Mocha Maca Superfood Latte

Latte – a word to describe how much I like this warm and cozy pick-me-up..

Having a morning routine is something I’ve always coveted. I love the idea of waking up and having a peaceful morning of meditation, movement, writing, and nourishing my body. I’ve been making this cozy latte every morning for the past few weeks, and it feels like a step in the right direction. The ritual of heating my water, measuring out each ingredient, and preparing my coffee with attention and love brings mindfulness to my morning – even if that’s the only “morning routine” that I have time for that day. But I don’t love this latte purely for routine alone – I am obsessed with it because it makes me feel so good.

I recently clicked a link titled “How to Biohack Your Morning Coffee” only to realize they suggested adding coconut oil to your coffee, and coconut butter is already a key component in this recipe. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that just by trial and error I was already biohacking my coffee to benefit my body the most, and doing what truly feels good to me.

Superfoods are getting a lot of buzz, and also a lot of flack. Especially superfoods of the coconut variety. A superfood is simply one food that is more nutrient-dense than others – there’s no magic certification or labeling that makes a food a superfood. There are a lot of superfoods in the world – some easier to source and more affordable than others, like kale, and some rarer and more pricey, like cordyceps or goji berries. Some you could even grow in your back yard! I’ve been playing with superfoods for years because I like the idea of consuming less but nourishing your body more with real, whole foods.

This latte is like a Mexican hot chocolate, but with a lot more nutrients than the one you’d get at a coffee shop, and the added kick of french press coffee. Rather than using sugar, like your coffee shop would, I just used a drizzle of all-natural grade A maple syrup. This superfood latte is wonderfully flavorful with a creamy and luscious consistency. It makes me alert, positive, and keeps me full until late morning. While it’s not a breakfast replacement, it definitely helps me make it to lunch without my usual mid-morning snack.

If you don’t have all of these ingredients, THAT’S OKAY! You don’t need them all to get all of the benefits, so I included an abbreviated recipe below so that you can still make the latte even if you’re still stocking up your superfood pantry 😋

Read on to learn about the benefits of the ingredients in this latte, or scroll down to get the recipe

Raw Cacao Powder

Cacao has been called the “Amazonian Antioxidant King” (or queen) and it’s the unprocessed version of chocolate. In its raw form, cacao is full of all of the benefits that chocolate claims to have, and then some! According to Be Good Organics, 60-90% of the original antioxidants in “cocoa” are lost during dutch processing. I use Navitas Organics cacao, which is rich in antioxidants and magnesium – a hard-to-get mineral that’s essential to our bodies. Cacao is also one of the highest plant-based sources if iron, and a natural mood-booster and anti-depressant¹. It makes this latte taste more like a mocha, which might be the best part!

Maca Powder

Maca boasts over 20 amino acids (including 8 essential amino acids), 20 free-form fatty acids, vitamins, calcium, magnesium – the list goes on! Maca can help increase energy and stamina, and it provides hormonal support that can benefit both men and women. There are a ton of hormonal-related benefits, as well as energy and mood. Check out this post by Dr. Axe for more details. I think maca smells delightful, like peanut butter, and adds a slightly sweet and earthy flavor to the latte. Again, I use Navitas Organics Maca. This brand is widely available in store and online, and you can often find it on sale at markets like Sprouts, which is where I normally shop.

Sun Potion Yin Powder

Sun Potion products are new to me, and Yin Powder and Tocos are the two products I’m trying first. I chose to try Yin Powder over some of the other tonics because I like that it’s a blend specifically formulated to support women’s health. They partnered with the organization Women With Superpowers to create this blend that may support immunity, energy, hormonal balance, mental clarity, stress/emotional, radiance, skin health, creativity, libido, and more. It’s a blend of reishi, he shou wu, pearl powder, tocos, ashwaganda, pine pollen, and astragalus. I chose it for all of the benefits above, and to support hair/skin/nail health. It has a delicate and earthy flavor, and a serving is just one teaspoon, so you barely taste it in this latte.

Sun Potion Tocos (Rice Bran Solubles)

I’ve heard so many people rave about tocos that I had to try it. I’ve been using it for only a month so I can’t tout its benefits yet, but it is said to support healthy skin and connective tissues, and may help with detoxing the body. It’s a bioavailable source of Vitamin E that comes straight from rice. It helps make this latte super creamy and luscious.

Great Lakes Gelatin

I started using Great Lakes kosher and unflavored gelatin before I knew about collagen peptides. It has a lot of the same benefits of collagen, but it’s not as easy to digest. I don’t think I have a problem digesting it so I’m sticking with it for now, and the primary reason I use it is to support healthy skin. It is also said to improve gut health and digestion, protect joints, help maintain heart, bone, and joint health, and may lift your mood.

Coconut Butter

Whether or not coconut butter is good for you is the subject of many a debate. I personally feel really good when I consume coconut butter and coconut oil. Coconut butter is high in healthy fats. It’s a medium-chain fatty acid, which can be burned for energy (unlike long-chain fatty acids). It may boost your metabolism, and it contains lauric acid which can boost immunity². It also helps make the latte super creamy!

Cinnamon

Not only is cinnamon the most cozy spice ever, it also helps boost your metabolism. Cinnamon has tons of benefits and I put it on a lot of foods, from roasted sweet potatoes to oatmeal, to this latte. Yum.

French Press Coffee

French press coffee is my absolute favorite type of coffee. I use a blend of organic French Vanilla + Guatemalan coffee beans from Sprouts. I have a mini french press that only brews one cup of coffee at a time, so I scoop 2 tbsp coffee into it, top with water, and allow to brew for four minutes. If coffee doesn’t agree with you there are many alternatives, like Four Sigmatic mushroom elixrs, which I love, or you could leave the coffee out entirely and use hot water or warm nut milk.