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5 Warming and Comforting Drink Recipes To Sip Slow and Savor

Warming spiced almond milk

Fall is my favorite. I get all nest-y when cooler weather hits. I get out the fuzzy socks, drape my couch in snuggly blankets, light candles and make sure my Kindle is full of good reads.

I fight the hustle and bustle of life, deliberately slow down and nestle in.

I delight in evenings when we are all home together, and when it happens I make sure there is soup simmering, and often offer mugs of warm drinks after dinner.

Even when I can’t gather my 3 lovelies (as they are teenagers and often scattered), you can still find me most fall evenings with a warm mug in hand.

Here are 5 favorites that I have on rotation:

5 Warming and Comforting Drink Recipes To Sip Slow and Savor

Warming Spiced Almond Milk

1 cup almond milk

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 tablespoon almond milk creamer, vanilla flavor (optional)

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

a pinch of ginger

a pinch of cayenne

……….

Combine all ingredients in a small pan.

Heat on the stove over medium heat until warm.

Sprinkle top with a touch of cinnamon for pretty. Sit down, inhale, and sip slow.

Hint: if you like a bit of froth on top, you can put it into a blender & blend (venting to allow steam to escape) or use a french press and plunge a few times until bubbles form.  

pumpkin-spice-chai

3 Ingredient  Pumpkin Spice Chai

1 cup milk (I used almond)
2 pumpkin spice teabags
3/4 cup chai concentrate, or to taste

Put milk into a saucepan.  Add teabags.  Steep the teabags in milk for 5-7 minutes & warm to desired temperature.  Add chai concentrate.  Stir.  Pour into 2 mugs, sit with a loved one and sip slow.

Hint: if you don’t have pumpkin spice tea (my favorite is from Trader Joes) you can use black tea or rooibos tea and sprinkle in a little pumpkin pie spice. Also, the brand of chai I like is Oregon Chai Concentrate. Tazo is another popular brand but its cardamom flavor is too strong for my taste.

spices-warm-drinks

ALMOND VANILLA MAPLE SPICED MOCHA

1 cup vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup double- strength brewed coffee

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

pinch of cinnamon

2-3 dashes of cayenne or a pinch of red pepper flakes

pinch of salt

……….

Brew a double strength coffee. Heat the almond milk until quite hot. Add cocoa powder. Whisk the cocoa powder into the milk, briskly stirring until all clumps have melted away. Stir in the coffee, spices and maple syrup. Adjust the sweetness and spice according to your own taste. Snuggle up in your favorite chair and sip slow.

Hint: if you don’t have vanilla flavored almond milk, just add a drop or two of vanilla extract.

Godiva Liqueur Hot Chocolate

Best Ever Hot Chocolate

8 oz  milk of your choice (almond, soy, dairy)

3 Dove chocolates (or your favorite brand chocolate square, milk or dark, I like dark)

1-2 teaspoons Godiva Chocolate liqueur

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

……….

Heat in microwave until hot (less than 2 minutes.) Whisk until combined.

Sit back, relax, and sip slow.

Hint: use my favorite frother to whip it up and make it extra creamy and beautiful. 

 

Ginger-Lemon-Tea-Slider

Honey Lemon Ginger Tea

1/2 inch fresh ginger root, cut into slices (no need to peel)

2 wedges of lemon

1 tsp raw honey

……….

Squeeze 2 wedges of lemon into your tea cup. Add the wedges into the cup for added benefits of the oils from the lemon skin. Add 2 slices of ginger. Heat water in a tea kettle–I love my electric one that heats in minutes. Pour over ginger and lemon. Add honey and stir. Steep for a good 5 minutes. Strain, hug the mug, inhale the steam and sip slow.

Hint: both lemon wedges and ginger slices can be kept in the freezer in small mason jars. The hot water will thaw them. Also, a tea cup with an infuser like my favorite one is very handy. 

sip slow and savor warm drinks

{click photo for your pinning pleasure}

How about you?

What is your favorite warm drink?

Drinks/ RECIPES/ Sponsored

AlmondMilk Tasting Challenge + Almond Vanilla Maple Spiced Mocha

 

WHO DOESN’T LOVE A GOOD OL‘ FASHIONED TASTE TEST?

My newly homeschooled Colsie girl & I had some fun recently with a taste test of 2 different brands of almond milk. We participated in the Silk Almondmilk Taste Challenge and used a brand that we are familiar with against Silk Almondmilk. These are the fun things I get to do with her during the day & I love it!

 

WHY A PLANT BASED MILK?

We have been drinking plant-based milk around here for over 4 years. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, I read the book ‘The China Study.’ In it the authors link breast cancer to the long-term exposure to higher concentrations of female hormones and a high concentration of blood cholesterol. They argue that all these risk factors are linked to a diet high in animal protein, particularly casein from cow milk. The average Chinese woman is exposed to 35-40 percent of the lifetime estrogen exposure of the average British or American woman, and the rate of breast cancer among Chinese women is about one-fifth of the rate among Western women. {source}

Needless to say, because my cancer was estrogen fed, my ears perk up to findings like this. It makes me want to be more balanced when it comes to consuming animal products, and using plant-based milk in place of cow milk is a way we do that in our family.

