The Midlife Woman » beverage

A Midlife Green Tea Binge

Kathleen — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 17:15:07 +0000

Summertime heat and cool beverages, have you tried iced green tea? For some it is the health benefits of green tea, for others it stirs memories of cold nights by the fireplace or perhaps its gallons of sun tea brewing on the back porch. Of all the teas available, it appears green tea is number one in growing popularity.

Research around the globe continues to provide hard evidence supporting the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. Studies such as Journal of the National Cancer Institute and Perdue University conclude green tea is helpful in health conditions or diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, infection, impaired immune function, and dieting.

Midlife Green Tea Binge

The onset of this green tea diet phenomenon really sparked my interest. After all, reports claim the Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times. Upon reading the research, and the hype, on how green tea is healthy, a six-month tea binge ensued. In addition, approaching midlife proved coffee to be off limits after five pm, unless of course insomnia was the goal!

Not eliminating my beloved coffee, a cup of green tea replaced coffee at five and beyond. During the day, iced green tea with lemon or orange slices replaced a few cups of java. The iced green tea was not only delicious but also extremely refreshing. It seemed lighter and cooler than the typical sun tea I was so used to consuming. My assumption was by drinking green tea a higher antioxidant intake and less caffeine would improve my sleep patterns and overall health.

Green Tea Results
Green tea really did curb my appetite just as the reports claimed. After just a few days, the cravings for snacks and sweets almost completely subsided. I point this out knowing many women struggle with eating between meals. Drinking green tea is better than taking those so called diet pills that work and is a great weight loss supplement helping to curb the snack fix.

Yes, I was definitely feeling more energetic throughout the day and healthier too. A resilient kind of healthy and less stressed for sure. Life’s circumstances remained stressful but I was changing. This was not“buzzed on caffeine” energy by any means. The iced green tea was definitely refreshing and flavorful. When consumed hot, it was quite a relaxing experience. Perhaps I found the replacement for the after five cup of coffee.

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six – eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee. source: about.com Chinese Food

Not a chance, my insomnia was worse! In fact, drinking the green tea increased the insomnia two fold. A portion of that insomnia may have been attributed to midlife hormones I’ll give you that. However, one would think with less caffeine intake, sleep patterns would improve. This was very disappointing. Not prepared to give up the wellness and energy benefits along with the refreshing flavor green tea provided, a limited intake resulted especially during the summer.

As for the after five cup, I gave it up and never looked back. My sleep, while not perfect, has improved greatly.

Have you ever tried a green tea regiment?

Kathleen

Hey, there I'm Kathleen. My friends call me Kathy; to my kids I'm Momia. Life has afforded me many hats: Mom, wife, sister, friend, business owner... and most recently a midlife blogger. From college to marriage and babies, in the midst of business and wealthy boomers, midlife retrospection validates this extraordinary journey called life.

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Refreshing Tea Recipe Ideas

Kathleen — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:49:08 +0000

While I’m a huge coffee admirer, tea enthusiasts enjoy it as a simple, soothing cup of comfort. Tea lovers are discovering entirely new ways to enjoy their favorite brew with the many flavors and variety now available.
Tea-drinking trends find people infusing their tea with fruit and other flavors, and experimenting with tea in recipes.

Lipton.com offers these recipes, highlighting the rich, ripe flavors of whole leaf teas infused with fruit and flavor. Whether it be frozen pops to tropical punch, or cool smoothies to hot, spiced chocolate tea, you’ll discover a refreshing take on tea.
Read on to check out my favorite tea infused recipes.

Bavarian Wild Berry Fruit-Tea Pops
Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Freeze Time: 4 hours
2 cups boiling water
4 Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry
Pyramid Tea Bags
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped strawberries
Pour boiling water over tea bags; cover and brew 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze. Stir in sugar until dissolved; let cool slightly.
Combine tea with strawberries in medium bowl. Evenly pour into 8 (4-ounce) paper cups (or popsicle molds). Freeze until almost firm, about 1 hour. Insert wooden ice pop sticks into centers; freeze until firm. To serve, press firmly on bottom of paper cup to remove.
Variations:

Island Mango & Peach Fruit-Tea Pops, use Lipton White Tea with Island Mango & Peach Flavors Pyramid Tea Bags and 1 cup chopped peaches.
Green Tea & Mandarin Orange Fruit-Tea Pops, use Lipton Green Tea with Mandarin Orange Flavor Pyramid Tea Bags and 1 cup blueberries.
Black Pearl Fruit-Tea Pops, use Lipton Black Pearl Black Pyramid Tea Bags and 1 cup mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries and/or strawberries).
Harvest Strawberry & Passion fruit-Tea Pops, use Lipton Red Tea with Harvest Strawberry & Passion fruit Flavor Pyramid Tea Bags.

