Growing up, the only iced tea I was familiar with was that powered brown sugary mix that you add to water. The first time I travelled with my man down to Massachusetts, we stopped at a diner and the waitress asked "Would you like sweetened or unsweetened iced tea, hun?" She explained that they make tea in a big batch, let it cool and stick it in the refrigerator. I had forgotten about that until this week when I was tired of guzzling water, lemon water, seltzer with lime in the heat and humidity. I made some iced tea using some Lemon Zinger and it was so refreshing... sure beats a Diet Coke! No, not adding any sugar either :) Raided the cupboard for some other teas, and I found ginger green tea then adding some squirts from a lemon seems to taste the best to me.
Today was the first day here in a while that hasn't been humid... probably won't last. I'm doing my brisk walks in the morning because by the time I get home after work, the temperature is usually up to 28C (82F) with a 35C (95F) or more humidex reading. Tried to exercise outside after work but the heat, plus humidity, plus long day at work, plus lack of sleep equals a half-assed workout! I'm sticking to mornings even though it's not my favourite part of the day.
I'm still having trouble with my sleep patterns: Still averaging about 5 to 6 hours a night. A friend recommended spraying my sheets with lavender. It worked well. Not perfect, I felt relaxed all week, so here's that recipe:
Add 1 tsp. lavender essential oil to an empty spray bottle containing 1/4 cup unflavoured vodka and 3 1/2 cups distilled water. Shake before spraying.
Have been trying a new veggie this week... fennel! I used some in a regular stir-fry and in this Green bean, mushroom and fennel salad. A nice change from my regular routine!
Well, if you drink too much iced tea, that caffeine could be preventing you from getting adequate sleep .... but oh how I love my passionfruit or tropical iced tea!
ReplyDeleteI've tried fennel before in some prepacked meals, but have never bought fennel (other than fennel seeds) and tried it. It is something that I have been meaning to do.
ReplyDeleteI had heard about he lavender helping with sleeping, but nice to hear of an actual test case. Hope you are able to get some more sleep.
Cold tea does sound refreshing. I need to break my diet mountain dew addiction.
Hope you have a great Friday.
I love the smell of lavender, but I didn't know it was a sleeping aid, too... interesting. Hey, since you like tea, have you tried chamomile or sleepytime teas at night? They may help you to get a better night's sleep.
ReplyDeleteick fennel! LOL I am not a fan as you can tell.
ReplyDeleteI feel like a idiot making tea. It never tastes perfect to me and it bugs me. But mint medely would be goo as well.
I also got into the homemade ice tea making thing lately too! I love it! Sometimes I sneak in a bit of honey too. On Rachael's point with sleeping, I drink chamomile each night to help me sleep and it helps a lot. I never thought of spraying unflavoured vodka - that is pretty neat! :)
ReplyDeleteI love love love fennel. I grew up eating this as a kid and it often replaced celery. We also grill it and toss it in balsamic vinegar and top with roasted pine nuts. SO good!
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