I may have gone a bit overboard this year with gingerbread EVERYTHING.  If it didn’t move, I flavoured it with gingerbread spices.  It all started with these Gingerbread Cookies.  Quickly followed by this Gingerbread Granola.  And most recently some Chocolate and Gingerbread Quinoa Puffs.

But I look forward to so many things when the weather gets colder – the changing colours, candles, twinkly lights and of course hot chocolate.  For years we had the “add 3 heaped teaspoons to a cup of boiling water” type of hot chocolate and even though some brands may only be 40 calories per mug is it healthy?

There are so many reasons to make your own Gingerbread Hot Chocolate though.  It’s 100% delicious, YOU control what goes in it and is just as quick to make as the packet/jar variety.

First let’s talk about the spices …

– Ginger.  Absolutely fantastic for helping fight of seasonal germs as well as being great for digestion and nausea

– Nutmeg.  Another one great for digestive health as well as giving your skin a seasonal glow and helping you sleep

– Cinnamon.  High in antioxidants, helping heart health and diabetes

The health benefits don’t stop there though …

– Raw cacao powder.  Hugely high in antioxidants, raw cacao powder is usually free from dairy, refined sugar and any other additives but is exceptional in taste and quality.

– Almond milk.  An obvious choice for vegans and those with lactose intolerance it also contains 50% less calories than cow’s milk and being dairy free means it also contains no cholesterol.

And lastly a flourish of whipped coconut cream and Ananda’s Vegan Madagascan Vanilla Marshmallows.  No health benefits, I’m just still flabbergasted that there’s such a thing as vegan marshmallows!!

This mix is SO easy to just increase and keep some in a jar for those Gingerbread Hot Chocolate emergencies .  The kids/cat/dog has pulled the tree over.  Arguments over who put the lights away in a tangled mess last time.  The impending panic of what to buy the person who already has flipping everything (I’m looking at ALL the men here ?).  Just pull out a saucepan, a whisk, your favourite mug and shut the world out for a few moments of gingerbready heaven.

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