That's Fit

Hot chocolate season is in full swing up north. Like me, maybe you're tired of tearing open little white envelopes of processed hot chocolate, stirring away those clumps of refined sugar in hot water. If a stove is handy, preparing the concoction with milk is healthier, but it's still not the homemade kind made with unsweetened cocoa.

Here's a Healthier Hot Chocolate recipe created by Whole Foods Market chefs for FITNESS magazine. I especially like the fact it's sweetened with agave nectar, a non-chemical, natural sweetener, which also happens to be low-glycemic. One serving of this cocoa has 3 grams of fiber (nearly three times as much as the refined sugar stuff), only 1 gram of fat and 215 calories. One drawback is the carbohydrate count -- 44 grams -- but they are low-glycemic and won't spike your blood sugar like refined sugar.

Whip up this hot cocoa next time you reach for the little white envelope. If the words 'agave nectar' have you freaked out, here's some light reading on this natural sweetener.

Healthier Hot Chocolate (serves 2)

• 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3-4 T agave nectar
• 2 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split (this is your chance to work with fresh vanilla!)
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon, 1/4 t ground nutmeg

Mix cocoa powder and agave nectar. Heat milk in medium saucepan over very low heat with vanilla bean, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk in cocoa-agave mixture thoroughly, until mixture is warm but not boiling.