Tea and winter weight loss

I've lost about 26 pounds so far this winter season. I mean, I have quite literally worked my butt off. I also follow my own advice about drinking tea. Shocker, I know. I've posted about oolong and green tea and weight loss, and white tea and fat cells. But there is another tea that helps.

Ginger tea.

Yes, ginger tea is technically an herbal tea and not a "real" tea, but are you really going to quibble? Ginger is known for helping with a queasy stomach, but did you know that sipping three cups a day burns nearly 150 calories? It seems to be a metabolism booster. Ginger is a diuretic that helps to relieve swelling, bloating, and water retention. This can help make you appear thinner, while you actually work on getting thinner!

Off to sip some ginger tea!

Tea for your winter skin

I am surprised by how many tea blends include rooibos. And it's a good replacement for tea drinkers who don't want caffeine. But it's also good for your skin.

If you find that the winter has not been kind and your skin is dry, brew up some rooibos. It is a source of aspalathin, an antioxidant known for its anti-inflammatory - and youth preserving! - qualities. Some research suggests that drinking a cup a day of rooibos can repair your complexion as effectively as expensive face creams!

So, drink up! I'm having a rooibos gingerbread chai:

The Turkish Way of Tea

I read that the people of Turkey drink so much tea, they now rank number one in tea consumption, per capita, in the world! The average Turk consumes seven pounds of tea a year! Dang! And I thought I drank a lot of tea!

They brew tea in Turkey differently, as well. They use a caydanlik, with is a double boiler kind of pot. Water is boiled in the bottom pot, while tea leaves are placed in the top pot. Once the water has boiled, it is poured into the top pot and allowed to steep. For a looooong time - 15 to 30 minutes.

It is then served in glasses, not mugs. Like in Morocco, tea is often offered to shoppers while they consider their purchase. Like coffee shops all over the US, in Turkey, they have instead cay (tea) gardens where people gather to chat, play games like backgammon, smoke hooka, and drink tea. With one caveat - women aren't often allowed in these establishments. Boo!

When you are done with your coffee in a restaurant in the US, many people will turn their cup upside down. Don't do that with your tea glass in Turkey! It tells your host/ess that the tea was bad!

Today, have some baklava and a cup of strong tea. I'm having the tea - minus the baklava.

I'm having a peach cobbler black tea:

The Russian Way of Tea

Russia is another country with its own tea drinking traditions. I've read that tea is typically served after a meal with dessert. The tea is rarely served with milk or cream, and usually includes lemon. What makes Russian tea different, for me at least, is the use of a samovar.

A samovar is a metal container heated to boil water. It has a faucet at the bottom, and nowadays are electric. The expression, "to sit by the samovar", is taken to mean basically, "let's chat and drink tea!"

This is an example of a samovar I found with a simple Google search:

They are quite varied, and some are stunningly beautiful!

Today I'm drinking a tea made from a recipe for a Russian tea, that I found tea. Enjoy!

The Moroccan Way of Tea

In many countries, tea is a way of life, and Morocco is no exception. I had read a little quip in a magazine how drinking tea was just part of the transaction involving buying a rug. Intrigued, I did a little Google search, and was both surprised and delighted to read this is not uncommon!

In Morocco, offering tea is showing hospitality, and a way to bond and create new relationships. Isn't this divine?

The common tea consumed is a gunpowder green tea with mint and sugar. Sometimes pine nuts are added. The tea is considered drinkable only if it has foam on top. To achieve this foam, the tea is poured from a teapot with a long narrow spout, from a height of about twelve inches. The tea is served in small glasses.

Bread soaked in tea is often given to babies.

An interesting article about the mysticism and preparation of the tea can be found here. There are lots of pictures there, too.

So what am I drinking today? Why, Moroccan Mint tea, of course!

Teabags and manicures

Years ago I had this little kit for repairing nails. It consisted of glue and strips of a mesh type paper. Imagine my surprise when I realized I could achieve the same results with super glue and teabags!

Yes, really. Since I save all the tea inside of teabags anyway for my garden, having access to dry teabags is a regular thing here. And, since I do love having long nails - even when they are more often than not impractical - because they make me feel very feminine, it has been a big help. The tragedy of long nails is, besides jamming them into things unintentionally, they break. Or chip. Or snag. You get the picture. So, I employ the use of a small snip of a teabag and some super glue, and voila! "Normal" nails. Well, normal as can be once you apply some glittery polish to hide the little rough part from the glue and teabag.

I'm not making this sound like much of a life hack, am I?

But the truth is, it works. It allows me to keep my nails long, and painted. Once the nail grows to a point I can trim or file it, the damage is gone. So it's really worth it, for me at least, in the end.

And I get to sip my white peach tea while my nails dry...

Tea Sandwich Tuesday: Cream Cheese and Preserves Sandwiches

This has got to be the easiest, simplest tea sandwich recipe ever.

Cream Cheese and Preserves Sandwiches

One container vegan cream cheese, softened
Fruit preserves - your choice (I had strawberry rhubarb on hand)

Mix about a tablespoon or two of preserves into the cream cheese, blending well. Spread this on the bread of your choice, and cut into desired shapes. Serve. Enjoy!

Seriously, could it be any easier?

White tea with cinnamon in Herself the Elf mug: