Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it! I hope that you're having a wonderful end to your year. I'm popping in to share an easy recipe that's perfect for wintertime - one that I've made at least half a dozen times in the past few months. Matcha green tea powder is packed with antioxidants, but it can be too green tasting for some people. Hell, I like matcha and I don't even like it strong! But what I love about this recipe is that it pairs matcha with peppermint extract, and the two blend so well together. Peppermint extract is strong and it kind of mellows out the matcha. In the end, what you'll taste is a chocolatey, pepperminty drink with a hint of matcha that's perfect for pepping you up on chilly days. Since I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk for this recipe, it's also a ... [Read More]
matcha
7 Healthy Matcha Recipes | Smoothies, Cocktails, Cheesecake & More!
Hi friends! I'm traveling this week (more on that later) but popping in today to share some delicious & nutritious recipes - all of which include matcha! If you aren't all that familiar with matcha, it's a type of green tea made from grinding tea leaves into a powder. The leaves are left intact, as opposed to regular green tea, where the leaves are infused in water and then removed - which makes matcha super antioxidant-rich. Matcha has been grown and consumed in Japan for centuries, but it only become popular in the U.S. in recent years. Matcha has a strong, earthy taste, but it can certainly be used for more than just a conventional cup of matcha tea. I create recipes for Shape, and recently they had me on a matcha kick developing several recipes using the green tea ... [Read More]
Banana Coconut Matcha Smoothie
When I think of the start to a new year, I think of a fresh start.... excitement at a whole new year to set goals, go on adventures and start new ventures. What I don't think of is laying on the couch because I'm too exhausted to do anything or talk to anyone with my hoarse, sore throat - a box of tissues in hand, the constant taste of herbal lozenges in my mouth, an inhaler nearby in case I go into another coughing fit, continuous cups of hot tea being sipped, ear drops handy to crackle and pop my ears, and not being able to hear anything well because my ears and head are completely clogged. Well my friends, as we all know, sometimes life throw you not so fun little curveballs, and me being the sickest I've ever been in my adult life was the way I started 2016. Typically I rarely get ... [Read More]
Matcha Love: Morning Fruity Matcha Shot + Vanilla Yogurt Matcha Pancakes
There are millions of devoted coffee drinkers in the world....but I, my friends, am not one of them. Instead of the caffeine from coffee giving me energy, it gives me headaches. It actually has a bit of an opposite effect on me. Case in point: Last week I had my first (iced) coffee in quite awhile because I was near a Dunkin Donuts in New Jersey, which are a rarity here in California, and I felt so tired an hour later that I took a nap. And I'm not a big nap taker. Tea on the other hand, is my coffee shop/hot bev/lazy weekend morning drink of choice. Green tea is my favorite. It doesn't make me feel zingy, and it also doesn't make me sleepy or headachy. It's just nice and soothing. So when Kiss Me Organics recently contacted me asking if I'd like to try their matcha green tea powder, I ... [Read More]
Banana Berry Yogurt Matcha Smoothie
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Though I didn't go to any St. Paddy's Day parades this year, the Irish in me wanted to add a little green into my afternoon in honor of the holiday. A few days ago, Kiss Me Organics sent me some of their matcha green tea powder to try out. Some stats on matcha: It's the highest quality powdered green tea out there and is considered a powerful superfood. It's been a Japanese cultural norm since the 12th century. It's an antioxidant powerhouse. In fact, my package notes that matcha has 137x the antioxidants of brewed green tea -- whoa right! Made of chlorophyll-rich tea leaves, matcha is ground into a fine powder using the entire leaf. Its natural properties are thought to cause an increase in energy and physical endurance, as well as a metabolism boost. I'll ... [Read More]