Red Tea Harvest Strawberry Smoothie

Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 5 to 10 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
1 cup boiling water
3 Lipton Red Tea with Harvest
Strawberry & Passionfruit
Flavor Pyramid Tea Bags
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup strawberry frozen yogurt*
1/2 cup ice cubes (about 3 to 4)
Pour boiling water over tea bags; cover and brew 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze, then stir in sugar; chill.
In blender, process tea, strawberries and yogurt. Add ice cubes, one at a time, and process until blended. Garnish, if desired, with whipped cream and strawberries. Serve immediately.
*Substitution: Use regular strawberry yogurt.

Tropical Punch with Fruity Tea Ice Cubes

Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
4 cups boiling water
12 Lipton Tuscan Lemon Flavored
Black Pyramid Tea Bags
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
2 cups raspberries
Pour boiling water over tea bags; cover and brew 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze. Stir in sugar; chill.
In large pitcher, combine 2 cups chilled tea with remaining ingredients; chill.
Meanwhile, in 2 ice cube trays,* arrange 3 raspberries in each compartment. Pour remaining chilled tea over berries. Freeze 2 hours or until solid. To serve, pour punch into large pitcher or bowl. Add tea ice cubes. Serve immediately.
*If you don’t have ice cube trays, try using mini muffin pans or a 6-cup ring mold.

Black Pearl Hot ’n Spicy Chocolate Tea
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
1 cup fat free or 1% milk
1 cup water
2 Lipton Black Pearl Black
Pyramid Tea Bags
1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon chocolate syrup
Bring milk and water just to a boil in 2-quart saucepan. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Cover and brew 1-1/2 minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze, stir in remaining ingredients. Serve immediately. Garnish, if desired, with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Tea and a Healthy Lifestyle
Keeping your body hydrated can help maintain overall well-being. Unsweetened tea is an excellent beverage for hydration. This conclusion is based on the Healthy Beverage Guidelines that were created by a panel of independent scientists under an unrestricted grant from Unilever. Tea may help maintain a healthy lifestyle — for example, drinking 2 to 3 cups of tea throughout the day, as part of a healthy diet, may help maintain healthy vascular function. Find out more at lipton.com.

Kathleen

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Cool Down & Power Up Smoothies

Kathleen — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:37:12 +0000

Satisfying smoothies can do more than just cool you down on a hot summer day. They can power you up, too.

Whether for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or as a lunchtime refresher, smoothies are a refreshing way to get powerful nutrition. And as a busy mom looking for convenient and tasty ways to boost my family’s nutrition, I’m cheering about how easy it is to do it.

* Fruit juices-orange, cranberry, other favorites–provide antioxidants and essential vitamins we need daily.
* Milk-especially fat-free evaporated milk-delivers essential calcium and protein.
* Add-ins provide an extra punch of super-nutrition:
o Just a half cup of pumpkin, from the can, delivers great fiber and more than a day’s worth of the antioxidant Vitamin A;
o fresh fruit like banana, berries, peach, nectarine or mango add fiber and antioxidants;
o a spoonful of peanut butter adds protein and kid-approved flavor.

If you’ve got teens or other family members who like to make their own smoothies, take advantage of my tips to make “just in time” smoothie blending a snap:

* Keep cans of fat-free evaporated milk in the fridge for “right now” chilled smoothies.
* Bananas, peaches or other fruit almost too-ripe-to-eat? Toss in the freezer for a future smoothie.
* Fill the freezer with light, low-fat and/or reduced-sugar ice cream-in vanilla and other favorite flavors.

Whether you’re looking for nutritious meal ideas for the family or fun baking projects to keep your summer cookie jar full, be sure to visit VeryBestBaking.com.

Heavenly Dream
(Makes 6 servings – 8 ounces each)

2 cups orange juice
2 cups ice cubes
1 can (12 fluid ounces) Nestlé Carnation Fat Free Evaporated Milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar to taste

PLACE orange juice, ice cubes, evaporated milk and sugar in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.
Nutrition Information per serving: 110 calories; 0 calories from fat; 0 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 75 mg sodium; 24 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 22 g sugars; 4 g protein, 70% vitamin C, 15% calcium

“Pumped Up” Chocolate Milkshake
(Makes 2 servings – 8 ounces each)

2 cups (4 large scoops) Chocolate light ice cream
2/3 cup (5 fluid-ounce can) Nestlé Carnation Evaporated Fat Free
Milk
1/2 cup Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin

PLACE ice cream, evaporated milk and pumpkin in blender; cover. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour into glasses.

Nutrition Information per serving: 300 calories; 70 calories from fat; 7 g total fat; 4 g saturated fat; 40 mg cholesterol; 180 mg sodium; 45 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 33 g sugars; 11 g protein, 150% vitamin A, 2% vitamin C, 20% calcium

Kathleen

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