Cacao is hands down one of our favourite superfoods because, well… chocolate! It’s also a very enticing ingredient for little humans, which creates the perfect foundation for healthy food exploration. Raw cacao not only tastes delicious, but there are so many amazing benefits that come along with it, says nutritionist Gina Urlich (nutritionbyginarose.com).
Healthy choco mylk
Serves 2
You need:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 courgette
- 1 cup of milk of choice (extra for a thinner consistency)
How to make:
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into child-friendly cups. Serves two children.
Choc bliss balls
Makes 15
You need:
- 1½ cups sunflower seeds
- ½ cup almonds
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 10 fresh dates(pits removed)
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ¼ cup coconut oil
How to make:
- Blitz sunflower seeds and almonds in a food processor until they reach a fine, meal-like consistency.
- Add all other ingredients and blitz.
- Roll into small balls and dust with extra desiccated coconut.
- Store bliss balls in an airtight container in the fridge.
[pullquote]Did you know?
Cacao is extremely rich in antioxidants – we’ve all heard that blueberries contain many antioxidants, but cacao actually contains 20 times more antioxidants than blueberries.[/pullquote]
Cacao pancakes
You need:
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup flour (regular or gluten-free)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: Berries, yoghurt, maple syrup, chopped nuts (to serve)
How to make:
- In a bowl, mash banana with a fork. Add eggs and mix well.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and combine.
- Heat a skillet on medium heat with a little coconut oil.
- Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve warm with berries, yoghurt, maple syrup, and chopped nuts.
