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Weird Trainer Food (WTF): Turmeric and spice hot chocolate

Winter has finally arrived (I think?) in Houston (wait, it’s gone again…no, it’s back), which means it’s hot chocolate season!

Yes, a personal trainer is telling you to drink hot chocolate.  Keep reading.

spices for turmeric hot chocolateChocolate is great at hiding things, so I find that this hot chocolate recipe is a great introduction to sneaking turmeric into your diet. Turmeric is a proven and potent anti-inflammatory with sooo many benefits – it almost certainly belongs in your world, whether you want to prevent or manage disease (like maybe even beat a cold), recover faster from your workouts, or just feel a little bit better about the vat of queso you’ll devour while watching the Super Bowl.

Sadly, the only thing that will give this hot chocolate away as being healthy is the yellow leftovers in the pan.

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

Sweetener: 2 stevia packets OR 2-4 teaspoons of honey, agave, date sugar, coconut sugar, or your favorite healthy sweetener

Bittersweet Chocolate: 1.5 oz (roughly chopped or chocolate chips) – that’s about 1/4 cup

Cocoa Powder: 1/4 cup

Turmeric: 1/2 teaspoon (or more, to taste, up to 2 teaspoons)

Ground cardamom: 1/4 teaspoon

Cinnamon: 1/4 teaspoon

Sea Salt: a tiny pinch

Milk of your choice (I like coconut or almond, but any kind will work): 2 cups

Easy Method:

Whisk dry ingredients until combined, then spoon into 2 mugs.

Heat milk; add to mugs, stir until combined.

Pro Method:

Heat 2 teaspoons coconut oil (not on the ingredients list, sorry) in a small pan over medium heat; add turmeric and “fry” for 20-30 seconds.  Add milk, then add remaining dry ingredients.  Stir until combined; serve hot.

Why 2 methods?  The second one makes the turmeric work even harder for your body, but it’s not microwave-friendly.  The easy method can even be made at work – just bring the powder in a zip-top bag or small jar, and mix it with microwaved milk or hot water at your desk.