Try This— 4 Hot Beverages You Can Enjoy Instead of Coffee

These 4 hot beverages will scratch your coffee itch without all the caffeine. The perfect coffee alternative for anyone that needs some sleep!

The one good thing about the temperatures plummeting the way they did this weekend is that I was able to pull my chunky throw out of retirement, curl up on my couch, and sip on some totally delicious hot beverages. I’m definitely a coffee girl, but with all the talk about self care and the importance of sleep, I know that I shouldn’t indulge my coffee addiction after dark when I’m watching Castle Rock on Hulu. With that in mind, all weekend long I made sure that I never had an oatmeal latte after noon (you have no idea how hard that is to do if you’ve never had one), and when I craved a little something to warm my bones in the evening, I picked one of these delicious drinks instead! You must try this!

Lavender Bedtime Milk

This recipe checks all the boxes. Not only is it warm, soothing, and delicious, but it will help to wash away the stresses of the day. Get the full recipe here.

Slow Cooker COconut Hot Chocolate

Um. Coconut and chocolate. ‘Nuff said, right? I’ve even added Nutella to this decadent, slow cooker recipe and it never, and I do mean never, disappoints. Get the full recipe here.

Pumpkin Spice Matcha Latte

I might be the only person in the world that doesn’t really like pumpkin spice lattes, but this delicious twist on the classic makes nonbelievers like me take a second look. Matcha really is the star of this tasty drink. Get the full recipe here.

Chai Hot Chocolate

With only 3 ingredients, this chai hot chocolate is as easy to prepare as it is delicious. Get the full recipe here.

Natural Tonic for Improved Mental Health

This brain-boosting tonic with adaptogenic herbs will aid in improving your overall mental health by balancing your neurotransmitters to keep you happy, stress-free, focused, and energized.

Mental Health Natural Tonic Ingredient Breakdown

Lemon

Citrus fruits are high in vitamins, and a healthy dose of vitamin C can fight infection, reduce kidney stones, relieve indigestion, decrease headache pain, and help detoxify the body.

Cucumber

Cucumbers help maintain water balance in the body.

Fresh Turmeric Root

Turmeric is known to improve mood and feelings of depression.

Fresh Ginger Root

Ginger fights inflammation and is great for healing and protecting the gut.

Beets

Beets support heart health and liver function by helping our bodies maintain healthy blood sugar levels. While the antioxidant power of beets improves nerve function.

Pears

Pears are a low-sugar fruit. They are excellent for anxiety as they soothe the nervous system with vitamin C, which triggers the production of norepinephrine and serotonin, the happy neurotransmitters. They are also a great source of potassium, an essential electrolyte for the proper function of nerves, muscles, joints, and the heart.

Adaptogens

During cold and flu season, the addition of adaptogens like goldenseal and elderberry extract have both been shown to support a health immune system and are available as herbal tinctures (liqud form) that you can easily add to your tonic just before drinking it. To help alleviate stress, add ashwagandha and astralagus, which are both adaptogens known for their calming effects on our bodies.

Mental Health Natural Tonic

Ingredients

One whole lemon with peel cut off
One whole cucumber with peel
One 2-inch root of ginger (if you’re not a fan of ginger, cut this amount in half)
Two 3- to 4-inch roots of turmeric
One whole pear
One yellow or red beet

adaptogens such as

extract of ashwagandha
extract of astragalus
extract of goldenseal
extract of elderberry

Directions

Place all ingredients in a juicer, and add extracts of ashwaghandha and astragalus (for further adaptogenic support) or goldenseal and elderberry during flu season.
Serve immediately.

Hormone Balancing Cinnamon Almond Oat Milk Smoothie

So I’ve been going oat milk crazy. It totally has my vote for the most delicious cow’s milk alternative out there and I’ve literally made dozens of recipes in the last month alone using oat milk. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on some Oatly immediately! This is my go to brand of oat milk. There’s no weird aftertaste like with some other non-dairy milks and it blends into every recipe that calls for milk without changing the taste or texture. I’ve made everything from mashed potatoes to the deliciously redundant, creamy bowl of oat milk oatmeal. This stuff is the real deal. Of course, oat milk really has a chance to shine in a well made smoothie.

