Trick your kids (or yourself) into a refreshing, protein packed beverage with this Healthy Chocolate Milk. There is no refined sugar and depending on your dairy choice, it’s low in fat. Cheers!
I learned most of my nutritional knowledge from my mom. She taught me how to read labels, make healthy food choices, exercise, and eat in moderation. I’d say given her activity level and her conscious eating habits, she is a pretty healthy woman.
I, however, have slightly raised the health bar for my family in comparison to how I was raised. My sweet mom still has potato chips, sweet cereals, packaged cookies, etc. lurking in her pantry while I choose to avoid those things.
What has come of this situation in my home??? Well, my kids would much rather be at grandma’s. What can I say?!
My adorable mother was hanging out with us in Hawaii this past week, helping me with the kids while Ben was away on business. We had loads of fun, and I think I wore out every bone in her active body.
Considering all the fun things we did with the kids (swimming, surfing, snorkeling, botanical gardens, feeding fish, hiking, etc.), it’s pretty safe to say that their favorite thing grandma did with/for them was “buying chocolate milk!!!”
It was actually quite comical. We were checking out at the local grocery store when my mom snagged a single serving size bottle of chocolate milk, smiled at me, and said, “I think we need this. I don’t know why but I’m craving chocolate milk!”
So, she bought it. We brought it home, divided it up between all of us, mixed it with some regular milk, and chugged it. Then it was gone. WAHHHHH! But that’s what happens to treats. You enjoy them and then they’re gone.
That is until the next day when grandma returned home from the store with a 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk! Dang you grandma!!! My kids begged for chocolate milk for over a week until we finished that container, and I found myself wanting just a swallow or two of liquid chocolate every time I walked into the kitchen. That stuff is soooooo goooooood!
And so yesterday when I was craving chocolate milk, and there was none left in sight, I got to thinking, “Can’t I enjoy chocolate milk on the fly AND not feel guilty about it??? There has got to be a way!”
Well there is! Where there is a will, there is a way!
I whisked up a single serving of this Healthy Chocolate Milk, drank it up, licked my lips, patted my tummy, and called it good.
Then I tested it out on my kiddos. Success! They enjoyed every last drop in their cups. Now, my kids only know chocolate milk mixed with 1/2 regular milk, so their taste for chocolate milk may not be as rich as other kids…or adults. This chocolate milk has more of a resemblance to a Nesquik chocolate milk flavor/creaminess than to those thick and creamy store-bought, premade chocolate milk jugs in the dairy section of the grocery store.
Guess what? I’m A-okay with that! I’ll take the extra health benefits over the richness of the jugs.
Now for my chocolate milk soap box:
I have a little bit of beef with milk advertising lately. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE milk. I drink it everyday and don’t feel an ounce of guilt about it. However, I do find it very deceiving and misleading to market chocolate milk as a “healthy option” for children just so they can get their calcium. Or how about the “chocolate milk is the best post workout protein drink” ploy?
C’mon. Let’s not pretend that chocolate milk is actually healthy. The second ingredient is liquid sugar. It’s a treat, and that’s okay. But, let’s call it a treat and feed regular milk to our children at school and drink regular milk (if that’s what you choose) for a post workout beverage.
Sorry, to those I just offended. Just being real here.
Anyhow, if you love chocolate milk as much as I do and you’d like to enjoy it on a more regular basis while still feeling good about your health goals, this is the drink for you. Come join me in the healthy chocolate milk quest!
Are you a chocolate milk fan?
- 1 heaping tablespoon high quality cocoa powder
- 2-3 teaspoons pure maple syrup, depending on preference
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup milk (I used 1%)
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, and vanilla until a paste forms. Slowly pour in milk while whisking vigorously. Whisk until cocoa paste is dissolved. Add more maple syrup depending on taste.*
- Serve chilled and store leftovers covered in the fridge. Whisk again before serving leftovers.**
**You can make this in big batches, just double, triple, etc. recipe accordingly.
Can you make a large batch of the chocolate mixture ahead of time and store it in the fridge?
Yes, you can! You may just need to stir or shake it up a bit before serving as some of the chocolate will settle. I’ve kept it in the fridge for up to 5 days and it was great. =)
does it have the texture of regular chocolate milk because I’m a huge texture person and if it has the wrong texture I won’t eat/drink it no matter how good it tastes
It depends what kind of chocolate milk you are used to. If you’re talking about the Nesquick powder kind that you mix yourself, it has a consistency very similar to that. If you are used to the thicker store bought chocolate milk that is already premixed in the refrigerator section, it is not thick and creamy like that. Also, make sure to really whisk the cocoa powder so it gets distributed evenly and doesn’t clump.
Also, when you whisk it, it will create bubbles up top from incorporating air, but those go down once you stir it with a spoon. I just made a serving to see exactly what the texture is. Haha! Again, it’s like the chocolate milk that you make yourself with the powder mixes.