It’s February, and boy is it cold! This is the kind of weather that makes you want a big cup of love, literally! Enter this amazing hot chocolate inspired by mynewroots. I have made a version of this hot cacao for years now but lately I have been obsessed. It has been my little treat in the afternoon for weeks now. It’s creamy, frothy and just tastes so darn good:) I love this recipe because the ingredients are pure and balanced. This time of year I tend to feel a bit imbalanced by the weather (and moving and readjusting after India, etc) that having something comforting is great. Food can be comforting for sure!
This hot chocolate is not quite like the hot chocolates found at popular cafes. It is authentic; using real cacao instead of cocoa (alkalinized and heated usually), organic spices and homemade nut milk . All the ingredients in this recipe make it a healthy treat that you can have *almost* every day. It is also balanced due to the addition of maca which can offset any of the stimulating effects of the raw cacao (more on that later). The pinch of Himalayan pink salt is the icing that just takes the concoction over the edge. Definitely next level making the taste deep and creamy. Try it with and without and let me know! I’m sure the salted version will be your preference.
Mega Maca Love
Maca is an ancient Peruvian superfood which I love! I’m not saying superfoods from other countries are better (check out my vlog on 5 local superfoods!) but it is nice to have them as accessories to an amazing whole foods diet. Why? Because maca in particular has adaptogenic properties. This means that when we are stressed out maca can help us stay in the resistance phase of the stress response longer so that we can effectively deal with life! This helps prevent burnout or crashing. If we do crash that means we have exhausted our adrenals – not a good thing at all! Trust me you need your adrenals working properly so that your hormones are balanced. Our adrenals produce cortisol but contrary to what people think cortisol is an important biological molecule; it is a potent anti-inflammatory, gets us up in the morning and allows us to get a quick boost of energy when it is needed (as in fight or flight) by liberating glucose.
So…we need our adrenals working well so that other hormones are not compromised (like the baby making ones!). Maca is used to balance the body’s endocrine system and aids in reproductive function by balancing hormones and increasing fertility, oh la la!
Crazy about Cacao
I love raw cacao for so many reasons: raw cacao is higher in antioxidants than blueberries which means it is better able to prevent premature oxidation which is a fancy way of saying aging. Cacao contains the chemical anadamide which stimulates feelings of well-being and phenylethylamine which leads to feelings of attraction, excitement, giddiness and apprehension. Sounds like love to me! These are amazing reasons to consume raw cacao but beware cacao also contains some caffeine and theobromine which can be quite stimulating. It is best to have cacao every other day but that’s a hard one to commit to 😉
Ok on to the goodness, feeling of euphoria, baby making and warmth + the recipe 🙂
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Balanced Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
Adapted from this recipe
- 2 Tbsp. raw cacao powder
- 2 tsp. maca powder
- pinch Himalayan pink salt
- pinch cayenne pepper
- pinch ginger powder
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla powder
- 1 ½ cups warmed homemade almond milk
- Stevia, raw honey, maple syrup or your sweetener of choice to taste
Directions
- Warm your homemade nut milk gently.
- Add warm milk, raw cacao, maca, spices and sweetener to blender.
- Blend until frothy and delicious. Devour!
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Love + Chocolate
~Michelle
holistic nutritionist.
