Recipe: Bedtime Reishi Cacao Drink

Need something that's not a snack or glass of wine to help you wind down and even satisfy your sweet tooth? Make a jar of this natural reishi mushroom drink mix with magnesium-rich cacao powder to blend into a mug of your warm milk (dairy or non-dairy) of choice after you've applied your Sleep Balm and you'll be in dreamland in no time!  

Reishi mushrooms are adaptogenic, which means they can help you to manage stress. They are also great for your immune system as they are known to up-regulate OR down-regulate your immune system to function properly. The spices in the recipe are warming and great for circulation. 

Ingredients and supplies:

• ¼ cup reishi mushroom powder (be sure to use a brand that states that it uses the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms and not just the mycelium)
• ¼ cup raw organic cacao powder (we use Navitas. They produce fair trade certified cacao “sourced from Sierra Leone, where we are proud to invest in cacao co-ops, farmer field schools, reforestation planning, and just labor practices.”)
• 1 tblsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tblsp ground cardamom* 
• 1 tblsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 2-3 dashes cayenne pepper (optional but great for circulation!)
• 8 or 16 oz mason jar
• 8 oz milk of choice (almond, cashew, soy, oat, or full fat dairy)
• low-glycemic sweetener of choice (optional): date syrup, honey, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, stevia…

*pre-ground cardamom is totally fine, but if you're feeling ambitious, you’ll get amazing aroma and flavor from grinding cardamom seeds yourself with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder!

Makes approximately 16 servings (1 tblsp of mix)

Directions:

To prep the drink mix ahead of time, add reishi mushroom powder, cacao powder, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, ground ginger, and sea salt to the mason jar.  (If you know you love cayenne, add it right into the mix! Otherwise, you can experiment with a small pinch when you prepare your bedtime drink in case you don’t like it.) Screw the lid on and shake to mix and store.

To prepare at bedtime, heat 6-8 oz of milk of choice in a small pot on the stove or in the microwave. Pour milk into a mug (best if you can use a large mug to have room to blend without splashing), add a tablespoon of the reishi cacao mix, sweetener if desired, and blend. A battery powered handheld milk frother will work best to ensure that the mix is fully blended with no lumps or residue on the bottom of the mug. If you do not have a milk frother, you may want to whisk the powder right into the pot on the stove. Put on your Sleep Balm and socks, drink your reishi cacao, read a book or meditate, and be cozy :)

Also, if you want to try this cacao drink and don’t want to mix it yourself, Four Sigmatic sells Mushroom Cacao with Reishi in packets that are super easy to use! We have used it often in the past but we personally prefer the option to make it ourselves without a sweetener. Their mushrooms are very good quality, though, and we certainly recommend them. Their packets are also fantastic for travel or sending care packages to loved ones in need of some wellness! 

Enjoy!