Looking to spice up your morning? Well here’s the perfect way! If you’ve never had the sweet and spicy delight of a mexican mocha, you are in for a treat. Keep in mind that this recipe is lighter on the sweet side and is amped up with fats for the perfect creaminess. In fact, many of you may be thinking, “Gee… I see butter on this ingredient list. Is that for real?” And the answer is yes.

This recipe is inspired by bulletproof coffee, a concoction of coffee, butter and medium-chain triglycerides from coconut oil. Dave Asprey brought this concept to life by touting it’s effects on suppressing hunger while providing lasting energy and mental clarity. I find it to be great in the morning when I want some fuel in my body, but am running out the door, or when I want a little somethin’ somethin’ extra in my coffee other than good old almond milk. I wake up really early in the morning, so I will often have this earlier in the day and then enjoy breakfast a few hours after waking up. 

From a nutrition perspective, the benefits of hitting your system with fats in the morning rather than a ton of carbohydrates, is its impact on your blood sugar levels. Many breakfast foods are aggressively high in processed carbs, such as cereal, pastries and toast, all of which spike your blood sugar levels first thing in the morning and then leave you wanting more carbs through the rest of your day. Try getting more fats and proteins into your system in the AM for a day ahead of smarter food choices and more sustained energy levels. 

And side note… no, butter is not bad. Eating multiple sticks of butter a week? Probably not so good. Putting half a tablespoon in your blended coffee? Absolutely ok. Our bodies need a balance of saturated and unsaturated fats, so I would not recommend getting all your daily allowance of fat from butter, but allow yourself the freedom to incorporate it into your diet, guilt-free! It’s far better to be consuming high quality, organic butter than aggressively processed Crisco vegetable oil (yeah, the stuff your mom used to cook everything in… is that a “your mom” joke? 😉 ) 

It’s time to fuel your morning right! I don’t think your tastes buds will mind this one either. 

Mexican Mocha

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups hot coffee
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• Dash of cayenne pepper (no more than a 1/8 tsp – this will give your mocha a massive kick)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in the blender until frothy.