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Post From The Past: Amazingly Healthy Turmeric Chai Tea

This is a past post from the New Nostalgia archives. I love visiting post from the past, especially seasonal type posts. It is a great reminder to me of what I love, and what was post worthy! I will be taking a trip down “past posts” road occasionally in the month of October.

This is a guest post from Andrea at Frugally Sustainable. I am so happy to know Andrea. She is a faithful linker to our Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays, and I know you all love her because she often gets “most clicked on link” of the week.

I love everything about this guest post, but I especially love that it contains TURMERIC! I have read over and over that as one who has had cancer, I need to find ways to get turmeric in my diet. This is a wonderful, simple way to do just that!

Thanks so much, Andrea!

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We all have our go-to-remedies and today I would like to share with you one of mine.

Turmeric is one of the world’s most powerful natural healers. Its’ active ingredient curcumin, has been known for centuries to have extremely potent medicinal properties and is documented as being effective in treating a variety of conditions.

Other than the occasional curry, I struggled to add this beneficial root herb to our diet. That was until I created a Turmeric Chai Tea!

Although my palate rejoices simply at the thought of this drink, I must warn you…this is some pungent stuff! Tasty, but definitely a pretty serious tea.

10 Reasons Why Turmeric Is One of My Favorite Remedies

Turmeric is an anti-microbial. That means it will attack both bacterial infections and viral infections and destroy both. It is particularly effective in treating illnesses of the respiratory system (this makes it a superb remedy for the cold and flu season).
It has shown to prevent and stop the growth of prostate, breast, skin, lung and colon cancer
Known to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes
A natural liver detoxifier.
Research shows it may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
As a potent natural anti-inflammatory, turmeric may work just as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs. Furthermore, reducing the risks associated with the side effects of those types of medications.
It’s a natural painkiller.
Aids in fat metabolism (i.e. helps with weight management)
Trusted for many, many years in other cultures as a treatment for depression.
Speeds up wound healing and assists in the treatment of acne, eczema, psoriasis, uneven pigmentation, and lackluster skin.

I’ve added it to a list of my most favorite medicinal herbs. In fact, it’s right up there with garlic, ginger, parsley, sage and rosemary.

Turmeric Chai Tea Recipe

Turmeric Chai Tea Powder
(4 servings)

-3 tablespoons ground turmeric
-4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-1/8 teaspoon ground clove
-1 teaspoon ground cardamon
-2 teaspoons ground ginger
-1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions: Mix all ingredients together and store in a glass jar.

Note: Cayenne pepper, although optional in the recipe, will speed the turmeric through the blood stream by relaxing blood vessels down to capillaries allowing more turmeric to get to the infections faster.

Tea Prep
(single serving)

-4 teaspoons of Turmeric Chai Tea Powder
-1 cup water
-sweetener to taste
-1/2-1 cup warm milk (i.e. cow, goat, almond, hemp, coconut, etc.)

Directions: Bring 1 cup of water to boil. Pour water over spices and steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. Add sweetener and milk.

Notes and Tips

-WARNING: Turmeric will turn everything it touches yellow.

-Using fresh herbs is always the better option. If using fresh turmeric and ginger increase steep time, during the prep, to 20 minutes.

-Turmeric, along with the other spices required in this recipe, is available in a well-appointed health food store, the spice aisle of most grocery stores, and in bulk online through companies such as Mountain Rose Herbs and The Bulk Herb Store.

-Because it stimulates the uterus, turmeric is not recommended for pregnant women. It is also contraindicated for those with gall bladder disease or gallstones. As a good general rule, please consult your physician prior to the use of any herbal/spice remedy.

Inspirational Resources:
Turmeric Superfood
20 Health Benefits of Turmeric
New Findings Show Disease Fighting Powers of Turmeric

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Andrea is a Registered Nurse turned Frugally Sustainable Homemaker. Her blog, Frugally Sustainable, is “one of the most featured blogs in its niche! It is host to 4-5 informative posts per week that catalogue the why, the how, and the how-to on: frugality, simplicity, health and nutrition, motivation and inspiration, homeschooling, up-cycling, recycling, and designing a life that is interdependent on like-minded others, ecologically responsible and centered around the home.”

Drinks/ RECIPES

School Lunch Smoothies

I am constantly trying to figure out how to get fruits and veggies into my kiddos in ways that they get excited about. School Lunch Smoothies are a great way to do just that! My girls get so excited about these, and like them so much that I make lots of extras for them to grab a quick after- school snack from the freezer.

