The Perfect Hot Beverage for a Cold, Snowy Day

It turned out to be a bit of a winter wonderland today. It was only the second official snowy day of the season – but it was quite beautiful to see the city blanketed in a coating of snow this afternoon. Even if it only lasted for a little while.

It’s days like today that remind me of snow days of my youth – where my siblings and I would spend a few hours outside playing in the snow until we were nearly frozen. At the point of our faces turning red from the cold, we would head inside and would be greeted by our mother welcoming us back in to the warmth with mugs of hot chocolate. Back in the day, the hot chocolate was typically a Swiss Miss packet with marshmallows that would slowly melt (if we didn’t pick them out and eat them first). Those were the days!

In my adult years, I haven’t consumed hot chocolate as often – mostly because most commercial mixes are so darn sugary and probably because I tend to crave more caffeinated hot drinks like coffee and tea these days. However, I am so excited to have found a new healthy hot chocolate mix that has clean and organic ingredients, features adaptogens in the form of mushrooms and is so easy to make. You just add water!

Introducing Laird Superfood Hot Chocolate

Laird Superfood is an amazing wellbeing brand that is probably most famous for their healthy alternatives to coffee creamers. (I still have to try their coffee creamers as well as their other amazing products.) The brand, co-founded by elite surfer and health entrepreneur Laird Hamilton, first emerged about five years ago and has expanded significantly especially over the past few years. Laird Superfood products are now showing up everywhere – Costco, Walmart, Amazon, REI, Whole Foods, Kroger, and even at my local health food stores.

I first heard about the brand while watching the host of one of my favorite YouTube channels for healthy shopping ideas, FlavCity, rave about the Laird Superfood Coffee Creamer in Costco. Following the video, I googled the brand and landed on their official website. I was captivated by the brand’s story and broad portfolio of products. I decided to purchase the Laird Superfood Hot Chocolate on the spot that day. I must have been craving chocolate.

Top Notch Clean Ingredients

When my Laird Superfood Hot Chocolate arrived a few days later, I was immediately impressed by the plant-based hot cocoa ingredients – which do not contain any fillers, additives, can sugar or artificial ingredients, colors, sweeteners or chemicals. It’s also dairy free, gluten free, vegan, soy free and non-GMO. Which means it works for just about any diet around.

And all but one of the ingredients are organic. Here is the full nutritional profile of the product:

Functional Mushrooms Add to the Nutritional Profile

Many of us are not strangers to functional mushrooms – as they are popping up in many products on the store shelves and in our pantries. Adaptogenic mushrooms (Chaga, Reishi. Lion’s Mane, Maitake, etc.) have been used for centuries to support overall wellbeing. And these and other functional mushrooms are in many of the other products that I consume including Four Sigmatic Coffee and Rebbl protein drinks.

Laird Superfoods have added Reishi, Chaga and Maitake to the hot chocolate powder – which definitely elevates the nutritional profile. For more information about the benefits of these adaptogenic mushrooms, click here. And if you are curious, you can’t actually taste mushrooms in the mix. They blend in perfectly with the cacao, coconut milk and cinnamon flavors.

Just Add Water or Milk

It can’t be any simpler. All you need to do is add 3 1/2 tablespoons of the Laird Superfood Hot Chocolate powder to a mug with 8 ounces of hot water or your milk of choice. (When I use milk with this hot chocolate powder, I use unsweetened almond milk.) It’s equally as delicious with water or almond milk.

After I add the powder to the hot water/milk, I use a handheld mixer to create a frothy, delicious beverage. I use a simple frother like this one: click here. You can also use a spoon or small wisk if you don’t own a handheld mixer/frother.

My Thoughts

I give Laird Superfood Hot Chocolate 5 of 5 stars. It is not too rich, but definitely satisfies any craving for hot chocolate. I love the brand’s commitment to only using the best ingredients without any added fillers , cane sugar, or junk. I feel good about consuming this beverage and with no guilt- which definitely is not the case with other hot chocolate beverages. The powder is a bit pricey ($10.95 for 8 ounces) but it will likely last a long time as it is not something that you will indulge in every day. Now, with this product in my pantry, I am super excited for the next cold, snowy day to make a fresh mug of this amazing stuff.

And for a delicious pumpkin cold brew recipe using another delicious Laird product, click here.