It has FINALLY gotten cold where I live in Arizona! Last night on my way home around 8:30pm my car's temperature gauge said it was 38°F. I haven't turned the heater on in the house yet and this morning it's 61°F in the house. That's cold enough for me to be wearing my thrift store find muk-luks (just $2.99!!) and my fluffy robe over my clothes as I sit here typing.

When it starts to get cold, I love hot drinks in the morning. Sometimes I wish I could just run into Starbucks and order something from there but I don't tolerate coffee [affiliate link] all that well, I live 15 miles from the nearest one, not to mention I'm not paying that kind of money, I honestly don't need that many calories, all that sugar and I could just go on and on and on, but I'll spare you and stop now.

I've made several variations of this drink for breakfast in the last couple of weeks and look forward to my hot drink every morning. I'm going to share the base recipe, and two variations. Of course you could also drink this hot eggnog before going to bed at night, and some people might even add in adult ingredients (alcohol).

The variations are seemingly endless and I've been happy with every variation. You'll see that I used coconut milk [affiliate link] sometimes, and other days I used coconut cream [affiliate link] concentrate mixed with water. You could certainly use raw dairy milk or almond milk or any other milk you prefer. I've tried using a bit of coffee (I do tolerate small amounts and LOVE the flavor of coffee) and chocolate and spices. Stevia is not technically GAPS legal but some people on GAPS do use it and don't find it to be an issue. I feel like it's a pretty healthy sweetener so I have acclimated myself to the taste (it took some time) and I am actually using an equivalent of 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of sweetener. If you choose to remain GAPS compliant and only use honey, you can start at two teaspoons and add more from there to your desired level of sweetness. Oh, peppermint! I used a few drops of peppermint one day with cocoa powder [affiliate link]. Yummy!

Honestly, the gelatin [affiliate link], butter and coconut oil [affiliate link] are optional, but I feel like it adds more super food ingredients to the drink and makes it that much more nutritious.

Basic Hot Eggnog

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon [affiliate link]
• 1 teaspoon vanilla [affiliate link]
• honey to taste
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• nutmeg [affiliate link]

1. Blend eggs and coconut milk.
2. Add to a small pan over medium heat.
3. Whisk in cinnamon, vanilla, honey and gelatin.
4. Heat to just boiling, or 160°F. If it boils, the egg will separate and you'll have clumps (although blending will fix the problem).
5. Add in coconut oil and butter and hit with your stick blender.
6. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Hot Eggnog

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup cooked pumpkin [affiliate link], butternut squash or winter squash
• 2 teaspoons coconut cream concentrate
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• honey to taste
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

1. Blend eggs, pumpkin, coconut cream concentrate and water. (Coconut cream concentrate plus water makes coconut milk)
2. Add to a small pan over medium heat.
3. Whisk in vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, sweetener and gelatin.
4. Heat to just boiling, or 160°F. If it boils, the egg will separate and you'll have clumps (although blending will fix the problem).
5. Add in coconut oil and butter and hit with your stick blender.

Mocha Cocoa Eggnog

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coffee or coffee substitute
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• honey to taste
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

1. Blend eggs, coconut milk and cocoa powder.
2. Add to a small pan over medium heat.
3. Add in coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, honey and gelatin and whisk together.
4. Whisk frequently while heating.
5. Heat to just boiling, or 160°F. If it boils, the egg will separate and you'll have clumps (although blending will fix the problem).
6. Add in coconut oil and butter and hit with your stick blender.