Refined sugar and dairy free French vanilla creamer

I've been trying to go refined sugar-free since the birth of my son Owen, and it's been a daily struggle for 3 beautiful months. Along with baby #2 came a serious caffeine addiction. Along with a serious caffeine addiction came the use of creamers and sugar to sweeten up my "morning treat". 

I've been using "all natural" creamers but even those have additives, sugars, and a hefty price tag. So I went on a paleo Pinterest spree and found a few recipes that I've turned into my own.

Enter the non-dairy French vanilla home made creamer: 

If it's in a mason jar, you know it's awesome. 

Ingredients:

1 can additive free coconut milk (Walmart carries the gold star brand that doesn't have any thinners in it)

1 cup dates (my cup was overflowing, because how the heck do you level a cup of odd shaped dates??)

1cup hot water (I microwaved mine - I know..)

2 tbs vanilla extract

Directions: 

Pulse blend dates while slowly adding hot water until you've added it all and then blend-blend (ha) until you've made a thin date paste. 

Add can of coconut milk and vanilla extract and blend some more. 

And you can pour the creamer through a mesh sieve to refine it some more. I didn't and it works just fine. 

Hints/tips? Hmm I think I would go with raw honey next time instead of dates. If you don't like coconut aftertaste, you could use almond milk, but it won't be as creamy and unless you make your own almond milk, there are additives in most that you will find on your local grocer's shelves. 

Let me know what you think!

Celestial seasonings - sleepytime: blackberry pomegranate green tea

The name of the tea is quite a mouthful! The tea itself is a bit better in quality than you expect from a grocery brand level bagged tea. There are tea bits and flakes and fruit bits and flakes, the tea aroma is very light. When you open the packet in the box the aroma smacks you in the face but once it's steeped you have to really put yor nose up to it to get a whiff. Doesn't smell fake or chemical-y, mostly like pomegranates. The flavor is also a light flavor, I steeped for the full 6 minutes allowed by the directions and it was a light pomegranate-ish flavor.

I'm not usually a green tea fan, but this was enjoyable with a dab of honey.

Quality 2/5

Flavor 3/5

Packaging 2/5

Aroma 2.5/5

Overall 3/5 

Numi: Aged Earl Grey

Anyone who knows me knows that Earl Gray is my absolute favorite tea. Bergamot is my favorite scent and flavor by far. I am so disappointed by Numi aged earl gray and I expect better because their other teas blow my socks off. The scent of the dry tea bag should have set me up for disappointment. It doesn't smell like much, black tea with the faintest whiff of bergamot. After a 4 minute steep the tea is a beautiful deep black. There isn't really a scent. The bergamot taste can only be described as murky. And there's a little bit of a burnt after taste. I am happy I didn't steep for the full 5 minutes allowed by the instructions.  Overall a disappointment. 

Packaging 3/5

Aroma 1/5

Taste 1/5 

Quality 3/5

Overall 2/5

Sinus blues

Of course the moment I decide that I'll start reviewing tea again I am hit with the sinus infection from the deepest depths of hell. I can't taste, I can barely breathe. Hopefully I kick this bad boy to the curb in a few days.

Until then it looks like garlic sandwiches are in the cards for me. Gross, I know. What are your top non pharmaceutical remedies for sinus infections? 

Here's a sneak peek at my newest tea!

To be continued...

I have been on too long of a break! On my break I have honestly been indulging on my two new family members!

Owen (2 months) and Ella (23 months). Yes it has been two whole tea-less years but I am back in action. I still have some tea left in my last stash (I truly wonder if it still good after 2 moves and being shoved in the back of my cupboard for so long) and I plan on getting some new flavors going next week, hopefully some Christmas flavors.

I have been surviving on Earl Gray and green tea since I started my too - long vacation. I'm ready to mix it up!

-Alex

Zhena's Gypsy Tea: Pomberry

Steep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients : Top-Tier Sencha Green Tea, Hibiscus Flowers, Rosehips, Orange Peel, Cinnamon Bark, Lemongrass, Peppermint Leaves, a Superberry Blend of Pomegranate and Cranberries, Organic and Natural Flavors.

Aroma: Smells like berries. I can smell pomegranate and it's very sweet.

Packaging: Tea is packaged in a plastic bag, and clear fiber teabag.
 
Tea Leaf Quality: Large green leaves, berries and chunks of the bark, flowers and lemongrass.

Taste:  Good. I was expecting more pomegranate, I was hoping for more... something. It tasted mostly of green tea, but the flavor that was present, was very good. Not harsh pomegranate, there wasn't a "bite" to it, it was smooth. 

Aroma: 8/10
Packaging: 10/10
Value: 10/10

Taste: 7/10
Tea Quality: 10/10

Overall 9/10

Zhena's Gypsy Tea: Pomberry

Masala Chai @ Tandoori Nights, Fresno CA

This isn't my usual post but holy cow, this Indian specialty tea was
served at the end of my meal yesterday, and it was fantastic! My
husband even liked it and he doesn't like most things tea.

It was a bit sweet, more like a malt, was a tad spicy, and very
savory. It smelled great. Spicy, sweet and creamy.

Definitely a 10/10