hot drink alternatives: bye bye coffee

So I'm no longer a coffee drinker. I'm still coming to terms with it. Now I'm one of those people who suggests meeting for coffee, and then gets a juice. But with the weather cooling down, I'm beginning to miss that warming cup o' joe. When I'm out, Chai is my current hot drink of choice, especially when they're this good, but at home I'm starting to get creative. Now hold onto your seats, I'm about to divulge my top three.

Hot chocolate
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp cacao
1 tbsp sweetener of your choice - honey/stevia/maple syrup

Warm on the stovetop or in a Vitamix. Using the blender will make it nice and thick, and then you can use a date as the sweetener, if you feel that way inclined.

Toasty nut milk
1 cup nut milk of choice (I used hazelnut for this one - ah-mazing)
1 tbsp sweetener
1/2 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg

Warm it all gently on the stovetop, and keep below 42 degrees if you want to keep it raw.

Warming vanilla milk

1 cup oat or rice milk
Seeds from one vanilla pod or a tsp of pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp Cacao (optional, if you feel like something chocolatey).

I find I don't need any sweetener for this one as these milks are quite sweet. Warm on the stovetop or in a Vitamix, and then sit down and enjoy while you write me a thank-you note.