You too should have that 'special' drink in the morning

No, NOT booze your floozy! I’m talking about tea… more specifically a wonderful concoction I’ve made with black tea. If you too have a terrible time waking up in the morning you’ll want to try this. I’ll tell you why but I’m guessing you want to know what the heck is in it first so here is the recipe I have come up with.
I ask that if you share this recipe please leave a link to this blog post, email me, or just leave a comment letting me know you’ve used it. After all, I worked hard on getting this one just right (as with all the recipes I post here) J
Alice Hearts Chai 
1 bag Dargeeling tea (I prefer Twinnings brand)
½ cup water
1 3 inch cinnamon stick
~Put all the above in a small pot and bring to boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let it sit for 5-15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick (save for tomorrow because it has a few uses in it) and squeeze out that tea bag. Then add…

a Smidgeon of Ground Cardamom
1 tsp vanilla (homemade is wonderful!)
1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup (again guys I’m talking about the REAL stuff… corn syrup is an awful way to kick off your day)
1 Tbsp Honey
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
~Mix well over medium high heat and grab your choice of milk and when the cocoa seems to have unchunked itself add…

2 cups milk
~Heat to your liking, stirring constantly. If you don’t watch your milk, the kids will distract you and you won’t remember you were even going to have tea until you hear sizzling and smell milk burning to your stovetop!
ENJOY! *Makes approx. 2 mugs of tea*

Ok back to WHY this is THE drink for me (and possibly you too).
Did you know that the health-giving properties of tea have been many for centuries!? I found these fun little bits online… 1st Century AD period attributed these properties to tea: refreshing effect, relaxes the nerves, brightens eyes, helps combat alcoholism, cleanses blood of heat, reduces obesity, cleanses blood of impurities, eliminates phlegm, cures dysentery, stimulates digestion, cleanses the bowels, gives energy, and strengthens teeth. Research confirms much of this today. Black Tea contains enzymes called polyphenols, which include, flavinoids. Falvinoids are anti-oxidants that help resist many diseases by preventing cell damage. Favinoids have also been found to help prevent clots that cause most heart attacks. Tea also contains fluoride so its helps to fight tooth decay!

Who would have thought plain ol’Cinnamon was anything but wonderful? It gets better though. Cinnamon contains calcium, iron, fiber, and Vitamins C and K to name a few. It has a mild anti-inflammatory effect, helps relieve gas and bloating, and has anti-fungal properties but mostly it can improve blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol!

Cardamom is a wonderful Indian spice that is known to ease muscle tension, aid in digestion, and improves metabolism. It is also known to have antioxidant properties.

Vanilla is more than just a way to make things taste better. The compound in vanilla is called vanillin. Vanillin is a polyphenol, which is a strong antioxidant. Because vanilla is such strong antioxidant it may offset some of the oxidative damage in your brain keeping cells healthy and preventing effects of diseases like Alzheimers. Studies show that vanillin can stop cancer growth as well as slow cancer spreading in lab mice (poor mice)!

Maple syrup is a good sweetener to use if you care about the health of your heart. It contains manganese and zinc, which are important to your white blood cells, immune system, male reproductive system and helps prevent heart damage. It also has an anti-inflammatory effect. It tends to be sweeter than table sugar, meaning you will use less, and has less calories.

Honey’s natural sugars help prevent fatigue during exercise. The glucose in honey is absorbed quickly to give an immediate energy boost, while the fructose in absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy. It has antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties that can help improve digestion and fight disease. This one is for you floozies; honey is known to speed up the oxidation of alcohol by the liver.

Cocoa has reported use for about 2,000 years with over 100 uses such as: treatment of fatigue, heart pain, anemia, kidney complaints, and bowel issues. Many of cocoa’s therapeutic properties can been attributed to flavinoids. Scientists have established that regular consumption of flavinoid rich foods can reduce the risk of many chronic illnesses such as cancer, stroke, and heart disease! Flavinoids, act as antioxidants, by cleaning out free radicals. Excessive free radicals cause damage to cells including DNA… making you age quicker aka look old! Cocoa flavinoids also do the following: inhibit the oxidation of ‘bad’ cholesterol, keep blood clots from forming, regulates inflammation, regulates blood pressure, and may relieve diarrhea. Cocoa also contains phenylethylamin and seratonin, both of which lift your mood giving it a reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Finally, milk! Calcium, potassium, protein, Vitamin K, iodine (essential for thyroid function), riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Vitamin A, and Vitamin D are important to your health and can be found in milk. Milk helps maintain bone mass, may help maintain a healthy blood pressure, can reduce PMS symptoms. Milk produced by grass fed cows is said to contain a fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid, which kills human skin cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer cells! If you are worried about your weight or cholesterol opt for skim milk like I do; if you fear processed foods you’ll want to get the whole milk like Joe does.

So if you were lucky enough to inherit really crappy DNA such as I have then you will see clearly the benefits of  Alice Hearts Chai.
Mix all the above with a good Bible reading, add the caffeine and you will absolutely be good to go.