Homemade Chai Concentrate

Hello friends! I’m finally getting around to sharing one of my most requested recipes which is my CHAI CONCENTRATE!!!! (all the praise hands)

I love chai. It’s kind of a newer love to be honest. I used to be a huge coffee drinker but realized the caffeine didn’t make me feel too great so I have strictly been drinking only decaf over the last couple of years. When I got pregnant, I wanted a yummy iced drink but wasn’t feeling like coffee and so that’s when my chai obsession started!

Before we go any further, I need you to know that I am not into the powdery, sugary, ‘vanilla chai’ situation. I’m into the real, authentic, just-came-from-India, spicy chai. The spices I use to make my chai concentrate are actually beneficial for you (fresh ginger & cloves both have immune building properties) and it’s naturally sweetened with raw honey. I do use real black tea in my recipe so it’s not caffeine free but i’ve found that the caffeine from black tea doesn’t affect me like coffee does. You can use any type of milk with this concentrate but I prefer Milkadamia (Mac-nut milk) or almond milk! I usually make 1 batch of chai concentrate and it lasts me all week (I drink 1-2 chai lattes a day- hehe) but the concentrate will last in your fridge for up to two week! To make a chai from your concentrate you simply use 1/2 part concentrate and 1/2 part milk. Let’s get into the recipe!

Oh PS- I buy all the ingredients on Mountain Rose Herbs but they are currently not taking any online orders because of Covid-19 and so I will try liking the same ingredients from Amazon down below!

Ingredients:

8 cardamom pods

2 cinnamon sticks

1 inch of fresh ginger grated or chopped

10 whole cloves

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 tbs raw honey

36oz water

6 tea bags (or 2 Tbs) black tea- I use Darjeeling tea

Instructions:

-Combine all spices in a large sauce pan and smash them with a spoon or other utensil (this lets the spices steep in more deeply)

-Add water and bring to a boil

-Once the water is boiling, lower to a simmer and simmer for at least 1 hour

-After an hour, turn off the heat and add in the black tea and raw honey

-Let black tea steep for 5-10 minutes then remove tea bags

-Once cool, transfer to a little glass jar and store in the fridge (for up to two weeks)

-When you want to make a chai, simply combine 1/2 part chai and 1/2 part milk of choice. You can make this either hot or iced!

Enjoy friends!

Golden Mylk Recipe

Hi friends! I hope you all are having a good start to your week. Just another week of quarantine! For the most part I have been loving this extra simple time at home but I am ready to be able to goto the beach again. I don’t know about you, but i’m definitely feeling the collective stress from all of this coronavirus craziness. As much as i’ve been trying to stay calm and focus on the present, it’s hard knowing that so many people are suffering out there. I’ve been having a harder time falling asleep recently and so I started making this golden mylk every night and it has been helping calm my mind and fall asleep faster! Traditional golden mylk combines milk, turmeric, and ginger to make a soothing milk that is known to boost immunity and ease digestion. I add raw honey, chamomile flowers, and ashwagandha to mine to add even further healing elements. Chamomile is known to be calming to the nervous and ashwagandha is an adaptogen that helps the body in times of stress. Ashwagandha is also known to be a powerful hormone balancer.

I make enough golden mylk at one time to last me about three days. I now look forward to this comforting drink every night! I hope you like it!

INREDIENTS

3 cups nut milk of choice

1 1/2 tsp ground Turmeric

1 inch ginger root grated

1 Tbs chamomile flowers (or two bags of chamomile tea)

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbs raw honey

1 tsp Ashwagandha

Dash of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

• add all ingredients to a sauce pan and simmer for 15 minutes

• drain the liquid to remove the spices

• pour desired amount into a mug and add a dash of cinnamon on top

• save the rest in the fridge for up to three days

Let me know what you think of it!!!

