Brain Boosting Snow Day Cocoa
This drink was inspired by my neighbor. A kind and awesome man who always does the most proper job clearing out the snow around my building. He does it straight out of pure generosity and usually finds himself further down the sidewalk than the property line.
After seeing him out there doing a damn good job for what I can only imagine had been hours, I decided to whip him up not only a tasty beverage to warm him up, but a belly sticking, energy boosting, flame throwing nectar for all of his amazing help.
The secret but super mighty ingredient to this drink is coconut oil.
May sound like an odd ingredient in a beverage and I know you have all read about the super sexy benefits to taking in more coconut on the regular, so let me give you the reason behind this delicious addition.
Coconut oil is a great source of caprylic acid and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which has been shown to have amazing benefits in your body. First off, your liver converts the MCTs, your brain takes it in while your muscles oxidize it turning it directly into energy.
That’s right. Your body converts the healthy fat in coconut oil straight into fuel rather than store it as fat like other harmful fats do . Plus, it feeds your brain energy which helps prevent sugar cravings and over eating.
Adding in about 1 tsp to start in the morning with your daily coffee or Super Hero Mocha can keep you feeling energized and satisfied throughout your day. You can slowly build up to 1-2 tbsp but know that it takes an adjustment on your body to do so.
Not only has high doses of MCTs been proven beneficial with improving/preventing conditions like Alzheimer’s, it has even proven to help people feel energized, regulate body temperature and lose weight, especially stubborn belly fat. The trick here is to make sure you are decreasing your other unhealthy fats while increasing your intake of healthy ones.
Ditch the soybean, canola, safflower, sunflower, all vegetable and hydrogenated oils in your diet. They do nothing but add toxicity to your awesome body.
As my ninja taste tester states, “Keep it pure for sure.”
So while your kiddos are enjoying the snow day, whip up a batch of this cocoa to refuel their body and give them the brain boost they will need when they go back to hitting the books.
Brain Boosting Snow Day Cocoa
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
3 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp organic expeller/cold pressed coconut oil
1 tbsp Grade B maple syrup or raw honey or stevia
Directions
1. Heat almond milk in saucepan on medium heat.
2. Using a wire whisk, stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, your choice of sweetener, vanilla extract.
3. Once smooth, add in coconut oil and allow it to melt.
4. Using a wire whisk or immersion blender, whip up the cocoa mixture until frothy. This helps the coconut oil keep from sitting on the top.