I am a coffee lover in every sense of the word and yet I have been ISO a delicious healthy coffee alternative for many moons. The aroma alone of brewed coffee is exquisite, it sends me to my happy place. Well, for about an hour that is. The truth is, my body just doesn’t process coffee well, at all. Drinking decaf is an option though the reality is that my internal system runs cleaner without. Being that it seems I am hovering at the complicated juncture of possible pre-menopause meets meets mid-life crisis, I prefer to ponder my soul’s purpose without beating myself up with a bad choice (for me) before 7am.
For as long as I can remember, the most important part of my morning ritual is the first beverage of the day. Once I find a steady, I am not easy to veer from it. Ever since I became a “grown up” and started working an office job where coffee is readily available, all day, for free, I have argued with myself about the pros and cons of drinking coffee. In my early morning weakness, I will often “forget” how bad I will feel come lunch time and instead gravitate towards the seductively placed coffee in the kitchen. This conversation, by the way, is VERY much like the one about whether I should get up at 6am and go to the gym or not. I know the answer it is just that every cell of my being is resistant to that truth.
To avoid this daily plight, I have been on the search for a healthy coffee alternative that will consistently allure me away from the magic bean. For many years, it was Earl Grey and eventually I find that the black tea upsets my system as well. Then there is white tea with a hint of agave or honey. White tea is nice and I will make a cup when I don’t desire something creamy, which is umm, never.
Lately I have found myself drawn to red teas, like this Madagascar Vanilla Rooibos tea from Celestial Seasonings. After the tea has brewed a few minutes, I take out the tea bag and add a bit of almond milk and agave. Lastly, to give it a bit more of a vanilla kick, I top it off with a splash of The Vanilla Company’s pure Tahitian vanilla extract. Did you know vanilla can also be used to calm an upset stomach?
And voila, a tasty creamy flavorful cup of tea that makes me forget all about my urge for coffee! Off I go to the gym because yes, I really “should” get up at 6am and get my workout in. You ever notice that making one good healthy choice quite often leads to the next?
As a side benefit to making my morning ritual include homemade tea instead of coffee is that I rarely splurge on a latte or mocha from the local cafe and instead buy myself beautiful fresh flowers to enjoy!
Smiles and Sunshine from the BlissinGypsy xo