Vegan Hot Chocolate

It was a rainy weekend over here!

And we loved every minute of it.

It’s funny how things works; one of the big reasons we left Seattle was due to the gloomy, rainy weather. But this weekend we were reminded of how much fun a little rain can be :)

We even went for a run when it was absolutely pouring!

It also got me thinking that winter is going to be ending very soon and I don’t know if we got enough winter favorites in! Like, Soup, Brussels Sprouts and HOT CHOCOLATE?

You better believe we fit all of that in this weekend along with lots of this Tea!

I’ve had my eye on this tea for awhile, but it’s price tag left me saying “uh next time”.

I tried some at a friends last week and it’s delicious, lucky for us it was on sale at Whole Foods this weekend so we picked up a box.

So far we’ve tried 2 different flavors and both of them are so good!

P.S I was just looking at their website and it’s a super cool company. Very health conscious with a lot of really fun tea blends… pretty much I want them all:)

Ok on to the The Hemp-Tastic Hot Chocolate! This is a Seasonal Diet Member Recipe but it’s so good I had to share it with everyone, and if you’re a Member and have not made this recipe… shame on you, you’re missing out!

I really like it because it’s super quick and easy!

Hemp-tastic Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of chai tea
• 2 Tbsp. hemp seeds
• 2-3 dates
• 1 heaping Tbsp. cacao powder
• 1 dash cinnamon
• water (8oz)

Directions:

Bring 8 oz of water to a boil. Add pitted dates and tea bag to a cup of boiling water. Steep for 3 minutes and then remove tea bag. Pour contents of the cup into a high speed blender with hemp seeds, cacao powder and dash of cinnamon. Blend on high. Pour into cup and enjoy. Tastes great with a sprinkle of coconut sugar on top if you want a real treat!

How’s that for easy!?

A Few Tips:

• Hemp Seeds: these can be pricey but you can use them for so many things like hemp milk, on top of salads or grain bowls. They also make great salad dressings. Some health food stores sell them in single serving packets, which would be perfect for this recipe as you only need 2 Tbsp.
• Chai Tea: you’ll need a chai tea bag, we used this Tea, I didn’t love it by itself but in this hot chocolate it’s amazing. You can use any brand of chai you like. We used a non-caffeinated version but it’s your choice!
• Peppermint Tea: would be another fun tea to try in this recipe!

Each season brings something to look forward to, but also something to be missed

As I sit here writing this, the sun is starting to come back out – and don’t get me wrong, I love spring/summer and bright sunny days but there are a few things about winter I’m going to miss, like…

• Cozy-ing up on a cold Friday night with a good episode of Parenthood
• Brussels Sprouts
• A Big cup of Tea
• Soup
• Brown Boots
• Holiday Meals
• The laid back winter pace
• And the Hemp-tastic Hot Chocolate listed above!

However this spring is bringing us a lot of things to be excited about!

Let’s just say there’s a lot of spring cleaning happening around here (more on that at another time ;)

This Spring I’m looking forward to…

• Banana Cream Pie
• Bright Colors
• Dinners on the beach
• Lighter morning runs
• Asparagus
• Figs
• Jumping in the ocean

What do you look forward to in the spring?