{my favorite, reasonably priced blender-Oster 6 cup, glass blender}

I linked some smoothie recipes below, but honestly, I just throw in whatever frozen fruit we have in our freezer. I always include banana or peach, each give a nice thick base for the smoothie. I try to add greens whenever possible, a couple big handfuls will do. Usually it is spinach, as it is the most mild tasting green. These smoothies had one frozen banana, about a cup each of frozen blueberries, pineapple & strawberries, and spinach.

I then add almond milk and blend until desired consistency. I never measure. I just add milk until I see a cortex in the middle, as in the picture below. That is when you know you have a great smoothie consistency. Sometimes I add protein powder (love this one by Plant Fusion), sometimes I add chia, sometimes I add hemp seed or oats. Or not. Smoothies are very forgiving.

The above smoothie is a pretty safe purple color. I usually don’t send my go-to green smoothie to school with my girls. We drink it at home as an afternoon snack instead. My girls don’t really enjoy the attention they get at school when drinking green, kids have quite the reactions to green smoothies! Despite the color, my girls love how they taste. Click Here for our Everyday Green Smoothie recipe.

{Ball Plastic Containers}

I only use plastic containers for our lunch boxes. (Click here to see what lunch box and containers we use.) Everything else I store in glass ball jars. These plastic containers from Ball are really, REALLY convenient and the perfect size. The have screw on lids to prevent spilling, and the cups stack into each other so nicely, which is great for the freezer.

They thaw just enough by lunch time into the perfect cold smoothie consistency. Make sure to pack a straw!

{Ziplock Smoothie Packets for the Freezer}

These are awesome timesavers. If all your smoothie cups are full of frozen smoothie, just divide the fruit into baggies and they will be ready for you when you are!

{My Smoothie Boards at Pinterest}

I’ve started a smoothie Pinterest board for awesome smoothie inspiration! How about you? Do you have any favorites to share?

4th of July/ Drinks/ FUN/DIY/ Holidays/Parties/ RECIPES

2 Ingredient Sparkling Lemonade

This is the easiest beverage to make, and tastes great! I have used it for 2 parties in the last 2 weeks, and I got positive feedback both times. Both kids and adults love this.

All you have to do is buy frozen lemonade concentrate, and in place of water, use sparkling water!

That is it! The sparkling water adds fizz and sparkle, but does not over-sweeten like adding a lemon-lime soda would. It is delicious and super refreshing!

I love to use Lemonade Concentrate from Trader Joes. It is the only brand I can find that does not contain high fructose corn syrup. The brand of sparkling water really does not matter. Add a slice of lemon to each glass for pretty!

Sparkling Lemonade
1 can Lemonade Concentrate
Sparkling Water
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Make lemonade according to directions on can, using sparkling water instead of regular water. Add a slice of lemon if desired to each glass. Serve over ice & enjoy!

Drinks/ RECIPES

Fresh Lime Soda

Boy oh Boy oh Boy! I’m so excited about this recipe for Fresh Lime Soda! It is SO refreshing and delicious. This would be perfect on a hot summer day, or frankly, ANY day! I love finding delicious recipes that are great substitutes for things that are not so good for us, like regular soda.

The original recipe calls for homemade simple syrup, but I used Organic Raw Agave Nectar. It gives it a tea color, but makes it so good! I think its quite a pretty drink! I’m eager to serve it to my friends who visit. It is the perfect ‘sit in the sunporch and sip’ type of beverage, and I intend to do just that!

Fresh Lime Soda

2 Tablespoons Organic Raw Agave Nectar (or maple syrup, or simple syrup)

Slice of Lime

2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice (about one medium sized lime)

3/4 Cup Sparkling Water

Pinch of salt

Ice

Put ice in jar. Add agave or syrup, lime juice and water. Put lid on and shake until well blended. Add lime slice and enjoy!

In A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food (Oxford University Press, 1998), author K. T. Achaya says that fresh lime soda was “the supreme quencher of colonial thirst” in India.

I totally agree with K.T. Achaya!

Drinks/ RECIPES

The End Of My Juice Cleanse Day 4 & Day 5

Day 4

Well, I have to say, I AM SO GLAD I DID THIS! I will write more another time about a few of the reasons why, but one of the main reason is that I feel like it “reset” my tastebuds. Fresh, raw fruits and vegetables taste AMAZING to me right now. I have no coffee cravings. I have no sugar cravings. I don’t even have bread cravings, which is huge for me.

