Not all chocolate is the same. Your body knows the difference between a drink made with raw cacao powder and an amalgamation of cocoa butter and refined sugar.I’m maintaining a 180-lb. weight loss. To do this I have had to both make peace with food and give the pink slip to those which were not doing my body, mind, or spirit any favors.

I’m a firm believer in when you really want a piece of chocolate cake, there’s simply no substitute. But let’s get real, I can’t be doing chocolate cake everyday, and it’s not exactly nutritional anyway. But I do want the taste of chocolate in some capacity on a daily basis, and I want good nutrition, plus the privilege of remaining comfortably in my size 8 jeans. Remember (if you’re old enough) when size 8 was THE standard? Now it’s practically considered a plus size but lemme tell you, and no pun intended, I put no weight into that insane kind of thinking. I look good with my clothing on, I’m no longer a size 28/30, and the list of physical freedoms once denied me by 180 extra and very burdonsome pounds is endless.

Therefore, I’ll pass on regular rounds of cookies, candy bars, cupcakes and other nutritional vagaries. No…drinking a chocolate protein shake is by no means the same experience as a mountainous slice of double-layer cake, but it does the job. And by that I mean it satisfies physical hunger in a big way, delights my chocolate-craving taste buds, and keeps my progress intact.

Disappointingly, bottled protein drinks are the latest thing to be appropriated by the big food companies. You can find them everywhere now, from supermarkets to convenience stores. Their mass-production and ubiquitousness are a red flag – only take the bottled option if you’re in dire need. A far better choice is to concoct your own at home. For so many reasons: cost effectiveness and quality control among the top benefits.

Becoming a regular with protein drinks is a process. It may not be love at first gulp, but when you consider the benefits (and when you feel the supreme satisfaction of actually being nourished by something sweet and delicious, you just may end up like me and so many others, giving the prepackaged goodies a rest.

Stacey’s Liquid Chocolate Satisfaction

8 oz. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 scoop protein powder (I like Jay Robb’s Egg White and Plant Fusion, both in vanilla)

1 Tbs. raw cacao powder

1 tsp. maca (a favorite superfood)

And if I’m feeling really racy, 1 Tbs. coconut oil (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for about 20 seconds or until smooth. Serve and feel nourished.

Liquid Chocolate – One of My Constant Companions!

Happy and Healthy