Gluten Free Berry Cobbler

Hi Friends! I’m so excited to be sharing one of my favorite recipes today. This berry cobbler is a staple in our household and it’s something my husband asks me to make on the weekly! I came up with this recipe because I was craving the blackberry cobbler my mom would make for us growing up. That cobbler was not gluten free and so I knew I needed to make something similar, but healthier! This cobbler can be a dessert or a breakfast dish and it’s so versatile. You can used frozen mixed berries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, or truly any fruit you want! I use either frozen mixed berries from Costco or frozen blackberries. Enjoy!

Let me know what you think of it!

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

With everything going on, it seems like boosting immunity is on everyone’s priority list. Elderberry has been proven to improve immune function and so many people swear by it. I’ve been taking elderberry syrup to boost the immune system for years now but recently I just started making my own and let me tell ya, it’s SO much more cost effective to make your own syrup!

I’m not going to give too much info on elderberries because i’m not a doctor and don’t know all of the science but feel free to Google them! Anything that helps boost the immune system though? I’m ALL about it.

Elderberries are hard to come by these days but I will link some down below if I can find some that are available!

Here’s how to make your own Elderberry Syrup:

Ingredients:

3 cups water

1/2 cup dried elderberries

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/3 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbs grated fresh ginger

3/4 cup raw honey

How to:

-Add water, elderberries, clove, cinnamon, and ginger into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil

-Simmer on the stove for 1 hour

-Remove from heat and mash the berries with a potato masher or any other flat utensil

-Let cool to room temperature

-Once at room temperature add in the raw honey

-Store syrup in a 16 ounce jar with a air-tight lid (I use mason jars)

-Store in the fridge for up to a month!

I take 1 Tbs every day for maintenance and if i’m feeling under the weather I take 1 Tbs every three hours

Let me know if you have any other questions about Elderberries and if you make this!

The Everyday Salad

If you’ve been following along here for any length of time, you probably know that I preach ‘a smoothie a day promotes health to stay.’ Well, I’m still a believer in that philosophy but I’m also a huge believer in eating salad everyday too! The health benefits of salads are pretty much endless but I love them for a few key reasons:

1. They are a great source of fiber- Most Americans don’t consume nearly enough fiber and that can cause a ton of digestive issues. I’ve noticed that when I eat a salad daily, i’m more regular and my digestion is better throughout the day.

2. Raw vegetables provide a ton of nutrients- Cooked veggies are great but when heating fruits/veggies, you lose some of the nutrients. By eating raw veggies everyday, you are getting as much nutrients as possible.

3. Protects against heart disease- Studies show that eating at least 1-2 cups of leafy greens daily will help to protect against heart disease. The antioxidants and nutrients in salads just can’t be beat!

Here’s how I like to make my salads:

1. Greens- I like to use a mixture of spinach, mixed romaine, kale, and arugula!

2. Cooked Protein- my protein of choice for salads is either sautéed tofu or roasted chickpeas but you can definitely add a meat option in there as well. I like to include a cooked ingredient to my salad because it keeps the entire meal from being cold.

3. Healthy fat- nothing Beats 1/2 of an avocado in your salad! Thats my favorite way to incorporate a healthy fat but you can also use nuts/seeds.

4. Citrus- I love squeezing 1/2 of lemon into my homemade dressing for my daily salad.

5. Toppings- I love adding chopped carrots and cherry tomatoes to the top!

Obviously you can add whatever you would like to your salads but these are just my go-to’s. I try to keep these ingredients in hand at all times so I can whip up a yummy salad quickly and without much thought. I also make my own salad dressing weekly to keep costs down and to avoid all the additive in store-bought dressing. Here is my go-to recipe for salad dressing:

Everyday Salad Dressing

14 cup avocado or olive oil

1/4 cup water

1 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 Tbs lemon juice

2 cloves raw garlic

salt & pepper to taste

I hope this inspires you to add more salads into your daily diet! I’d love to see what salads you create! If you make one, take a picture and tag me on insta @livewellwithlo !