I like how regular juicing makes me feel, and I needed reminded of this. I am now very motivated to keep juicing at least a few times a week, not as a substitute for food, but as a supplement. On the days I do not juice, I will drink my green smoothie.

Ending the fast should be taken slow. I was not very good at this. You see, it was my daughters birthday on day 4, so I did ok for breakfast and lunch, then came cake time..but we will get to that.

Breakfast-

~Banana, Mango, Strawberry Smoothie w/ chia seeds

~drank 16 oz lemon water

1 frozen banana

1 cup frozen mango chunks

1 cup frozen strawberries

2 tablespoons chia seeds

put all in blender with enough water to make it blend

This was yummy. I usually add greens to my smoothies, but I was making this to share with my birthday girl, and I wanted it to be pink. It was delicious. The added chia seeds make it very filling.

Lunch

Spinach Salad

Brown Rice

I used my awesome mandolin slicer to slice the veggies. I sprinkled it with pumpkin seeds and almonds for some crunch. The brown rice is from Trader Joes, they sell already made, organic frozen brown rice. So easy! This salad tasted really good. It was crazy how simple sliced vegetables tasted so yummy to me, and I was eating them as eagerly as I would eat other foods. That was new. I love veggies, but I REALLY loved this plate of veggies. Usually I would want some type of sauce on my rice. Not this time. I wanted it just plain, the nuttiness of the rice really came through. Again, I felt like my palate had been cleaned and I can actually taste and appreciate real foods in their natural state.

Afternoon Snack

Oh yea…would you look at THAT! That, my friends, is vegan Mexican Chocolate Cake from my local health food store. I live just a block away from this store and this cake is often calling to me. I had no time to bake a birthday cake for my girl, so I ran to the store and bought a few pieces of this cake just minutes before my birthday girl was supposed to be home. I stuck in some Hershey bar squares (not vegan) to make it festive, and put it on a platter. I added some pastries. My daughter loved it.

Although I don’t feel sugar cravings, that doesn’t mean I didn’t want some cake when it was right in front of me! I had some, and didn’t feel to well after. It just felt heavy.

Dinner

Dinner was tricky. My birthday girl decided that, instead of a big birthday party, she wanted to invite one friend to the mall to shop with her. I loved that idea, we have done it before and it is SO much easier than having a party! They had great fun. They shopped, used the dollar massage chairs, rode the carousel, took pictures in picture booth, had manicures, ate at the food court, got a cookie and ended the night with frozen yogurt sundaes. I loved that all this fun was in one place, and I had much fun watching them have fun!

There was not very many choices for a decent dinner at the mall food court. I went to the Italian place and asked if they could make me pasta & tomato sauce with no cheese. They were happy to. I also had some of their roasted potatoes and a Caesar salad. I didn’t care for the dressing, I barely dipped the pieces in. It was just too salty for my taste, and full of junk. The rest of the meal tasted great! I was happy.

I didn’t do yogurt sundaes with the girls, but I did get a cookie. Again, it tasted good but set heavy. I think it was too soon to be eating sweets!!

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Day 5

Day 5 was not so good food wise! Started out ok, but the way I ended the night. Blech. I felt so yuck.

I will make this quick. I had a ladies brunch that Saturday morning. I had my first cup of coffee in a week. It was good, but the addiction seems gone. I kinda miss how GOOOOOD it used to be! 🙂 There was fruit and pastries. I had fruit and a few bites of a scone. I preferred the fruit. So interesting.

Lunch-took my two older girls out to lunch and a movie. We ate at noodles and company, I had the Bangkok Curry Noodles, no chicken, no mushrooms extra broccoli, and a nice green side salad. It was yum and full of color! Then we went to a cafe. They had gelato and I had coffee.

Dinner-Family night. Ordered pizza. I took off the cheese, but it was Pizza Hut pan pizza and it was THICK and greasy! I also had a couple bread sticks. It was just too much greasy bread. Blech.

I miss my juice!! Who woulda’ thunk it?

Drinks/ RECIPES

Juice Cleanse Day 3-Happy!

Today I woke up, and felt really good. I checked my blood sugar level and it was normal. I decided to carry on and have juice for breakfast and lunch, then eat dinner.

I drank my typical 16 oz. of lemon water right when I got up.

Then I had the Mean Green for breakfast. It filled me up and I felt great!

