Matcha Tea, Stevia and Cream - My New Goto Drink

Having to cut out sugar and caffeine can be depressing. Why let go of what you love?

Don't get me started about green coffee beans roasted over a fire, fresh ground and hand poured through a simple filter. Or taramisu cheesecake or black licorice candy. Giving up sweets and coffee seemed just too sad.

Health problems lead to desperate measures, however, and the discovery of a pick-me-up that is actually good for you has been my salvation.

First, matcha green tea is a gorgeous color:



It is loaded with catechin, a powerful antioxidant, and it is anti-aging and anti-cancer, while boosting memory, concentration and endurance. It supports your immune system, detoxifies, and lowers the bad kind of cholesterol. Some say it will help you lose weight, not that I care. My best memories of matcha tea were inextricably linked to large portions of green tea ice cream.

Green tea ice cream has sugar! I knooow.

Now, let's bring stevia into the picture:


Also a verdant green, stevia also has amazing health benefits. The steviosides in unrefined stevia help to maintain healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels. It's good for your heart and immunity, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. If you consume it in massive quantities, it may reduce your fertility, but I consider that another plus. Some say it will help you lose weight, not that I care.

One happy day, I combined a small spoonful of ground stevia, another small spoonful of matcha tea powder, boiling water, and a blob of whipping cream in a cup. I stirred it. The result was something like this, minus the clever photography:


Tastes a bit like molten green tea ice cream, sweet and energizing like coffee!

My new problem was how to enjoy my new habit more cheaply. Turns out that Amazon sells bulk matcha tea powder (the stuff from Japan is best) and unrefined ground stevia can be ordered in bulk from http://www.steviacanada.com/

As the good doctor said in Jurassic Park I, "Life... finds a way." Cheers!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Cancel a Gym Membership in Alberta

Image
Although I signed up for a fitness club membership with the best of intentions, it just wasn't working out. Sure, kickboxing for 30 minutes (https://www.30minutehit.com/locations/gym/calgary-sw-kickboxing-boxing-fitness.html) was a great workout, but it was a little too hard on my joints and the balls of my feet. That, and too-frequent corrections from my trainer were undermining my confidence and making my form worse! No, that's not me in the picture. But enough about me. If you want to cancel a gym membership in Alberta, here are a few pointers. Alberta law says that you can cancel a direct sales contract within 10 days of receiving a copy. Therefore, if you weren't given a copy of your membership contract, it follows that you can then cancel at any time. The Fair Trading Act of Alberta, section 27, says, "A consumer may, without any reason, cancel a direct sales contract at any time from the date the sales contract is entered into until, subject to the reg
Read more

Henna Hair Coloring Tips: Lush vs. Light Mountain

Image
Being born with mousy (blondish? brownish?) hair and an ounce of vanity will lead to a lifetime of hair coloring... Unfortunately, lots of exposure to the sorts of chemicals found in typical hair dyes will lead to allergic reactions in people sensitive to such things. I started using Lush (http://www.lush.ca/) henna because I still wanted to color my hair, but didn't want the hives or scabs that resulted when I used L'Oreal or Garnier. At the time, my hair had been highlighted a little too zealously so I ended up with bright orangey-red hair. Kinda pretty yet kinda too much for me. As my hair grew out, the color softened. Henna coats the hair shaft like lacquer, so red henna over mousy gives you reddish-brown. If I had skin tones that truly suited auburn, that would've been fine. I tried Lush Caca Brun to tone down the red, but then my hair became too dark and I looked tired. With repeated henna-colorings, the only way to remove ALL the henna is to grow it out.
Read more

Review of Calgary Summer Camps: Royal City Soccer, JunioTech, Quickdraw, STEM Learning Lab

Image
Summer camp can be an amazing experience for kids, while the cost to parents can be significant. The following are some brief notes on our family's experiences with each... Royal City Soccer www.royalsoccer.com/alberta This was our boys' favorite summer camp. Each day begins with soccer-related activities, individual and group instruction, and some healthy competition. The afternoons end with swimming in an outdoor pool, weather permitting, or indoor games if there is rain. Memorable moments included a game where kids took on the instructors, awards for being a good sport, take-home soccer balls, free necklaces, free candy, and photos sent home with a final email. The instructors were excellent with children, and the other kids in the camp had great attitudes. Lots of varied activity kept kids busy and happy. Bonuses: early dropoff times, late pickup times, professional handling of paperwork. JunioTech Robotics www.juniotech.com We chose this camp for robotics a
Read more