Hot chocolate is a winter favorite

I am not a winter person, and this week has had a sudden drop in temperature.

To me, winter is the time of year when attitudes flare and weight gain is inevitable. Do not get me wrong, I love the holidays, but I could do the holidays some place warm and not be too disappointed.

Still, if I live in Kansas, I am going to have to deal with the cold. Because I have grown up here, and now my husband and I have a home here, I am going to have to just deal with the cold.

It seems like I use the excuse of being cold for overeating all of those holiday goodies, so I have looked forever for a healthy way to satisfy my sweet tooth and take care of that inner chill. I think my fear of gaining weight peaked last year with my freshman year of college and the freshman 15. Lucky for me, I have a grandma who is very health conscious and happens to be an amazing cook.

Last year, my grandma gave me the family recipe for hot chocolate, and it really has made a difference. The recipe uses all dry ingredients, and it does not call for an oven or stove so the hot chocolate can be made in the residence halls without any problem – just add warm water to the mix.

Even though you fill half of your cup with the mix, the recipe makes quite a bit so there is plenty to keep in storage so you can make a cup of hot chocolate anytime.

As with any homemade recipe, there are plenty of opportunities to make the recipe healthier or add your own personal touches of flavor such as cinnamon.

Any way you make the recipe, it is bound to warm you up after a long walk back to your place of residence in the snow.

Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

• 1 box (8 qt.) instant nonfat dry powdered milk<br/>• 1 6 oz. Coffee-Mate• 1 6 oz. Coffee-Mate<br/>• 1 (10.9 oz.) Nesquik Chocolate• 1 (10.9 oz.) Nesquik Chocolate<br/>• 1 cup powdered sugar• 1 cup powdered sugar<br/>•  1 cup granulated sugar•  1 cup granulated sugar<br/>•  1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa•  1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa • 1 6 oz. Coffee-Mate• 1 (10.9 oz.) Nesquik Chocolate• 1 cup powdered sugar•  1 cup granulated sugar•  1/2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients together. Fill mug to half full. Pour boiling water over mix. Store leftovers in storage containers. Enjoy.