Get Ready for Fall

It's officially fall and there's that certain "nip" in the air, especially in the mornings. Tea is good on a cold morning. One of my favorites for fall is Ginger Tea. I like to sip it in the morning because it takes the edge off my arthritis pain. Even when my arthritis is not hurting I like it because it warms me up inside and gives me comfort.

Ginger comes from Asia where it has been used for centuries both as a medicine and for culinary purposes. It is versatile and good for many things. It is good for a upset stomach or sore throat and it is used for "traveler's sickness" or nausea. I have used it many times for nausea and it works very well. There is controversy over whether or not it should be used for morning sickness in pregnancy. I suggest you talk with your health care provider if you are pregnant and want to use the herb.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, ginger is a warming herb for people with cold constitutions. It is also good for diarrhea. It is also a good carminative which means it is good for gas and bloating. Ginger is good for one's circulation and helps curb inflammation. Below are some recipes. Enjoy!

Ginger Tea

3 cups water
2-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and grated
Sweetener as desired

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Put peeled and grated ginger root in boiling water. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes. Strain tea and add sweetener or lemon as desired.

Ginger Cranberry Tea

2 cups boiling water
1 ginger tea bag
1 cranberry tea bag

Put bags in hot water. Steep 3-5 minutes. Add sweetener as desired.

Valerie Lull
Author, Ten Healthy Teas
www.valerielull.com
Lullval@hotmail.com

Tea Tips

For this post I thought I'd share with you some "tea tips" from my book..

• For the sake of simplicity I suggest using tea bags, but if you prefer loose tea that is great too. If you want to use loose tea here is the formula. Use 1 tablespoon dry herbs or 2 tablespoons fresh herbs for each cup of hot water. Steep 3-5 minutes. Strain and enjoy.
• Most teas steep from 3-5 minutes. An infusion is a tea that steeps from 5-10 minutes. A decoction is from the roots, bark, or stems of a plant and has to be simmered for at least 20 minutes. Infusions and decoctions are mostly used for medicinal purposes.
• Some people are worried about the caffeine content of green and black teas. One trick to limit the caffeine is to throw out the first cup and drink the second cup. Most of the caffeine is extracted in the first cup. You can also purchase decaffeinated versions of green and black tea.
• Many people dislike the "grassy" taste of green tea. One way to overcome that is to add raspberry, ginger, or  lemon to give it a better taste.
• People often do not think of raspberries and lemons as herbs, but an herb can be any plant. Very often, weeds turn out to be valuable herbs. Actually, a weed is any plant that is in a place where a person does not want it!
• An alternative sweetener that tastes really good and does not raise blood sugar is agave syrup. You can purchase it in most health food stores. More and more supermarkets are starting to carry it too.
• Many herbal teas can now be purchased as instant tea. Try doing a search of instant tea on the internet. You'll be surprised at how many different flavors of instant tea come up!
• If you  have a blood sugar problem or just want to stay away from sugar, stevia is a good choice. You can now get stevia that does not leave an aftertaste.

Now, if you'd like you can sit back with a cup of tea and relax. Happy tea drinking!

-- Val

Green Tea

 I have had a lot of people tell me that they prefer black over green tea because they don't care for the taste of green tea. Black tea does have some benefits, like lots of antioxidants. In a famous Dutch study men who had black tea every day for several years had lower rates of heart disease and stroke. However, green tea is even better for your health. It too contains antioxidants and helps prevent heart disease and cancer. It is also an anti-inflammatory. The Japanese, who have the highest level of longevity in the world, drink several cups of green tea every day and it is thought to contribute to their long life. Hundreds of studies  have been done and hundreds of books have been written on green tea and it is one of the most researched of all natural substances.

Still for many people the taste is a barrier for using this healthy beverage. I must agree that green tea does have a "grassy" taste that is not my favorite. What do I do? I want to take advantage of this good and healthy beverage? I add a little Stevia to my green tea though you might choose other sweeeteners. Most people don't use creamer in green tea , but it is OK if you like the addition. Many tea companies put out flavored green teas. My favorite is green tea with lemon grass. Other flavored green teas at the supermarket include spiced green tea, and pomegranite green tea. Next time you go to the store look at the tea section and see how many different flavored green teas there are. There is also the internet where you can find limitless selections.