 

OUR MILK OF CHOICE

Almond milk has been our milk of choice. It is super versatile in recipes, and has a really clean and light taste.

Plus:

~It has 50% more calcium than dairy milk

~Is a great source of vitamin D & E

~It has no casein, no gluten, no lactose, no egg, no soy & no MSG–which makes it a great & healthy product for those with food sensitivities.

 

 

THE SILK ALMONDMILK TASTE CHALLENGE

We don’t usually drink milk by the glass in our family. Never have. We use it over cereal, in oatmeal, in smoothies, in soups & to make warm, comforting drinks. When my girl saw that she was going to drink it straight from a jar, she was a bit unsure, as this is not the way we usually use almond milk. When she realized it was a taste test and would get to have an opinion (she is at that age where there seems to be an opinion on everything!) and that opinion was actually WANTED (grin), she was on board and eagerly gave both brands a try.

She took a sip of both brands of milk, and immediately pointed to her choice — Silk Almondmilk. I asked her why she chose Silk and she said it tasted more ‘real.’ I agreed with her. The texture was creamy but light, and had a ‘just-right-not-overly-sweet’ flavor.

I was happy she chose the Silk brand because Silk Almondmilk had a shorter ingredient list than the other brand, with no artificial colors, flavors or funny business!

 

INGREDIENTS FOR SILK SWEETENED VANILLA ALMONDMILK

INGREDIENTS: Almondmilk (Filtered Water, Almonds), Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Natural Flavor, Locust Bean Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Gellan Gum.

VITAMINS & MINERALS: Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Acetate, Zinc Gluconate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D2.

 

 

ON TO THE RECIPE

You are going to really love this one. Really, REALLY! This drink took just minutes to whip up, and has the flavor of a drink that one would pay way too much for at a fancy -schmancy coffee shop.

Speaking of coffee shops, a local coffee shop is where I got the inspiration for this ALMOND VANILLA MAPLE SPICED MOCHA. They have an Aztec Mocha that is chocolatey and has a bit of a bite at the end. They use cayenne pepper, and it gives the warm drink a super interesting taste sensation. A hot drink is already warming, but add a bit of heat to warm the palette and boy…is it amazing & addicting. Perfect for a chilly, fall day.

This recipe is super similar to the one at my local coffee shop. I had my little taste tester taste this recipe, and she loved it. She asked how much coffee was in it, and seemed pretty impressed with herself that she liked a drink with coffee in it! That made me smile. She is growing up and is simply adorable.

 

MY LOVELY

She would not let me take her picture for the taste test…she just was “not in the mood” for a picture. Luckily we had a photo shoot with her talented Aunt Laurie the day before so I have this picture to share with you.

 

Isn’t she lovely?

 

 

ALMOND VANILLA MAPLE SPICED MOCHA

serves 1

1 cup Silk Vanilla Almondmilk

1/2 cup double- strength brewed coffee

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

pinch of cinnamon

2-3 dashes of cayenne or a pinch of red pepper flakes

pinch of salt

 

Directions:

Brew you double strength coffee. Heat the almondmilk until quite hot. Add cocoa powder. Whisk the cocoa powder into the milk, briskly stirring until all clumps have melted away. Stir in the coffee, spices and maple syrup. Adjust the sweetness and spice according to your own taste.

 

{for your pinning pleasure}

 

TAKE THE SILK ALMONDMILK CHALLENGE TODAY!

CLICK HERE to sign up for the Silk eNewsletter and get a free coupon to try Silk, plus a chance to win awesome new prizes each month!

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Drinks/ RECIPES

Chocolate Cashew Mocha Smoothie

chocolate cashew mocha smoothie

This has been my go-to smoothie when I need a creamy and decadant snack.  I love coffee and chocolate together, and the soaked cashews give this smoothie an amazing creamy texture.  It is  dessert-like, but so filling, and packs a great protein punch with 5 grams of protein.  I love when my desserts are not just empty calories but actually have some nutritional value.

Not only are the cashews a healthful whole food, but cacao nibs are considered a superfood.  Cacao nibs are my new favorite food, and they contain heaps of anti-oxidants to boot!  They add a great texture to smoothies that reminds me of little chocolate chip bits. They are not sweet, but add a great chocolatey flavor to this smoothie.

Coffee Cashew Smoothie

via Shape.com

 The creamy texture in this decadent drink comes courtesy of the cashews, which also add 5 grams of protein to help keep your blood sugar—and hunger—steady, Brazier says.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cashews, soaked six hours or overnight (just add water to cover nuts and refrigerate)
1/2 banana, peeled and chopped (frozen optional)
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
1/2 cup Ice
1/4 cup cooled coffee
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tablespoon coconut sugar (optional, or sweetener of choice)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

I added a bit of almond butter & cocoa nibs on top for pretty.

Nutrition score per serving: 361 calories, 7.5g protein

 

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