to those places. I am fully acclimated to San Diego’s weather though, so I can claim that it is cold out today because it is for me, haha.), there’s nothing better than curling up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate. It brings back good memories from my childhood when we would always get this variety pack of instant hot chocolate mixes. I remember coming home from a long day of school, in the freezing cold, and usually with tons of snow on the ground, and there was nothing better than to make a cup of hot chocolate, topped with lots of marshmallows, and then relax in front of the TV. I also remember there sometimes being a fight over the flavors. I don’t like raspberries or anything raspberry flavored, so the worst was when I got stuck with the raspberry flavored hot chocolate. Life was so much easier back then.
I would never even think to buy any of that instant hot chocolate now. It’s all loaded with sugar, and, the sugar free options have artificial sweeteners that I would never even think to put in my body. The instant mixes also contain corn syrup, artificial ingredients, milk products (which I can’t have), and other preservatives.
So, on a cold day like today, when I am craving something sweet and comforting, I decided to make my own. It was honestly so easy, and only took about 5 minutes (or less). It also only contains 3 ingredients, none of which are necessarily bad for you. This is how I made it:
Recipe
- 1 cup full fat canned coconut milk (preferably without any gums)
- 2 1/2 TBSP raw cacao powder (give or take, add more or less as you wish)
- 5-6 drops liquid vanilla stevia (or regular liquid stevia and about 1 tsp vanilla)
Place all ingredients in a saucepan, turn burner on medium-low, and stir or whisk until all ingredients are mixed together. Bring to a boil, and then remove from heat. Pour into a coffee mug. This should make about 1 serving.
So, what makes this hot chocolate better? It doesn’t contain any sugar, and stevia is the only sugar free sweetener that I would recommend. Raw cacao powder is also way better for you than processed cocoa powder, and is considered a superfood. It has almost 4 times the antioxidant content than processed cocoa powder, and it has been shown to improve your memory, reduce heart disease, help you shed fat, boost immunity, and gives you energy. And, coconut has tons of benefits, so drinking coconut milk instead of regular milk will provide those benefits. And, drinking the full fat coconut milk will provide all of its natural fatty acids. I wouldn’t recommend drinking this all of the time as it is very high in calories due to the high calorie content of the coconut milk, but it is a nice treat every once in a while.
If you are interested in receiving more free recipes and health tips, and I know you are, click here to sign up for my newsletter. You will also receive a FREE copy of my 3 Day Clean Eating Challenge. Click here to view my Facebook page, and to follow me on Facebook. To view my website, go to www.coastalwellnesscoaching.com.
coastalwellnesscoaching.wordpress.com 