This recipe is adapted from the Wallflower Kitchen. It’s totally vegan and is an excellent source of plant based proteins and healthy fats, essential for balancing your hormones and alleviating some of the symptoms you might be experiencing. Best part? It tastes like a snickerdoodle! You must try this!

Cinnamon Almond Oat Milk Smoothie

ingredients

2 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 – 2 tsp maca powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups oat milk

Directions

Simply add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth

I Tried Huel, the Future of Food, and You Should Too

My fight against low energy rages on. I’m pretty sure the key to feeling energized isn’t in the massive amount of coffee I drink (what a wonderful world that would be). The key to getting your groove back is in a balanced diet, staying hydrated, and exercising. We’ve all gotten that memo. When I’m eating right, drinking lots of water, and exercising regularly, my body just feels better, ya know? I am absolutely determined to find that fountain of youth, y’all. As always, ambition gets the best of me, and I go totally extreme in my efforts. So this happened. I spent a long 5 days on a liquid diet, and maybe after you read this you will too. Hear me out.

I should tell you again that I’m not one of those people that lives to eat. I’m more like one of those people that eats to live. The idea of meal replacement shakes doesn’t send me running for the hills, though I tend to avoid them because of all the toxic additives that many of them contain. Then I discovered Huel. Huel is a nutritionally complete powdered food that contains all 26 essential vitamins and minerals, proteins, essential fats, carbs, fiber, and phytonutrients without all the chemical additives. I mean, they bill themselves as the future of food. Lofty claim, right? But hey, it’s vegan, it’s sustainable, it’s cost effective, it’s time saving, and you get a free t-shirt with your first order. So I thought, why not give this stuff a try.

I’m an all or nothing kind of lady. I figured if I was gonna try Huel, I was gonna try Huel, straight up, no chaser. I mixed the powder with nothing but water for the first 3 days and ate nothing else. Seeing is how I’m one of those people that eats to live I figured I wouldn’t miss food all that much. I was wrong. I’m gonna be bluntly honest here. Huel tastes like…well, imagine this: you take food, then you subtract flavor, texture, and go ahead and get rid of all that makes food indulgent or delicious in any way until you’re left with nothing but science. Then you’ve got Huel.

Ok, so I’m totally exaggerating, but if you’re expecting the future of food, think again. I will admit, however, that the taste isn’t offensive at all (it actually has a kind of oat taste to it) and the texture isn’t so bad either, but I did find myself missing food. As for my energy level, to be honest, I felt really good. I haven’t felt hungry at all and I was able to keep up with my daily yoga without feeling overly tired or strained. Full disclosure: I abandoned the whole just water thing after the first 3 days, and opted for breakfast smoothies with Huel. Best decision ever. These smoothies have been down right tasty. You can even cook with Huel, baking it into a healthy cookie recipe, or even a savory stove top dish. The website offers a variety of recipes that include Huel, so there’s that. Anyway, Huel is definitely worth a try. If you’re looking to improve your diet, increase your energy level, maintain a healthy weight, or even drop a few pounds you should give Huel a go.

Check out the video below for a look at a fabulous kitchen, a beautiful man, and some tips on using Huel.

4 Homemade Sports Drink Recipes to Beat the Heat

It’s brutally hot here, you guys. That yucky humid heat that just lingers and sucks all of your energy smooth out of your body. Because of this weather, my usually temperate home yoga routine has inadvertently become hot yoga for two days in a row now. Anyway, after yesterday’s hot yoga session I was feeling a little light headed and super thirsty. Fortunately, the hypochondriac in me immediately diagnosed my symptoms as being the tell tale signs of mild dehydration. I needed a sports drink fast not only for the electrolyte replenishment, but if for no other reason, the placebo effect. Hypochondria is real, y’all.

Anyway, these homemade sports drink recipes will have you feeling fully hydrated and raring to go no matter how hot the weather gets in your neck of the woods. With ingredients like coconut water, fruit, and even herbal tea, you’re getting all kinds of healthy goodness with delicious flavors to match. Best part is you can totally skip all the unnecessary sugars and additives that you’ll find in traditional sports drinks. You must try this!