Homemade Oprah Chai Tea Latte

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Oprah really got it right with her Teavana Oprah Chai Tea line that is sold at Starbucks.  I am not a coffee drinker but occasionally I find myself at Starbucks and I had to give the Oprah Chai Tea Latte a try.  It is a cinnamony, spicy, delicious chai tea blend that could be addictive if I let it.  However, I cannot stand forking out the cash for a drink that I gulp down in less than five minutes so I decided to try my hand at making it at home.  And I think I was pretty successful!  Plus there is no processed flavored syrup in sight.

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I think the difference between regular chai and the Oprah chai tea is the intense cinnamon flavor.  I thought about just adding a bunch of regular cinnamon but then figured a cinnamon tea would probably taste much better.  I have a somewhat ridiculous stash of tea which luckily included the Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset.  A tea described as a black tea with cinnamon, orange, and sweet cloves. But I think any cinnamon tea would work.   I mixed the cinnamon tea with regular chai tea and the result is shockingly similar to the Oprah chai.  I still want to do a blind taste test to see just how close they are.

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I have been making a large jar of this mixture and then drinking it iced with a splash of coconut milk creamer or homemade almond milk.  I prefer it iced right now since it is still pretty warm and sunny outside but this winter I’m sure I’ll be drinking it warm with maybe some whipped cream on top.

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Homemade Oprah Chai Tea Latte

A equal number of chai tea and cinnamon tea bags (I used two each for a large mason jar)

2 ounces of creamer or milk of your choice

Brew tea as usual.  I try to only let the tea bags steep for about 5 minutes or I find the tea can taste a little bitter.  If drinking warm, add creamer.  If drinking iced, chill tea in refrigerator and mix in creamer in before drinking.  Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Enjoy!

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Happy Friday!

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Here are a few things that I have been enjoying this past week.  Have a happy Friday!

1. Trail running.  I’ve gone on a couple trail runs this past week and loved it!   I could run the loop around my neighborhood with my eyes closed so it was so nice to change it up a bit. Plus it feels oh so good to get out in nature.

2. I enjoyed reading this series about motherhood around the world.  It is so interesting to see what other cultures value when parenting compared to the typical American values.

3. PicMonkey  I am definitely a novice when it comes to all things blogging, picture editing, and photography.  I have been experimenting with PicMonkey and while I know my photos have a lot to be desired at least I finally figured out how to add text. Baby steps. :)

4. The hounds, pupperdoodles, or more commonly known as Rosie and Dexter. To say our dogs are just dogs to us would be an understatement.  They are part of our family and make me laugh everyday.  Not to say they don’t annoy the crap out of me sometimes but lately we have been realizing that they are getting older and I’m going to work on appreciating all the joy that they bring into our lives.  (Might sound a little cheesy but it’s true.)

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Have a great weekend!




Homemade Almond Milk

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Almond milk is one of those things that we still buy at the mainstream grocery store.  It is a food which I would put under the ‘processed’ category.  So in attempts of ridding the fridge of processed food, I made some homemade almond milk.  It is so easy peasy I think I’ll continue to experiment with making it regularly.   I didn’t follow a particular recipe and just decided to wing it. (I am the worst at taking the time to follow recipes.)

So here’s how it goes down.  Most recipes suggest soaking the almonds overnight.  I soaked mine for about 12 hours or so.  It is pretty amazing how much they plump up.  Soaked almonds taste really good!  So make sure to eat a couple.

1. Soak almonds for 8 hours or more.  Rinse and add filtered or distilled water.

2. Add desired spices and/or sweeteners.  I added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of vanilla extract.  In the past I have used dried dates as a sweetener but this time I left it unsweetened.   Other possible additions are nutmeg, cocoa powder, honey, maple syrup, or I just got the idea to use pumpkin spice for fall inspired drinks!  Or almond extract!  Why didn’t I think of these additions when I was actually making the milk??  Oh well, next time!

3. Blend with filtered or distilled water until almonds are completely blended.

4. Strain.  I used a cheesecloth and mesh strainer combo.  It was a bit messy but doable.  I might have to invest in a nut milk bag (a special bag used to strain out the nut pulp.) but first I have to think of another name to call such a thing.  Pulp strainer, milk filter…I don’t know but nut milk bag just sounds wrong.

