Nothing quite warms me up like a cup of delicious hot chocolate when it is cold outside, and there is something about the holidays that make this even a more enticing treat! The kids and I love to come home after our school and work days and make a hot steaming mug… YUM! This is our favorite recipe. Not only it this recipe healthy but it is down right decadent and a nice pick me up in the afternoons!
Chocolate contains natural antioxidants(photonutrients flavonol and polyphenol,) the alkaloids (theobromine, phenethylamine and anandamide) and is rich in magnesium. Chocolate can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes and dementia, balance brain chemistry, help build strong bones, help prevent cancerous activity and, last but not least, help with weight loss. On top of all that, it contains and has been linked to higher levels of the mood-altering serotonin, which boosts our energy and mood, and is a natural aphrodisiac!
As a sidenote, when you are shopping for the ingredients, it is important to look at the label and make sure that the chocolate powder you are buying is pure chocolate and does not contain sugar, butter or oil. Try to find raw cacoa, which is the actual pure cocoa bean and not only tastes better but has not been roasted and processed into powder and is much more nutritious!
Recipe
2 cups vanilla almond milk
2 tbsp unsweetened dark chocolate powder (or, even better, raw cacoa powder)
1 tbsp agave nectar (or more or less depending on how sweet you want it)
If you have a Vitamix blender then it is beyond easy to stick all of the ingredients in the blender and turn it on and viola! Vitamix blenders will literally heat up the mixture and make your hot chocolate for you. If you don’t, just put the almond milk and chocolate powder in a sauce pan and stir. I like to add in the agave at the last minute so you don’t literally cook it. If it does not seem to want to mix, then put it in a regular blender for a bit and back into the sauce pan.
Ever wondered why eating and relationships with food just seem to come easy to skinny girls? Or, why it is always the ones meticulously counting calories who just can’t seem to lose weight, while the ones blissfully eating and enjoying life are as skinny as a rail? 
Most athletes have read and have been told by their trainers to consume protein, protein, and more protein throughout their day for muscle building and recovery. Our bodies need protein not only to build and help muscles regenerate but protein also plays an important role in the body’s metabolism, hormonal balance, and immune protection.
Lunches are such a tricky thing…on one hand all of the children are comparing what they got in their lunchboxes (and do you really want them to be the ones with the lame lunch?). And, on the other hand, you want to send them off with something nutritious to fuel them through their day that you feel good about and that they will eat! If this is your conundrum, read on!
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