Holiday Peppermint Hot Chocolate

This post is sponsored by Crest. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Bubby and Bean possible.

It's the most wonderful time of year - for treats! I have been working pretty hard to live a healthy lifestyle in 2018 (even ran a 4 mile race on Thanksgiving and I am not a runner), but if there is any time of year that I allow myself to indulge, it's the holidays. I'm a happier person in general when I'm not completely depriving myself of things I love, and I love me some holiday food and treats. I mean, what's life without simple (sweet and sugary!) pleasures? Cliché as it may sound, it really is all about balance.

Today I thought I'd share with you one of my all-time favorite holiday season sweet treats, peppermint hot chocolate. I've been making this every year since I was a kid, and now my kids are huge fans too. It's easy, festive, and incredibly delicious.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
4 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup sugar
3-4 candy canes, crushed
pinch of salt
marshmallows for garnish
candy canes for garnish


In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until hot. Stir in the cocoa powder and sugar, and mix until dissolved. Add chocolate chips and crushed candy canes, reduce heat to low, and mix until dissolved. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until hot chocolate slightly thickens. Pour into mugs, and top each one with marshmallows and a candy cane. So good!

And now that I've shared such a decadent recipe, let me quickly get back to the whole "balance" thing I mentioned earlier, and that while I'm personally a big fan of the extra eating and treat gluttony that often happens during the holidays, I also make sure I'm doing other things to balance out the over indulging. I make sure I'm eating lots of fresh greens and vegetables, I avoid sugar during meals (dessert doesn't count though, duh), I commit to at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day, and I make sure that my family and I are giving our teeth extra protection with Crest Pro-Health toothpaste. Crest Pro-Health is the only toothpaste accepted by the American Dental Association to treat all seven attributes: plaque, gingivitis, cavities, sensitivity, tartar, whitening, and breath freshening. It also strengthens enamel. My regular readers already know that oral health is very important to me, and this time of year it's necessary to take it up a notch. And that's why I make sure to stay stocked with Crest Pro-Health from Walmart.

Make sure you check your Sunday newspaper from yesterday for a $2 coupon from Crest that you can use at your local Walmart, and get your teeth the extra protection they needs during the season of sweet treats.

Happy holiday treat season!

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