my friend nancy from wolf and willow and i have had similar revelations over the past few years. mine having to do with becoming vegan and cutting out gluten, her’s having to do with becoming vegan and cutting out sugar. both of which have produced radical improvements in our health, minds and well being!

i’m super inspired by nancy’s latest sexy sugar free vegan project. it’s getting back to the basics- eating whole foods that are plant based AND sugar free. with benefits ranging from better sleep to an increase in energy, it’s definitely worth looking in to. check out this post to read more about quitting sugar, but in a nutshell americans eat 130 pounds of sugar a year. that’s up from about 20 pounds in 1820. THAT’S a lot of unneeded sugar!

above recipes: kale, quinoa & green olive salad | coconut and vanilla bean yoghurt | super freen breakfast smoothie | cajun purple carrot + black bean sliders

as part of the project, nancy is posting a vegan, sugar free menu every day until christmas on wolf and willow. the recipes are delicious, wholesome and easy to follow along with! we encourage you to just give it a try. sign up for sexy sugar free vegan e-mails (scroll to the bottom) and just do what you can do. what do you have to lose?

wrap up: {diet} {nancy} {recipes} {sugar free} {vegan} {wolf and willow}

I have tried so many homemade hot chocolate recipes in the past, and yet it is the healthiest recipe that might actually be my favorite! This recipe contains no added white sugar – the sweetness comes from the banana and the semi-sweet chocolate chips. While it is true that sugar is sugar, with this recipe, you aren’t getting empty calories: bananas contain potassium, vitamin B6, and some dietary fiber; semi-sweet chocolate has antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

Surprisingly, this recipe is also incredibly rich and sweet. I wrote the recipe fully expecting to need a drizzle of honey on top to sweeten it up, but it was so not necessary! In fact, it may border on too-sweet, so if you may find yourself adjust the number of chocolate chip tablespoons from four to three, or even just two tablespoons.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

1 cup of low fat milk, soy milk, or rice milk

4 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cocoa powder

pinch of chili powder*

dash of salt

1 small to medium banana, sliced

*The chili powder doesn’t add any actual spiciness, it just gives the hot chocolate a little bit of an edge. My husband and I weren’t able to detect any spiciness in our drinks, but if you really don’t like chili powder, it isn’t completely necessary.

Directions

Combine the milk, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, vanilla, chili powder and salt in a small sauce pan. Heat on medium heat until just before it begins to simmer. Stir often.

Meanwhile, slice a banana and place in a blender.

Once chocolate mixture is hot enough (you’ll start to see steam), remove from heat and pour into blender with bananas. Blend for about a minute, making sure all banana chunks have been smoothed out.

The end result will be very creamy. Pour into two mugs, and you’ll see some foam on top. The end result is a warm, deliciously sweet treat. Yum!

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {banana} {drink} {healthy} {hot chocolate} {sugar free} {winter}