Chocolate dreams are made of these.

Mug cakes are 100% my favorite dessert to make. I use the term "mug cake" loosely because die hard cake enthusiasts will argue that this is no cake at all. But it's ooey, gooey, and chocolatey, so I'm gonna say it's good enough for me.

Rewind: I woke up this morning so sore. I'm trying to get into a routine before I start co-op at QuickBase as an Associate Marketing Manager on Tuesday, so helloooo 7am boxing class! And after 2 months in SE Asia, it's fair enough to say I'm out of shape.

But hey, I survived and managed to head out to a coffeeshop to revamp this blog AKA give it much needed facelift, then jogged to my first CycFitness class (because of half marathon training) with the lovely Sarah Gaines, fellow Northeastern grad and founder of Fit U.

Spin classes kill me every time but I feel so good afterward. And that brings me to now, a dessert before dinner kinda night --> this chocolate mug cake.

Usually, I use almond butter or peanut butter in this, but I've had enough nut butter for today (if that's possible), so I went without. This mug cake is completely allergen free is and packed with 1) protein and 2) carbs for optimal post-workout recovery!

The best part? You can make in the microwave because it's way too hot to turn the stove on.

Post-Workout Chocolate Mug Cake

serves 1 | time: 5 minutes | paleo, vegan, vegetarian

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder (add more if you want it to have more of a chocolatey taste!)
• 1 banana
• 1/4 sweet potato
• 5 frozen cherries
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp protein powder of your choice (I used Hemp 70 from Manitoba Harvest)

directions

1. Add ingredients to a tall mug.
2. Microwave for 1 minute.
3. Remove from microwave, stir, and microwave for another minute to a minute and a half.
4. Top with anything you want! My favs are plain yogurt, hemp seeds, bananas, cherries, cacao nibs, and nut butter.