Let the Recipes Begin!

Local start-up Bare Life’s first product - an innovative coconut hot chocolate that is organic, non-GMO, dairy free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, kosher, paleo, and vegan – is the key ingredient in a dazzling array of dessert recipes being released every Friday throughout the summer.

Founder Ali Lazowski will be adding a new, delicious dessert recipe to the Bare Life website each week, to include a list of all ingredients, easy-to-follow instructions, equipment needed, preparation tips, and suggested toppings and mix-ins.

The first three recipes are already available – Hot Cocoa Peanut Butter Protein Bites, Homemade Marshmallows, and Hot Chocolate Fudgesicles – coinciding with the first three weeks of summer. (The fudgesicles were just in time for the July 4th weekend heatwave.)

“I’m thrilled to share these recipes, bringing hot cocoa mix into summertime in delicious ways,” said Lazowski. “Growing up, fudgesicles were my absolute go-to summertime treat, so this latest recipe really brings me back to those fun, hot summer days as a kid. I love creating recipes for foods I haven't been able to find in a gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free version. I'm so excited to share all of these yummy recipes.”

Lazowski, of West Hartford, began conceiving of her business in a doctor’s office – many doctor’s offices, in fact. It was her simultaneous battles with cancer and Lyme disease that inspired her to explore her love of food and launch a business. Starting by creating Bare Life's coconut hot cocoa mix — organic, Kosher, vegan, gluten free, Paleo and produced locally.

Bare Life’s Hot Cocoa Peanut Butter Protein Bites recipe were recently featured on CT LIVE! on NBC Connecticut, along with founder (and chief recipe creator) Ali Lazowski. Bare Life Hot Cocoa Mix is available locally at retailers including Shoprite of Canton, Crown Supermarket, Essential Health, CT Farm Fresh Express, Omar Coffee and Liquid Nirvana. Products can also be purchased online.

Bare Life products are sustainably sourced and locally-made in a gluten-free facility. Ingredients in the coconut hot cocoa mix, Bare Life’s inaugural product, include organic cacao powder, organic coconut sugar, organic coconut milk, organic ground vanilla and Himalayan salt. Bare Life is also committed to responsible sourcing, from sustainable and organic farms that are either fair-trade certified or provide fair wages and working conditions in line with the fair-trade philosophy. Bare Life hot cocoa’s glass packaging not only keeps food safe from chemicals like BPA, found in plastics, but it is also recyclable.

More information about Bare Life is available online at www.eatbarelife.com. Happy summertime!