Sorry friends for being MIA the last month. A few things have shifted in my life this past month and I was feeling the need to re-evaluate my blog and what I was doing with my nutrition practice. The summarized conclusion is that though I LOVE herbs and all they do, right now I need to focus more on nutrition from a whole foods basis. And while herbs are part of that Whole, they are just that, part of it. I want to focus more on the larger whole and writing more about that, example, good fats and proteins, why calorie counting is no good, what exercise does for our bodies and when it can be in our best interest to NOT do that HIIT workout. Those kinds of things. So in the following weeks my intentions are to post more of that content with some herbal stuff sprinkled in here and there. What do you think? Are you feelin' that? I know I am! Now on to today's post... a few of you know that I decided to do an elimination diet lately and I am just finishing up the reintroduction phase, and feeling good and excited to be done. In that process I had to give up my one and only coffee. Ugh! One of the harder things I have had to do, and it never gets easier. So this time I decided to lean on matcha lattes for my morning hot drink ritual. I know there are a lot of matcha lovers out there and a lot of recipes for how to make yours. So I thought I would jump in on that conversation and share mine, since I know a lot of people have asked me lately about it. I call mine the Mexican Matcha Latte because I add a little cinnamon to mine, kinda like a Mexican hot chocolate or horchata, plus, I am Mexican! Hehe! It's pretty good!
The Mexican Matcha Latte
INGREDIENTS
1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Califia) or coconut milk*
1/2 tsp ceremonial matcha powder ( I use Panatea or CAP beauty)**
1 tsp to 1 tbsp of coconut oil, MCT or Brain Octaine
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp honey or maple (optional)
1 tsp coconut butter (optional)***
DIRECTIONS
- Add milk to small sauce pan and heat on medium on the stovetop.
- With a small sieve (I use this) put your matcha and sift it into the milk. This just makes sure you don't have clumps of matcha stuck at the bottom of your drink. You don't want that, it's such a sad waste of deliciousness. I promise this makes a world of difference!
- add in the rest of your ingredients and whisk up with a matcha whisk (like this) or I use an electric whisk that I love.
- Let it come to temperature (170 degrees is best) but I honestly just eyeball mine and get it right before it boils. Don't let it boil though.
- Enjoy!
* If you don't use or have the vanilla milk, no problem, simply use 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract to your mix. I just try to make it as simple for myself as I can and the unsweetened vanilla just eliminated one more step for me in the morning.
** Yes, it's worth spending the money to get your ceremonial matcha. When I first started out I just bought the cheap for food-grade matcha and let me tell you, you have to use SO much more of it to get it to taste like matcha. So you really aren't saving any money. SO buy the good stuff! It's worth it.
*** The coconut butter adds a nice creaminess to the drink. I don't always add it, but sometimes I do, I would definitely try it and see what you think. If I do this, I don't add the coconut oil, but you can do both, there's nothing wrong with this.
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Updated: I meant to add in the health benefits of this Mexican Matcha that I love!
Matcha - this powdered form of green tea leaves is full of antioxidants (one cup can provide up to as much as 5 times that of any other food, which supports a healthy immune system. It is loaded with Catechin (specifically EGCg) which has been shown to improve skin health and proven to fight cancer. It contains the amino acid L-Theanine which "promotes the production of alpha waves in the brain which induces relaxation without the inherent drowsiness caused by other “downers" as well as the precursor to dopamine and serotonin, which will enhance your mood, improve memory, and concentration, and promotes clean energy without the jitters form coffee. Matcha has also been shown to increase metabolism (without increasing heart rate or blood pressure) which can contribute to weight loss. The green color comes from chlorophyll, which helps the body detoxify heavy metals and other toxins from the body. Ummm... so, the real question is WHY WOULDN'T you drink it? :)
Coconut Oil - yup, this is a saturated fat, but wait, don't worry! Saturated fats are not as evil as we were once told. New studies out there are showing that there is NO LINK TO HEART DISEASE. And in fact coconut oil is not made up of the traditional long-chain fatty acids that most saturated fats are. It's made up of medium-chain fatty acids, therefore it metabolizes differently in our bodies. "They go straight to the liver from the digestive tract, where they are used as a quick source of energy or turned into so-called ketones, which can have therapeutic effects on brain disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s" says Kris Gunnars a medical researcher. Coconut oil also contains Lauric Acid, which helpst o kill harmful microoganisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi). ANd because it's a fat it helps out body absorb those fat-soluable vitamins we need from our food like Vitamin A, D, E, and K, provides a feeling of satiety in the body that can helps up feel fuller longer and eat less in the long run, contributing to weight loss for some. Finally, it's wonderful for supporting balanced hormones and a healthy immune system.
Cinnamon - this spice has been known to reduce inflammation, is anti-microbial, helps with blood sugar control by slowing the rate at which the stomach empties itself after meals. The smell of cinnamon was studied and found to show that it boosts brain function. Lastly, this warming spice has been known to boost circulation of the blood and protect against heart disease and promote a better immune system.
So drink up buttercup!