It’s December, the scent of cinnamon and pine, the bustling about, presents, goodies and treats everywhere you turn, busy busy busy, stress stress stress – and some nutty blonde chick is telling you to ditch the two things that keep you sane… creamy lattes and wine.
Holiday Hooby-say-whatty? Depending on where you are at on your “health program” you could simply say I’m practicing the 80/20 rule, and the entire month of December is my 20% naughty, the rest the year I’ll be good. Yah, probably not so doable. Trust me, I’ve tried.
Listen, I want you to enjoy your food and drinks this holiday season as much as I want that for myself. So, I’ve come up with some holiday alternatives for your faaaaaaaavourite things.
1st Coffee: I too am a coffee lover. This is a hard one to replace. Tea won’t cut it. Adding a little milk and honey to my tea doesn’t help at all. You lose the subtle essences of the tea, unless it’s black tea. But still, two thumbs down. I need the hard stuff. So what cuts the mustard? Matcha.
I know what you’re thinking… matcha is yucky. So bitter. Blech. Even when you get one at the coffee shop, they either way over sweeten it (Starbucks, puke, don’t get it there) or you add your own. Which tastes ok. But I have a home-made version that you’re going to love. Try this for a week and your coffee cravings might disappear.
40Girl’s Matcha Mud Mix:
Simply mix 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon matcha, 2 teaspoons monk fruit or honey to taste, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, pinch of pepper – stir. Add 1/3 of your cup hot water and stir until your mixture dissolves. Froth almond or coconut milk, add this to your matcha mix. Voila! Grinchy green love.
2nd Wine: I too am a wine lover. My flavor is Chardonnay. I know, such a housewife drink. Also, bubbly, somehow those bubbles are just too much fun. And even when I don’t feel like drinking, I can manage a sparkling something or other. My top alternatives? Kombucha.
Unless you’ve had your head in the sand, or the snow, you know what kombucha is by now – a delicious fermented tea that’s been around 100s of years, maybe 1000s. You can buy this at almost any market. The flavours? Seemingly endless. My faves are always ginger, lemon and my ultra– chlorophyll and mint! It’s too die. And it’s green for Christmas. It tastes a little like bubbly and beer combined, so you satisfy that boozy craving. Shoot me an email or subscribe and I’ll send you my kombucha recipe. However, you’ll have to get your hands on a scoby.
Also, if you really want that glass of bubbly, find a good organic one and add some SambuGuard. It’s a kids cough syrup made from Eldeberry, Echinacea and loaded with Vitamin C. So your curing your hangover before you even get it!
For those who love their deep rich Cabernets – mulled wine is the answer. Grab an organic apple cider to cut the booziness, use plenty of cinnamon and fresh ginger and you’ll be getting nature’s very own antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. In fact, use cinnamon wherever you can. This spice is so good for you, it even lowers blood sugar. Hope this helps keep you healthy through the happiest time of the year. Merry Christmas!!