Nourishing Hot Chocolate with Superfoods

Here in Chicago, we are in full on winter!  We have snow covering the ground, temps dipping into the single digits at night.  It is time of boots, hats, mittens and puffy coats.

My daughter loves playing in the snow.  And, I mean LOVES.  She bundles up and heads out to the backyard, making snow forts, snow angels, building snow men.  She plays on her swing set, sliding down the slide into a mound of snow.

I usually have to force her to come in.  I entice her with my delicious (and nutritious) nourishing hot chocolate!

As soon as she comes through the back door, she strips off her snow gear, leaving it in a wet, melty heap on the floor.  Her cheeks are rosy pink and her nose cold and slightly runny.  She's so cute, I could just eat her up!

I have never been a lover of ‘playing in the snow.'  In fact, I don't just ‘not love it', I really, really don't like it…at all.

I like sitting by the warm fire, watching other people play in the snow.

But, what I do like is to have the hot cocoa ready for her when she comes inside to warm up.  She and I both look forward to sitting with a warm mug of chocolate topped with a couple homemade peppermint marshmallows.

Unfortunately, most of the store bought hot chocolate mixes are full of fake food ingredients.  There's no way I would serve that to my daughter in my own home.  She gets exposed to enough garbage outside of the house.

A common brand of hot chocolate contains sugar, corn syrup, modified whey, cocoa (processed with alkali), hydrogenated coconut oil, nonfat milk, calcium carbonate, less than 2% of: salt, dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglycerides, artificial flavor.

Um, yeah…that isn't real food.

I use organic whole milk, raw cacao powder, coconut sugar or real maple syrup and throw in a couple surprises with grass fed gelatin and maca powder.  Topped with my homemade peppermint marshmallows and this is a deliciously nourishing hot chocolate.

Why do I use raw cacao powder instead of cocoa?  Because it is a superfood.  Cacao is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods in the world.  It is a super duper healthy chocolate powder.

I add gelatin and maca powder for added nutritional benefits.  Gelatin is good for digestion, a source of protein and collagen for healing joints and making hair, skin and nails healthier and stronger.  We add gelatin to our coffee (green container) every day.

Maca is an adaptogen, meaning it helps the body deal with stress.  I like to use it in all kinds of things, desserts, smoothies, you name it!

My nourishing hot chocolate is amazingly rich and creamy.  Since raw cacao powder is a bit more bitter than cocoa powder, you may find the need to add a bit more sweetener.  Over time, you will get used to the bitter taste of cacao as your taste buds adapt.  We love it in our house and it is our ‘go to' chocolate powder.

 Are you dairy free?  Check out this dairy free hot chocolate recipe from Good Girl Gone Green!

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Featured at:  Thank Your Body Thursday, Old Fashioned Friday,