Clean Eat Recipe: Charged Peppermint Almond Hot Chocolate

Can we just tell you how much we love Christmastime? It's such a fun time of year and just because you are a clean eater, doesn't mean you should miss out on any (and we said ANY) of the festive drinks available this time of year. Insert your favorite coffee chain here and let's whip up something that will take your taste buds straight through to December!

We have been cooking up some fancy treats with some amazing flavored liquid stevia, Sweet Drops from SweetLeaf. If you haven't had a chance to check them out, you definitely should! Their products are all natural, zero calorie and zero gylcemic response. Check out the flavors - Pumpkin Spice, Peppermint Mocha, Rootbeer - how could you go wrong!?!

Note: We aren't that big of fans of dairy, so we used unsweetened almond milk in this recipe. If you have a craving and don't have any on hand, organic cow's milk will work just as well. 

Charged Peppermint Almond Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 2/3 c unsweetened almond milk, warm
• 1/3 c your favorite organic brewed coffee, warm (We love Marley Coffee. It's sustainability grown, ethically farmed, and artisan roasted.)
• 1 TBSP Sweetleaf Peppermint Mocha Sweet Drops
• 1 TBSP all-natural, unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Warm almond milk, preferably on your stovetop to slightly warmer than desired temperature.

2. Prepare your favorite organic coffee as directed.

3. Mix all ingredients together.

4. Allow mixture to cool to desired temperature prior to drinking. 

This is such a wonderful drink! It's so easy to make and will wow your guests (or your taste buds). You will forget all about that corner coffee shop and start enjoying treats that are as good for you as they taste!

A special thank you to SweetLeaf Sweet Drops for allowing us to try the Sweet Drops and post a recipe.

Clean Eat Recipe :: Charged Mocha Protein Shake

This is definitely a go-to shake for those early mornings where you just don't feel like putting together a full breakfast and you're having a tough time waking up (which, for me, happens to be most mornings). To get an energy boost I throw in a packet of Starbucks Via (R)  ready brew coffee and for some extra dietary fiber I add flax because the shake is so delicious you won't even taste it!

CHARGED MOCHA PROTEIN SHAKE

Ingredients:

• 4 oz liquid egg whites (pasteurized carton)
• 4 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 packet Starbucks Via (R)
• 1 scoop (2 tbsp) ground flax
• A few ice cubes

Directions: Add all ingredients to a blender and blend for about 30 seconds or until all ice cubes are blended.

Macros:

• Calories: 291
• Fat: 11g (don't worry - it's healthy (unsaturated) fat!!!)
• Carbohydrates: 14g (mostly fiber, so it's really only 5g net carbs for those limiting intake)
• Sugars: 1.5g
• Dietary Fiber: 9g
• Protein: 33g

This shake has so many great nutritional benefits - it's a great source of Omega 3's (3.4 grams) and dietary fiber (almost 40% of your daily needs), protein, as well as potassium, calcium, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.