Can we have chocolate milk? [Kid-friendly Recipe for Feel Good Creamy Cacao Elixir]

To tell you the truth, I love chocolate milk and so do my kids. But I don't love to buy it or store it. Have you ever read the ingredients? Oi.

Commercial chocolate milk is not a recipe for feeling good nor for ingredients that you keep in your kitchen: Partly skimmed milk, sugar or glucose, fructose, cocoa, colour, salt, carrageenan, artificial flavour, Vitamin A, Palmitate, Vitamin D3.

Just like those shown above, highly processed foods are too often void of nourishing ingredients and full of ingredients that try to fool your brain but in fact throw your body into stress and inflammation. This is true for kids, too.

I know you'd rather give your kids excellent alternatives, so here's the hack I use with my own kids (and myself). Because especially on these cold, winter days, I feel so much better when I drink something rich in vitamins that gives me real energy and sustenance. I make this creamy Cacao Elixir from deeply nutritious whole ingredients including protein & fat, sweetened with raw and natural dates & honey.

This is what nutrient dense means, learning to swap in real, whole food ingredients that are loaded with helpful nutrients that support balanced hormones and calm your body & mind.

This recipe is full of brain and mood support food, while keeping blood sugar in check. Lion's mane has properties that support cognitive function & focus, while the helpful fats in walnuts nourish the gut and reduce inflammation, among a host of other brain boosting benefits. Raw cacao powder is known for its soothing magnesium content while the light spice from cinnamon balances blood sugar and promotes healthy digestion.

CREAMY CACAO ELIXIR

Makes 2 servings

In a high speed blender, combine the following:

1 banana

1/4 cup raw walnuts

4 dates, pits removed

2 tablespoons raw cacao powder

2 tablespoons lion's mane powder, optional (sometimes available locally in MB from East of Eden Gourmet Mushrooms)

1 tablespoon raw honey (or more to taste)

Pinch of cinnamon and pinch of sea salt

Add enough water to cover the other ingredients and blend until smooth. Add more water to reach desired consistency.

You may also like my recipe for this Adrenal Support Hot Cacao Latte.