Tea Tea Bars are G Rated

For some people their morning coffee allows them that moment where everything pauses before a hectic workday. They can savor the bittersweet taste of coffee and focus on the tasks ahead. Unfortunately, I can’t drink coffee these past few years due to heartburn. But what I DO like to treat myself with is a chai tea latte with an alternative milk wherever I can find it.

It doesn’t matter the time of day, a chai tea latte is like a hug from your mom (if you have a nice mom). But the word “chai” actually means ‘tea’ in English (so 'chai tea latte' is redundant) so really what I’m referring to is a masala chai, where black tea has been blended with spices and often mixed with milk.

Apart from the jollies, a cup of masala chai is also packed with antioxidants due to its blend of spices.

If you’re looking for a great brand to try at home, I recently discovered Teavana’s Oprah Chai Herbal. This is not what they sell in Starbucks, but rather a blend with less cinnamon, and more rooibos than black tea. I feel this version is much more balanced than what is at Starbucks which can often taste too strong of cinnamon.

Check out all those spices!

I like this brand because although it is expensive and not organic you get the actual tea ingredients and don’t have to risk all of the contaminants that can come from inferior tea bags (as a side note: for the best tea bag brands that do not have bleached bags and inferior ingredients, look for Traditional Medicinals, Numi, or Alvita). The chai itself is not bitter, and you can taste the spices without it being overwhelming.

That's my cute jar I picked up in Amsterdam. I store my coconut sugar in there.

I don't have a fancy tea brewer for loose tea, so my husband came up with the idea to use the container from my Magic Bullet blender set with a perforated lid. We steep the tea and eventually all the solid pieces sink to the bottom and soothing masala chai pours out. It's such a pleasure that we often don't even add any milk!

High Off Milk

“Milk- it does the body good.” 

Or so the commercials used to say. I guess I’m dating myself. But anyways if you’re lactose intolerant or going pure paleo, or trying to avoid all the sugar and other bad stuff in cow's milk, then cow's milk does not do your body so good. I feel hemp milk is the best - details to follow.

Alternatives to milk are goat milk, camel milk, nut milks, rice milk, soy milk, coconut milk, and hemp milk. Disclaimer: There may be more of course. I’m not a milk expert.

Goat milk is SUPER tasty, especially goat yogurt and goat cheese!! Two of my food loves. (I specifically recommend this brand of goat yogurt). 

Camel milk is tasty if you like whole milk, and apart from having more benefits than cow's milk it is also easier to digest because it is the closest animal milk to human breast milk. It is also excellent for diabetics, and there is some evidence it may improve symptoms of autism. Some cafes in Dubai even serve it in their coffees regularly. If you want to try, a great U.S. company that I've used that has both raw and pasteurized camel's milk is Desert Farms.  

But if those are still upsetting you, or still too animal based, you could try rice milk. Personally, I find rice milk a bit too watery and it doesn’t taste good in coffee or tea IMHO. Tastes like rice in tea. Bleh.

I’m not really a fan of soy. It has its risks and benefits so I’m not anti-soy per say, I will eat high-quality tempe or tofu once in a blue moon if that, but I’m not a fan of soy in products.

Then there’s coconut milk which while tasty, and fine for cereal and baking, to me it still falls short if I’m adding it to tea (I guess you can tell I'm a fan of tea by now). 

This article lays out more of all the pros and cons of the different milks really well. 

Apart from the taste, another issue with the nut milks, rice and coconut milks, is that they are often preserved with the ingredient Carrageenan. There’s debate on whether this is really harmful or not since it comes from seaweed, but there is a risk that once processed it might be a stomach irritant to some, and as a person with acid and bile reflux and gastritis issues all due to a gallbladder removal - I prefer to stay away. 

Hemp milk is not only anti-inflammatory, but it is chock full of benefits. I have used it in tea, coffee, baking, oatmeal, and cereal and to me it is the closest thing to the cow milk in consistency and adaptability. I also feel it doesn't influence the taste of things its mixed with as much as the other milks. My favorite is the Unsweetened Vanilla Hemp since you get less of the hemp taste without tons of sugar.

The one thing it doesn't do is give you a high because although it is made from the hemp plant as Cannabis, it does not contain any THC. Hemp milk usually is not made with Carrageenan although this brand does have gellan gum. There is some fuss about that and some of this brands other ingredients, but alas I'm too lazy to make my own hemp milk and I find this is the best option for me for now.

I do plan on trying this other brand since it is completely preservative free, so I will let you know how that goes http://www.simplyhemp.com/#!why-our-product/c19cr. 

And for those of you who plan on sticking to cow's milk, then the best bet is to get whole milk that has just been pasteurized and not ultra - pasteurized. Even if you are watching your cholesterol, this is the main way to get any nutrients from cow's milk. Anything less than whole cow's milk or has been ultra-pasteurized is basically sugar water and can contribute to stomach issues. 

Green Eggs and Ham?

So this isn’t actually about eggs. Or ham. Or Dr. Seuss for that matter. But it is about (slightly) green food!

At a farmer’s market here in Phoenix, I stumbled across a vendor who adds matcha to oatmeal. Matcha is powdered green tea leaves and super good for you even more than just green tea.

If you’re not into foods being weird colors, then you may not want to give this a try, but I thought it was a great idea! It's a convenient way to get in your dose of matcha apart from teas or smoothies.

I bought her 6-pack of the blueberry variation out of attraction for the pretty packaging, and I also liked that her oatmeal was labeled as gluten-free (not all oatmeal is gluten-free due to contamination), but in the future I will re-create this on my own and not be so lazy. I also wished she had opted for organic blueberries since they are one of the Dirty Dozen.

This is the matcha that I have.

Some time ago I researched on taste and quality of 2^nd harvest versus 1^st harvest which I won’t go into, but you can trust my research abilities, or whatever venture out and find your own brand (but don’t tell me because I’ll feel slighted :p).

Overall, the oatmeal only becomes slightly green and you can hardly notice a difference in taste. Meanwhile, you are having a nutritious breakfast.

Grass-Fed on a Desert Road

I always eat like I mean it and I’m sure most people do so I’m not clear on what Carl’s Jr. hopes to encourage by this slogan, but what I really wanted to discuss was the new grass-fed, natural beef burger by them.

I’m big on grass-fed meat. Apart from all the reasons it’s good for you- there is also a difference in taste. This isn’t psychological because I had my dad try a steak unbeknownst to him that it was grass-fed, and he kept raving about how that particular steak was so tender and tasty. When I revealed that it was grass-fed he also agreed that it worth the investment, and this is coming from a very budget-minded person (and that was why he agreed it was worth it for ME not himself haha).

Anyway, if you’ve ever driven from Phoenix, AZ to Vegas you know that the stretch hasn’t changed all that much from what I imagine the Pioneer days were like. 

Yes, it's a breathtaking view and there is a highway and some other developments, but there are hardly any rest stops with options for the bathroom or your appetite. 

So we stopped at Carl’s and lo and behold I saw an ad for a grass-fed burger! 

Whaaaaaat!

It’s pretty darn tasty. If you’re in a pinch this is definitely a great option, and if you’re concerned with gluten you can apparently get it lettuce wrapped which I didn’t know, but wish I had. 

There are the naysayers who point out that it’s still a lot of calories (760) and the bun has like 60 ingredients, but I think this is a great option if you’re stranded and you find yourself perusing menus of only chicken nuggets and fries.