I have written before that one of the best things to happen to my health is my discovery of cheap soy protein powder at Trader Joe's. Before this I would usually skip breakfast, but then around 10 AM I was ravenous and couldn't control myself in regards to eating donuts or candy that coworkers bring in.

I mix four scoops of the vanilla flavored soy powder, two cups of water, and eight packets of Nutra Sweet in our blender. It tastes pretty good and keeps my satisfied until between noon and 1 PM.

It is definitely not a chore to drink it every morning; it tastes pretty good, but I was looking for ways to jazz it up a little. I experimented with cocoa powder and it was a success. Two or three level tablespoons gives it a nice rich chocolate taste.

If the story ended there it would be great. I made my healthy morning ritual a little more enjoyable which ensures I will keep doing it. However I recently read some studies that said cocoa has twice the level and activity of antioxidants of red wine and three times the amount in green tea!

Every article about this, though, laments that cocoa is always eaten with heavy doses of saturated fat thanks to the coco butter used to make chocolate bars. With my recipe though I am getting just the straight healthy cocoa powder and no added fat. I am also getting a nice dose of fiber. Each tablespoon has about 4% of the RDA of fiber, so I am also getting about a tenth of my fiber for the day.