Chocolate Mint Tea Latte

What does one make when they choose to not drink coffee?  They make a chocolate mint tea latte.

Several years ago I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis and began my continuing education to what type of foods work best to nourish my body while managing this chronic condition.  One of my first lessons dealt with how coffee (my morning and through-the-day habit) was hurting my body.  I would take it out of my diet,  feel better and then think I can have a cup once-in-awhile.  Off I would go to “treat” myself to Starbucks or brew a cup at home and BAM! – I would be in pain again.  Talk about my own version of Groundhog Day – how often did I need to continue to hurt myself before I was willing to say no more?  Finally not suffering needlessly because of a poor food choice became the goal over a cup of coffee.  Now my hot and cold beverage choice is organic mint tea.  Drinking organic tea is a recent change for me and I’ve included a link toward the end of this post to explain why.  Many of my previous tea recipes in the blog do not reference organic teas as an ingredient.  Although the recipes are delicious – I would substitute an organic tea in the future.  Here is a recipe I came up with that helps me spice up my mint tea.  I’ve listed links of my tea-related products after the recipe.

Chocolate Mint Tea Latte
A chocolate mint hot tea beverage.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 Numi Organic Moroccan Tea Bag
  2. Hot Filtered Water
  3. 1/2 cup milk (I use coconut milk) or your choice of milk
  4. 1 Tbsp of cocoa
  5. 1/2 tsp organic vanilla
  6. 5 drops of Toffee Stevia
  7. Coconut Sugar - to taste
Instructions
  1. Brew a cup of tea
  2. Heat milk, cocoa, vanilla, stevia and/or sugar until well blended.
  3. Mix hot tea and milk together.
  4. Enjoy.
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/
Product Links that are helpful for this recipe.   (I won’t recommend anything I am not using.)   ***Deliciously Inspired utilizes affiliate links to help with the cost of the site.

Breville Electric Tea Kettle – Why I love – we have had our kettle for close to 10 years and use it daily for tea, coffee, and anytime hot water is needed.  Worth every penny.

Tea Maker or Mr Tea – Why I love – containing a tea for several minutes in an enclosed area makes a richer cup of tea.  They work well with tea bags but are an essential kitchen tool when using loose leaf tea.

Numi Organic Mint Tea – Why I love – I stick to organic teas because I want as clean of a product as I can to nourish my body.  Mint tea is one of the gentlest teas to digest.  I’ve tried other brands but this tea’s mintiness (is that a word?) is smooth and doesn’t have a bite to it.  Another benefit – this comes in bags and I always carry a few in my purse.  What to know more about what is in most tea you buy?  Here you go.

Toffee Liquid Stevia – Why I love – stevia is a natural sweetener made from a herb.  A little goes a long way so add a drop at a time.  Too much can taste bitter.

Organic Coconut Sugar – Why I love – coconut sugar processes slower in the body than white sugar. What to know more?  Here you go.

Hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know if you have any questions.

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Favorite Product – Coconut Stevia

Did you know you can be an adventurer without climbing Mt Everest by just going to the market?  It takes quite a bit of courage to try a new food but more often than not that new addition has more uses than what we initially bought it for.

Coconut Stevia

One day I was  doing my food shopping at Sprouts and there it is – just waiting for me – whispering in my ear about all the fun we could have together.  Okay maybe it wasn’t doing that – but I picked the product up – looked at the price ($12.50), set it back down again – picked it up again because this was Coconut Stevia.  I quickly placed it in the cart – you see if you do it quick it’s almost like you’re surprised at the checkout – “Oh how did that get in there?”  You can pick up from Amazon for $9.99 – Here

Now the good news is that you only use a few drops at a time allowing the bottle to go a long way in the kitchen.  I’ve already used it in the following recipes and just made a coconut chia pudding with homemade cashew milk.  Yum!  Check back on Wednesday for the recipe. 

Lemon Treats
Last week I made these Lemon No Bake Treats using this recipe. I made a few changes to the recipe by eliminating the gluten free pretzels and replacing with 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts plus a few drops of the coconut stevia. I rolled them in balls and then dipped into some pastel rainbow sprinkles.  They were enjoyed by coworkers, my daughter and my 2-year-old grandson said “More please.”

Tropical Delight
The stevia is also used in the Tropical Delight Smoothie recipe.  The amount of ice used in this recipe will determine the thickness – you decide whether you want a milkshake or soft serve ice cream consistency.

One more idea – sparkling water, a couple of squeezed lemon wedges and a few drops of the coconut stevia provides a coconut enhanced lemonade.

What ideas are coming to your mind?

 

 

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Cola Lime Refresher

It’s the middle of September and still H. O. T. here in Arizona.  I’m always looking for new ways to drink more water.  This one has the fun of bubbles, a taste of cola and coconut plus the freshness of lime.  

Cola-Lime Drink

Cola Lime Refresher
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Prep Time
3 min
Prep Time
3 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 can of La Croix Coconut Water
  2. 10 drops of liquid cola stevia or to taste (just remember too much stevia will taste bitter)
  3. 1 wedge of lime
  4. 1/2 slice of lime to garnish
  5. Ice Cubes
Instructions
  1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
  2. Place 10 drops of stevia in glass.
  3. Pour can of La Croix Coconut Water in
  4. Squeeze the lime wedge into water.
  5. Stir
  6. Add lime slice and straw. Enjoy!
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/
Over 70% of our body is composed of water so it makes sense that a dehydrated body isn’t going to be happy. Water and the function of the brain are very connected and not drinking enough can cause problems with focus, memory, brain fatigue and brain fog as well as headaches, sleep issues, anger and depression.

Let’s be intentional with our water intake – we might just feel a whole lot better.

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