I think of my chocolate protein powder the same way I think of kale: a necessary nutrition evil. The taste isn't exactly like Nutella, the texture leaves much to be desired, and the after-taste—gah, don't get me started. But alas, I'm into the post-workout tonic—which I gulp down with 8 ounces of water whilst holding my nose—for the influx of nutrients in each sip. I'm so invested, in fact, that I recently found a more appetizing way to lap up all the benefits of the bottled dust. Two words for you: hot cocoa.

While staring into the cold, clumpy contents of a shake last week, I sighed dramatically to myself and thought: "If only this were warm, filled with marshmallows, and didn't taste vaguely like chilled chalk." Then, in a eureka moment, I heated up some almond milk and poured in my usual scoop of chocolate plant-based protein. I took one sip, then another sip, sizing up my gourmet creation. "This is good," I told myself. (It was a solid B+.) "This could still be better," I decided. (An A- would be nice.)

While staring into the cold, clumpy contents of a shake last week, I sighed dramatically to myself and thought: "If only this were warm, filled with marshmallows, and didn't taste vaguely like chilled chalk."

Sure that someone somewhere in cyberspace would have taken the time to trial-and-error their way to a blog-worthy protein hot cocoa, I Googled. A website called Food Coach Me suggests adding a just a dash of unsweetened cocoa powder. And everyone, that was it. The sour richness of the cocoa powder masks the plastic-y bite of the protein powder perfectly. Still sporting my drenched leggings, I settled down at my dining room table to truly savor my cup's contents. Julia Child once said: "I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate." To riff off the kitchen maven: "I was 22 when I started enjoying hot cocoa with protein powder; up until then, I just endured it."

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