The Mean Green

6 Kale Leaves

1 Cucumber

2 Green Apples

4 Celery

1/2 Lemon

1 Ginger Root (thumb size)

My lunch juice was AWESOME! It is called The Sunset Blend I think it is one of my favorites so far, which is funny because when I saw the recipe I was nervous about how it would taste. I was so surprised and happy, it is a great juice.

The Sunset Blend

1 large Sweet Potato

1 medium Carrot

1 Red Bell Pepper

2 Red Beets

2 Golden Delicious Apples

1 Orange, optional

After my lunch juice, my energy soared. It was crazy! I really was in disbelief and couldn’t believe the difference of how I felt compared to the night before when my blood sugar was too low. It was strange that other than 1 orange and a piece of toast eaten the night before to help with my blood sugar, (see Juice Cleanse Day 2), I didn’t need food to even me out like I thought. I thought I would wake up and need a hearty bowl of oatmeal. It was not the case. I was not hungry or weak. I felt amazing. So surprised!

I used my crazy energy to clean my kitchen. I had motivation to clean out areas that I had put off for awhile, and as I cleaned I realized that I had major clarity of thought. Another thing that is hard to explain. My brain just felt clear and crisp.

Late afternoon, I started getting hungry for the first time all day and feeling a little energy slump. I made Tomatoes On Toast and it was a great snack! I went very light on the olive oil.

While I was making dinner, I decided to do a bunch of juicing on produce that I was afraid would go bad before I could use it. Adding food to this cleanse meant less juicing, and I did not want my produce to go to waste. I cut up broccoli to steam for dinner, and used the stalks for juicing. Broccoli stalk juice is not very appealing, but when added to a juice with other flavors it mellows out. I also juiced a bunch of swiss chard that was looking a little sad and limpy in my refrigerator. It made the most beautiful deep green juice!

I decided to experiment and pour both the broccoli stalk juice and swiss chard juice into ice cube trays. My theory is that if frozen, it will retain most of its nutrients. I will research more, but it was either that or let it go to waste. I am hoping to use them in green smoothies and even when making vegetable soup.

I will let you know what I find out and how it goes.

Dinner was simple whole wheat pasta with homemade tomato sauce, steamed broccoli, and a big spinach salad. I knew a heavier pasta and the steamed broccoli was a gamble on a digestive system that had a break for 2 days, and I wondered if I would feel sick. I didn’t. I felt a little too full, I ate too much, but comfortable.

Herbal tea before bed, and of course, drank water all day long.

I loved that I didn’t feel hungry all day. I loved my energy. There are other good things I am noticing but I will save that for another post!

Drinks/ RECIPES

Juice Cleanse Day 2- Fail or Lessons Learned

Day 2 was interesting.

It started out great. I knew I had energy before I was even vertical. My eyes popped open at 7:00 a.m. and I turned to my husband and said “I’m awake! Like REALLY awake!” It was weird to open my eyes and instantly feel awake and like getting up. Is this how you morning people feel? Jealous.

I started the day out with my typical lemon water. 16 oz.

For breakfast, I decided to skip the lighter breakfast juice options drinks and go right to the Mean Green.
It tasted good and I felt full.

The Mean Green

6 Kale Leaves

1 Cucumber

2 Green Apples

4 Celery

1/2 Lemon

1 Ginger Root (thumb size)

No headache from lack of coffee. The only ache or pain I had was slight headache on day 1 that lasted about 30 minutes. No big deal. I’ve been thankful, lots of people going through detox report headaches.

Mid morning, I started craving savory. Most of these juices have apples in them which make them more sweet. The thought of anything sweet was not appealing. I wanted a juice that tasted like a savory meal. I went through my recipes and found one that was called Bruchetta. I love Bruchetta, so off to the store to buy tomatoes and basil. Tomatoes was about the only vegetable that I didn’t buy (of course).

The Bruchetta

2 Roma Tomatoes

1-2 Cloves Garlic

20 leaves Basil

I made the Bruchetta. It didn’t make much juice, but it did hit the spot for my savor craving. I put ice in it, but after tasting it strained out the ice. I wanted it room temp. Actually, I wanted it hot like soup broth, but the rule is nothing over 104 degrees (kills nutrients?) and I didn’t want to take the time to check my soups temperature, so I drank it a bit chilled.

As the afternoon wore on, I started feeling tired, weak and hungry.