I saved the leftover pulp and added it to some zucchini bread I made.  I couldn’t even taste it in the bread.  I bet it would work in pancakes, muffins, or any other baked good.  You can also dehydrate the pulp and use it like almond meal.  To dehydrate cook in a low oven (probably about 200 degrees) for an hour or so.

5. Enjoy!

 

 

 

This is about 2 cups of almonds.

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The water looks gross because I added cinnamon.

 

 

 




3 Ingredient Watermelon Smoothie

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It’s no secret that I love smoothies.  They are pretty much a daily thing around this house.  While I think smoothies are an excellent way to cram a whole lot of fruit and veggies into one meal sometimes I crave a simple smoothie.  Enter this 3 ingredient smoothie.  The players are just one small beet, 3-4 cups of watermelon, and a small handful of mint.  The result is a neon pink smoothie that is refreshing and satisfying.  Somehow the watermelon really mellows out that typical earthy beet taste that I used to despise.  Now I like it.  Did you know our taste buds do change with time?  I’m still waiting for mine change enough so I like olives but it hasn’t happened yet.

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Ingredients:

1 small beet, raw*

1 small handful of fresh mint

3-4 cups of fresh watermelon

Blend together and enjoy!

*I used a Vitamix blender which can handle raw beets.  If your blender isn’t up to the challenge you could just poke the beet with a fork and pop in the microwave for a couple of minutes to soften it up a bit.

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Just look at that color!  It was a great way to add a little brightness to this cloudy day.




Summer Wheat Berry Salad

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This salad will get you right back on track after a weekend of indulgences.  It is light but satisfying, tasty but healthy, easy but complex – you get the picture.

I love a good chopped salad with a smattering of some sort of grain.  We had cooked a batch of wheat berries this weekend so they were the lucky ones for this salad.

Wheat berries are a great grain for a salad because they are hearty and not prone to mushiness.  Also, they get better with age and really soak up the flavors of whatever dressing is used.

Any variety of vegetables would work for this salad.  I chose cucumbers, carrots, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, and orange bell peppper because that is what I had on hand.  The dressing is a simple vinaigrette.

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Summer Wheat Berry Salad

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup of shredded red cabbage

1 cup cherry tomatoes, chooped

1 cup orange bell pepper, chopped

2 cups of cooked wheat berries*

1 small handful of parsley, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 lemon, fresh squeezed

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon honey

Generous pinch of salt

 

Mix vegetables and cooked wheat berries thoroughly.  I had made the wheat berries previously but you could make the salad while the berries are still warm.  Pour dressing over mixture and mix well.  Enjoy!

*To cook wheat berries:  Rinse under cool water. Place in a saucepan and cover with liquid (you can use water or any type of broth.)  A ratio of 3:1 water to berries is a good rule of thumb. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.   Start checking for doneness around 30 min.  I like the berries with a bit of bite and chewiness.  Depending on how long the berries are it can take up an hour.  Strain off any remaining liquid.

Other additions that would be good for this salad: avocado, toasted walnuts, feta or goat cheese.

 




Enjoying West Michigan

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This weekend we headed west for a beach day and also stopped at the Wau-Ke-Na Nature Preserve Art Walk.

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Wau-Ke-Na is a 365 acre nature preserve run by the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. This weekend local artists were displaying their works at the preserve.  It is such a beautiful piece of land.  We took a short walk along the butterfly trail which was filled with wildflowers and butterflies.

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Artists were also set up throughout the preserve and it was pretty cool to see the landscape portrayed on their canvas.  They make it look so easy…

We also headed to the beach for a bit.  It was an overcast day but perfect for strolling along and looking for beach glass.

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I am going to continue to try to squeeze out as much of summer as I can in the next couple of weeks.  I’m not ready for it to be over!

 

 




Friday Faves!

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Every week I look forward to reading various bloggers’ Friday Favorite posts.   There is just something so interesting about seeing what other people are loving. My favorite lists are:

Shutterbean’s I love lists, Friday!

Iowa Girls Eats’ Friday Favorites

Cupcakes and Cashmere’s FIve Things 

Pbfingers’ Things I’m Loving Friday

So, I thought I would share a couple of things I’ve been loving this past week.

