As well as boosting both your body and your mind, a daily dose of cacao powder has many other health benefits.
But did you know that simply swallowing a couple of teaspoons isn’t the only way to get it into your diet?
It’s easy to be creative with cacao. It can be added to everyday meals to supercharge them, or you can decide to make sweet treats like vegan brownies and raw fruit nut bites.
Whatever you fancy preparing, be inspired with our 5 quick and easy ideas for a nutrition-filled treat or snack.
1. Warm yourself up with cacao powder hot chocolate
Pour some boiling water into a mug containing one teaspoon of Cacao and then stir. (add a little sugar or sugar substitute if you need to).
Add a dash of almond milk and voila, and you have a rich hot chocolate to warm you up on cold days or nights.
2. Treat yourself to a chocolate and banana protein smoothie
Perfect for after a workout, this smoothie can be made by blending one large frozen banana (cut into slices), two tablespoons of cacao powder, two tablespoons of almond butter, 235ml of almond milk and one level scoop of your chosen chocolate protein.
3. Kick-start your breakfast
Next time you reach for a bowl of your favourite cereal, you could spoon in one teaspoon of cacao and a small handful of your favourite dried fruits.
If you prefer to kick-start your mornings with porridge, you can still add the cacao and fruits to make it extra tasty and nutritious.
4. Mix things up with flavoursome yoghurt
It’s easy to add a sprinkling of cacao powder to your yoghurt, and it shouldn’t alter the taste too much if you use a small amount. If you’d prefer to mix up the flavours, just keep adding more until the chocolate flavour comes through.
5. Bake your own treats with cacao powder
Baking with cacao powder can be great fun. You can replace any chocolate in a recipe with cacao powder. So, why not have a go at making a cacao powder version of your favourite chocolate dessert instead?
Try these Cacao, Oat & Peanut Butter Bites or our Cacao, Avocado and Manuka Honey Mousse recipe and let us know the verdict!