It got worse and worse around dinner time. I found myself craving foods I have not wanted in forever! I’m sure it didn’t help that I made lasagna for my family. I found myself staring at the noodles and wondered if licking the sauce off of them would count as ‘vegetable juice.’ I might or might not have stuck my finger in the sauce for a quick taste. Shhh.

My choice of juice for dinner was Beet Rejuvenator. I really used to hate beets, but the more I eat them, the more my palate adjusts. This juice was really quite good. It surprised me. The carrots help sweeten and ginger and lemon always add a great flavor. Cucumber mellows everything out.

The Beet Rejuvenator

3-4 Carrots

1 Cucumber

1/2 Lemon

1 Ginger Root (1 inch piece)

1/2 Beet Root(including stem and 1-2 leaves)

Night wore on and the hunger was not bad, but the cravings were. Hard to explain. I didn’t feel good at all. I wanted going to go for a night time run but there was no way my body would. I made some hot herbal tea and started reading up on side effects of juice fasting and yes, there are some, but the ones I was having were making me a little nervous. They seemed extreme. I was shaky, craving weird food, dizzy, and my brain felt cloudy. Foggy.

I told my husband I didn’t feel right. I stood up and instantly had to put my head between my legs. I felt like I was going to pass out. I immediately knew it was a blood sugar issue. I’ve always have had suspicions that I might be prone to hypoglycemia.

My husband asked me a question and I pretty much bit his head off. It was a good thing the kids were in bed at this time, or they may be headless, too. Right after my bite, I said, “something is wrong, I need to check my blood sugar. ” We have a kit in the house for my youngest, who was diagnosed with Diabetes but then the diagnosis was withdrawn (that’s another post, super awesome miracle), so we have a kit on hand.

Normal blood sugar for me is over 100. You are considered Hypoglycemic if you are under 70. It effects brain function if it goes under 50. I was at 68.

I immediately went to the kitchen, and cut up an orange. It was delicious. I also had a dry piece of toast, I wanted crackers, but we were out. I immediately felt better.

I checked my levels today and they are normal. Yay!

I am going to continue on with this, but I’m adding food. I will still get at least 2 fresh juices in each day, striving for 3, and eat very clean for my meals. I still feel like it is a cleanse, and at the Reboot site they have options for juice cleanses with food, so I don’t feel like this is a big fail. I will listen to my body and eat accordingly– unless it tells me to have a steak and a snickers bar.

While on message boards, I read something interesting that made a whole lot of sense to me. Here is the conversation:

Hey guys, a mild caution. Fasting is not for everyone. Most Americans will benefit, but not all. Fasts are good for people that have too much congestion, which most Americans have. But, if you are deficient of energy, pale tongue, a weak pulse, a fast can make you more deficient, and thus a bad thing. I have a friend who put a man on a fast, and his results were like this guys. The man was so impressed he sent his wife in to him. He thought why not? So he put her on the same fast and it almost killed her. She was weak, he was strong. She was deficient, he was excess. People who are weak, or deficient should not fast unless it is very carefully designed for them.

I’m not sure if my issues were I am small and have no extra weight on me, if my body was losing weight to quickly, (4 pounds in 2 days) or if I was already prone to hypoglycemia and my body just can’t handle juice only. It could also be that I didn’t drink enough juice, I just couldn’t fit in 5 a day, only 3. Most people don’t have an issue with this.

If you visit the Facebook page at Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, there are people who THRIVE on long term juice fasts. There are real life stories of all types of weight loss and diseases that are being treated with juice! It seems especially useful for auto-immune disease.

I am still a huge fan of juicing and don’t want to discourage anyone from trying it. If you want encouragement, just visit their facebook page. The stories are amazingly inspirational.

I felt AWESOME the first day 1/2, and when I juiced through my cancer treatment ( I had one a day) it really kept me from getting too sick and I felt way better on those days, so I am excited to find the happy balance for me and my body. I am relieved I can experiment with grains, fruits and vegetables while on this cleanse. I will continue to juice and use up all the amazing produce in my refrigerator, eating as much as I can raw, but I will be also be adding some cooked food to my cleanse.

I will continue to post what I eat and how it makes me feel throughout the rest of this week.

Lessons learned?

~Pure juice fasting is great for a lot of people, but not for everyone.
~Listen to my body
~You can still have a successful cleanse by juicing and keeping diet clean
~There is a reason there are several “reboot” plans to choose from
~Food rocks! (but so does juice, especially Mean Green Juice!)

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