1.  #NordicVlogs – Estee is one of my favorite You-tubers and I’ve been loving watching her vlogs while her and her boyfriend travel around Scandinavia.  Denmark and Norway are now on my must see list!

2. Maybelline Baby Lips – This lip balm gives the perfect amount of tint and feels pretty moisturizing.  I keep it in my car and reapply right before I go somewhere.

3. Spray paint – I have been on a spray paint spree!  It is such a quick and easy update.  I especially love the gold Krylon color.

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4. This teaspoon – I picked this up at a tea shop in Asheville, NC earlier this year.  It’s perfect for just making one cup of loose leaf tea.

5. Live Simply Planner – I just got this planner at Barnes & Noble and already love it.  The colors and designs are just oh so pretty.

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Have a wonderful weekend! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




Triathlon Packing List and Prep

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Last Saturday, Derek and I participated in the Three Rivers Triathlon.  This race is actually the first triathlon I ever did back in 2010.   I was pretty happy to see that I improved my time by 8 minutes! (I think a lot of that had to do with using a nicer bike.)  I am not competitive by any means but I enjoy completing races just for the feeling of accomplishment.  Plus having a race on the calendar keeps me motivated to keep running, swimming, and biking.

I think some triathletes can be a little intimidating with super fancy bikes and aerodynamic helmets but there are always a variety of ages, sizes, and abilities.  The majority of the participants in this triathlon were older than us.  I usually do pretty well in the swim (I was a swimmer in high school) and then am passed a lot on the bike and run.  Everyone’s age was marked on their calf so I always check out the age of whoever is passing me.  I hope to be passing people in their 30s when I’m in my 50s and 60s!

I think one of the hardest parts of doing a triathlon is the prep.  So much stuff!!!   I always consult a list and run through it a couple of times.   It helps to separate it by each leg – swim, bike, and run.  I think I managed to remember everything this time.

Triathlon Packing List:

Pre Race

1. Water
2. Salty snacks (pretzels or nuts)

Post Race

1. Face wipes
2. Change of clothes
3. More snacks

Good luck to all those triathletes out there!




What I Ate Wednesday

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8:00 AM Super sized smoothie.

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12:00 PM  Chicken soup with goat cheese, pesto, and tomato on toast with a side of German Shepherd.

 3:00-4:00 pm Trail mix

In the mix: almonds, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, walnuts, and raisins.

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5:00 Hummus with cucumber – Homemade Microwave Hummus recipe from the Minimalist Baker.

7:30pm Grilled salmon, cous cous grain mixture, and a caprese salad

Today was a little low in veggies but everyday can’t be perfect…




Eat the Rainbow

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They say we eat with our eyes.  I’m not exactly sure who ‘they’ is but I think they are right.  A plate full of colorful beautiful food is much more appetizing than food that looks blah and boring.    Besides being pleasing to the eye, natural occurring colors are usually a sign of a nutrition powerhouse.   We’re talking about phytonutrients, antioxidants, and carotenes or in other words cancer-fighting chemicals, immune boosters, and vitamins.  Bring on the colors!

Note that I said ‘naturally occurring.’  Food scientists are very talented at making food brightly colored – I’m thinking of you Rainbow Skittles and Cheetos.

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If every meal was perfect it would contain fruits or veggies from each color group.  However, I know that is much easier said than done.  If possible, try to get at least two colors on your plate.  For example if you are having a bowl of pasta with red sauce try to add some green by throwing some spinach in with the pasta.  (I’m always adding spinach to random meals to get some green on my plate.)

*Side note:  That baby bok choy is such a scene stealer!  Who knew greens could be so photogenic?

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An easy way to get a lot of different colors is a salad.  Well, of course I’m a dietitian so I always tell people to eat salads.  However, salads are not the bad guys.  I think they got a bad rap back in the day when people would go on diets and force themselves to eat horrible looking things like wilted iceberg lettuce and anemic tomatoes.  That does sound disgusting.  Good news!  We now are in 2014, salads can be a beautiful thing.  Also, they are one of the best ways to get tons of colors on your plate.  I’m talking about crunchy romaine, sweet tomatoes, refreshing cucumbers, brightly colored bell peppers, and the list could go on.  Sounds good, right?

At your next meal, challenge yourself to include as many colors as you can.  Your body and your tastebuds will thank you!