Valerie Lull
Lullval@hotmail.com
www.valerielull.com

Summer Favorite

I recently did an open house displaying my books. I offered a cup of tea to the folks coming by. There was a large selection of teas to choose from but most of my friends chose the lemon ginger tea. Lemon is a good source of vitamin C and ginger is good for both medicinal and culinary purposes. Lemon and ginger work well together. This tea can be served hot or cold. Since summer is coming along with the warm weather I thought I'd share with you a recipe for iced lemon ginger tea.

Iced Lemon Ginger Tea

4 cups of water
Juice of 1 lemon
2-3 ginger tea bags  depending on your taste or 1/4 cup of freshly peeled and grated ginger
Sweetener as desired

Bring water to a boil. Add lemon juice and ginger. Let it steep for 20 minutes. Stir in the sweetener. Strain tea into a pitcher and cool in the fridge. Ice cubes may be added if desired. Serve with lemon slices.

Serves 6 people

Valerie Lull
Author, Ten Healthy Teas
Lullval@hotmail.com
www.valerielull.com

Iced Tea for Summer

As we get closer to summer there will be plenty of hot days when having a tall glass of iced tea will seem like a good idea. I like iced raspberry lemon tea, or iced peach tea. You can make iced tea with just about any kind of tea, though some taste teas are better than others. I like to sit out on my patio and sip iced tea while reading  a good book. Herbal teas are available on the internet.  Here is one of my favorite recipes for iced tea.

Raspberry Lemon Tea

2 teabags of lemon tea
2 teabags of wild raspberry tea
boiling water
Sweetener as desired (some suggested sweeteners: honey, agave, stevia, or real sugar if you prefer it)

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add tea bags and steep for ten minutes. Add sweetener to taste. Pour into a pitcher and store in the refrigerator until cool. Add ice cubes if desired. Pour out into glasses and enjoy! Serves about 2 people. Boil more water and add additional tea bags when you steep the tea if you want a larger recipe to serve more people.

Valerie Lull
Author: Ten Healthy Teas

Smoothie Deliglht

Smoothies are a great way to start your day. Here are two recipes for great smoothies that I like for breakfast. One contains blueberries which have wonderful antioxidants and ground flax seed which gives you lots of fiber. The other contains bananas which are rich n potassium. I especially like these on a summer morning. Smoothies are also great for a pick-me-up on a hot day if you want something cool and smooth.

Blueberry Smoothie

1 Cup almond milk (you can also substitute dairy, or soy milk, or rice milk or any milk of your choice. I like the almond with vanilla flavoring.)
2 Packets stevia or sweetener as desired
2 Tablespoons of ground flax seed
Blueberries ( as many as you want)
Ice (as much as desired, or none at all)

Mix all these ingredients together in a blender until well blended and ice is crushed. Pour out into a glass and enjoy!

Here's another smoothie recipe.

Banana Smoothie

1 Cup milk ( whatever kind you desire).
1/2 bananna sliced
Ice as desired
Sweetener as desired

Mix all ingredients together in a blender until ice is crushed. Pour out into a glass and enjoy!

-- Valerie Lull, Author, Ten Healty Teas

Healthy Snacks

Snacks can be a  problem when you reach for the potato chips and ice cream bars. There are a lot of healthy alternative snacks that are very simple. Like a handful of nuts. There are many kinds of nuts, pick your favorite. For the diabetics out there nuts do not raise your blood sugar. Trail mixes are good and there are many different kinds of trail mixes to try. Then there's fruit, an apple or a peach, or a banana. Chocolate is good for you, especially the dark chococolate that is 70% or more cocao. Do not overdo the chocolate, one or two squares per day is plenty. Some folks like sunflower seeds. Here is a simple recipe for a healthy snack. It's easy to make and it is tasty. I've tried it out and I like it.

Crispy Garbanzo Beans

15 oz garbanzo beans (canned or prepared)
Garlic
Olive oil
Chili flakes

Put olive oil, garlic and garbanzo beans in a baking dish. Make sure the beans are coated in oil. Sprinkle with chil flakes. Bake at 425 Degrees for 20-30 minutes, turning over several times. The crispier the better. Remove from the oven, let cool and enjoy. Garlic salt or garlic powder can be substituted for real garlic and if you don't have chili flakes handy, chili powder wll do.  Snack and enjoy.

-- Val Lull