Superfood Mocha Drink: 3 Ways

Sometimes, nothing sounds better than coffee and chocolate. A little pick me up, ya know what I mean? Today's superfood mocha pick me up is the perfect drink to choose. Full of flavor, but also full of those buzzword superfoods we keep hearing about. Read on to find out more! Coffee.

I love it.

And I think it can fit in a healthy diet...as long as we are not abusing it.

The "But first, coffee" thing is cute and all, but let's not use coffee as an excuse to over-work ourselves and abuse our body's need for rest and adequate sleep, mmk? (Side note: read this post here for tips for getting a wonderful night's rest!)

This superfood mocha drink is great because it only contains a 1/2 cup of coffee, and has additional 'superfoods' blended into it. This helps the caffeine digest slower, and adds other health benefits (hence the superfood in the title ;)).

I have discussed coffee (and my thoughts on it) here before, and I enjoy a cup every morning. If I am lifting weights in the morning I will blend BCAA's and maca powder into it, and if I am working/concentrating I drink Jacked Up Java (try it, you will be super focused all day!) I enjoy  this Superfood Mocha drink 1-2x/week when I need an extra boost in the morning.

This drink is made my blending milk of your choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk), cacao powder and flavoring of your choice into the coffee.

Not sure what cacao is? That's okay! Let me explain...

Cacao powder is cacao beans (what chocolate comes from) blended into powder form. Have you heard about dark chocolate having health benefits? That's because of the cacao beans! Chocolate is a great source of antioxidants, a natural source of caffeine, can help reduce stress and is linked to lowering blood pressure.

Consuming chocolate raw helps maintain more of the good stuff like iron, magnesium, fiber, protein, probiotics and all those amazing antioxidants. But fear not, if you do not have cacao powder, just use cocoa powder. Either way it will still be delicious!

Today's recipe has three variations for you to enjoy. Classic mocha, peppermint mocha and mexican hot chocolate. The Peppermint mocha variation is made using peppermint oil, an essential oil used for its ability to help ease the digestive system. Mexican hot chocolate adds a pinch of cayenne and dash of cinnamon. Cayenne is known for many health benefits (including supposedly boosting your metabolism!) and cinnamon is well known for helping regulate blood sugar levels.

Each variation is so delicious, and I hope next time you need a boost you first make you are giving yourself adequate rest and adequate sleep, and secondly enjoy this drink!

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Superfood Mocha Drink: Classic

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coffee

• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)

• 1 Tablespoon cacao or high quality cocoa powder

• 4 drops liquid stevia (or sweetner of choice)

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a small blender and blend until combined.

2. Enjoy hot or cold!

Superfood Mocha Drink: Peppermint Mocha

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coffee

• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)

• 1 Tablespoon cacao or high quality cocoa powder

• 4 drops liquid stevia (or sweetner of choice)

• 2-3 drops peppermint oil*

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a small blender and blend until combined.

2. Enjoy hot or cold.

Notes

*Can use peppermint extract if do not have peppermint oil. Only 1-2 drops should be needed.

Superfood Mocha Drink: Mexican Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coffee

• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)

• 1 Tablespoon cacao or high quality cocoa powder

• 4 drops liquid stevia (or sweetner of choice)

• Dash of cinnamon

• Pinch of cayenne

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a small blender and blend until combined.

2. Enjoy hot or cold.

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I hope you enjoy these recipes, and if you make them, show me your creations! Tag me @the_diehard_foodie and use the hashtags #nourishyoself and #diehardfoodiefinds.