Cacao Powder by Freedom Foods: Reviewed

Pancakes. Who doesn't love them? I do not fix pancakes as often as I'd like as they really are not the most nutritiously stable food. They really do taste great and I do love them, especially at night. They can be improved, taste wise and nutritionally. I add chocolate to them, well sort of. I add cacao powder. Cacao powder and Cocoa powder are VERY similar, but they are processed differently. Cacao is cold pressed (less damaging to the antioxidants and nutrients) to separate the cocoa fat from the chocolate. Cocoa powder uses a heated method (destroys or severely lessens the potency of the antioxidants and healthy nutrients) to extract the cocoa fat. Cold pressing is the favorable method.

By adding cacao powder, I am boosting the nutritional value of the pancakes as well as giving them a decadent, rich, sensuous, flavor. I got this idea a few nights ago when I wanted to try something totally different than my usual boring pancake. I generally add in something every now and then, but did not have any chocolate chips, nuts, fruit or any delectable goodies for mix ins. I decided to add some cacao powder that I had been sent to try from Freedom Foods. This is a top notch product. The Freedom Foods company hand selects their cocoa beans from areas of Dominican Republic that are secluded, lush, and well maintained. The company uses family owned farms and fair trading practices to source the beans. This Cacao Powder is Raw and Organic. It is pure, unsweetened, cold pressed and made with the utmost care.

Pure Natural Cacao is an antioxidant "Superfood" and is loaded with nutrients, minerals & flavonoids. Flavanoids help protect blood vessels and cells from damage, prevent/reduce inflammation/swelling throughout the body, and reduce colds and infections. Cacao is packed with other wholesome nutrients such as Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, Copper. These provide natural non stimulant energy. Here is what I did to make the pancakes. It was super easy as I used a pancake box mix. I used milk instead of water, and added pure, alcohol free vanilla bean extract--about 2 caps full and added 2 tablespoons of Freedom Cacao powder. I then mixed everything together with a vintage pale pink hand mixer (the pink color is fun but not required for a good pancake, but pink always adds a touch of happy for me).

These tasted wonderful. You could double the powder (use 4 tablespoons)for chocolate indulgence, and to make these more dessert like. This powder gets used everyday. I make a green matcha tea and cacao powder banana smoothie each morning. I use frozen bananas, milk, and a scoop of vanilla protein powder. Sometimes I add blueberries, as they are a superfruit.

For more information or to purchase this delicious Cacao Powder for your very own, find it on Amazon: Cacao Powder .

I love this brand and company. This product is absolutely wonderful and I use it everyday, often twice a day. I bet you did not know it can be used as a sweetly fragranced dry shampoo hair powder on brunette hair. I only wet/wash my hair 2 times a week and on my non-wash days, I have a separate container of this on my dressing table to use a light dusting on the roots of my hair. This soaks up excess oil and makes my hair fresh looking, full of volume and movement, and sweet smelling very quickly. This is perfect on days that you don't have time to wash and dry your hair, but want to shower (use a shower cap to keep hair dry). I used to use arrowroot powder as a natural hair powder (most commercial dry shampoos have alcohol, butane, propane, and other nasty chemicals that are harmful to inhale and also harmful or damaging to skin, scalp and hair). The arrowroot powder (white) worked great, however my hair is espresso dark brown black and I looked like I worked in a powdered doughnut shop or a dusty construction site. I would always have to shake excess out really well and often would miss some. The cacao powder works fantastic, and I can put in a shaker or dust on with a large facial powder bronzer brush. Fabulous! Since this powder does not contain additives or sugars, it is safe from bugs or sticky texture. I have not have any staining issues or tell tale brown powder on clothing. I only need a small amount.

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