Mug 'o Childhood

Nothing brings me back to cold winter days spent playing outside in the snow than a cup of hot cocoa. Just when it felt as if my fingers and toes were about to snap off like human icicles, Mom would come out with cups of pipin' hot chocolate, to melt away the freeze. I always remember putting handfuls of snow in mine to cool it down fast, or pouring some onto the snow and eating it.

Then I snap back to reality, where I am a second semester senior in college, with a pile of work waiting patiently for me to finish. *Cue big sigh of despair. The two things that always warm me up in these cold New England winter nights are a nice big bowl of Chili, or a cup of hot chocolate. Being the conscious nutrition major I am, and trying to cut back on the amount of sugar I eat, I make my own hot cocoa mix, which is adapted from the Truvia website's recipe found here.

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
serves 6


3 T Cocoa Powder
1/2 c Non-fat Milk Powder
1/4 Truvia
pinch of salt


Simply Combine all the ingredients in a jar or container with a lid, and store. To make a cup of cocoa, just add 3 tablespoons of the mix to a cup of boiling water, and sip away. *Addition of freshly fallen snow optional. One of my favorite things to add, especially around the holidays is a mini candy cane to make peppermint hot cocoa. Delicious. Kinda makes me want to watch Polar Express now, even though I watch it enough around the holidays to hold me until next year.


What's your favorite thing to add to hot chocolate?