Pumpkin Hot Chocolate
I have some good news for you... following a healthy whole foods diet does not mean that you have to give up your favourite classic comfort foods! It simply gives you an opportunity to experiment, and create new versions that are even more delicious than the old ones.
Take hot chocolate, for example. I have many fond memories from when I was a kid enjoying a cup of hot chocolate at the arena. There was really something special about that styrofoam cup and the thick layer of "chocolate" that was left on the bottom when I was done. I say "chocolate", because I now know that there was more sugar in that drink than chocolate, or anything else for that matter. In fact, there was likely multiple different versions of sugar, along with preservatives, artificial colours, and some poor quality milk products.
Yum.
To back up that statement, let's talk about the nutritional information for a hot chocolate at a very popular fast food breakfast restaurant. How does 38g of sugar in 286 mL sound? And just to break that down for you... that's roughly 9.5 teaspoons of sugar in just over 1 cup of liquid. Head to the kitchen and measure that out, and then tell me how much you want to drink that.
Now, let's talk about a better alternative. Today's recipe came from one of my experiments with homemade hot chocolate. I mean, isn't everything better with a little bit of pumpkin?! I've also included some gut-friendly bone broth because I'm slightly obsessed with Borderland's Smoothie Base right now, but if that's not your thing, feel free to use all non-dairy milk.
If I can offer a little nutrition advice though, I will say that your gut, your joints, and really your entire body, will thank you if you throw a little bone broth in there. It's so therapeutic to drink bone broth by itself (a post for another day!), but it's also great to sneak it in with other beverages and meals to receive even more of the amazing benefits!
Alright, let's get to the recipe...
1/2 cup Smoothie Base bone broth
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (coconut is a delicious choice)
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
1.5 tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp cacao butter
1/2 - 1 tsp honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Add all ingredients to a small pot and heat over medium-low heat. Once warm, transfer to a blender and blend until combined and frothy! At this point, you can throw in some other superfood powders if you'd like - I love to add a little bit of collagen powder and some medicinal mushrooms, but you do you!