Sweet Broccoli Juice

Do you end up with a pile of broccoli stalks in your kitchen? I eat a lot of broccoli so I always manage to have a growing pile of broccoli stalks in my fridge. For years I made the mistake of composting them. Of course, that was until I realized how absolutely delicious they are. If you're not eating your broccoli stalks, let me tell you right now that you are missing out.

Once you peel the outer skin of the broccoli stalk away, the inside is crisp and sweet and they make a wonderful snack by themselves. I also love using shredded broccoli stalks raw in salads and slaws or sauteing them in a quick stir-fry. 

This week I've been experimenting with adding them to juices and I am loving this spicy and sweet combo with apple, mint, and ginger. If you are one of those people who dislike the taste of broccoli, let me just warn you now that this probably isn't for you. However, if you are a broccoli fan and are looking for a new way to  use up the stalks, this is one tasty treat!

If you are new to juicing broccoli, I would probably recommend taking it slow and starting with 1 - 2 stalks and increasing the ratio of apples. Combined with the mint and ginger, this juice is sweet, but with a nice bit of spice from the ginger. It's the perfect combo to get you in the mood for spring!

Sweet Broccoli Juice
Serves 1

2 - 3 broccoli stalks
handful fresh mint
1-inch piece ginger
1 - 2 apples, depending on desired sweetness

Juice ingredients and enjoy!

Recipe shared at Weekend Wellness

Vanilla Rooibus Tea with Cacao & Mint

Since I'm hosting the savory tea giveaway from Numi this week, I thought it would be fun to talk a little bit more about tea. 

If you ever come to Seattle, one of the places that you absolutely have to visit is Remedy Teas on Capitol Hill. I am obsessed with this tea house. They carry over 150 organic loose leaf teas in the cafe, including white, green, oolong, black, rooibus, yerba, and a variety of herbal teas. If you are a tea drinker, this place is pure heaven. 

One of my favorite combinations was a seasonal holiday tea they featured several years ago that tasted like chocolate peppermint candy. Let me tell you, I bought out the store. Literally. And over the next eleven months I drank it all. 

Then the following Christmas I anxiously awaited for this seasonal tea to return, but they never brought it back. Several months ago I found myself craving this tea again and I finally decided it was time to just make my own combination. So I did.  

Rooibus is a sweet, caffeine-free tea from South Africa. I love drinking it as an afternoon treat and this combination is perfect with a little almond milk and stevia.  

I was pleasantly surprised by how cost effective it is to make my own loose leaf blend by purchasing the ingredients separately and then mixing them together. A small tin of this blend can usually run around $15, but I found that purchasing the ingredients in bulk and making this myself cut the cost to a little less than 1/3 of the price. I found the ingredients at my local health foods store, but I also provided links below to order online if your store does not have a bulk section or does not carry these items. Since vanilla beans are quite pricey, I kept mine whole and added it to the tea blend to help infuse the tea with vanilla flavor. Storing the tea in a tea tin kept the vanilla bean fresh enough that it still has plenty of flavor to reuse in future batches of tea. 

Vanilla Rooibus Tea with Cacao & Mint

Makes about 15 cups of tea

Ingredients:

1/3 cup rooibus tea

2 tablespoons cacao nibs

2 tablespoons peppermint tea

1 vanilla bean

Instructions:

Assemble the ingredients and store in a tea tin.

The general rule of thumb when brewing loose leaf tea is 1 teaspoon of tea per cup of water, but I tend to like stronger tea so I usually add 2 - 3 teaspoons per cup of water. I am by no means a tea expert, but here are some other helpful tips I typically use for brewing rooibus tea:

• Always use fresh, cold, and preferably filtered water for boiling. (This will help your tea to taste the best.)
• The recommended temperature for making rooibus tea is 205°F, which means you can usually bring the water to a rolling boil and then steep the tea right away. (Some teas are better at a lower temperature so you have to wait a few minutes after boiling.)
• For steeping the tea, I usually opt for my trusty Bodum teapot or tea filters if I am using a travel mug on-the-go. Lately I've been using a tea infuser, which allows me to steep the tea directly in my mug. For some reason this has felt easier than using a teapot, but it's all personal preference. 
• Rooibus tea should steep for 3 - 5 minutes, and then the leaves should be removed.  It's also recommended that the cup is covered during steeping, but if you use the teapot or tea infuser, this usually has a lid of its own. 
• Finally, enjoy your tea! Add some milk of your choice and your favorite sweetener (if desired) and serve hot!

Recipe shared at Wellness Weekend

Mojito Juice

I've learned that I am a very indecisive person when it comes to buying produce.  It usually takes me three rounds in the produce section or at the farmers market before I feel ready to make some commitments.  And apparently, my indecisiveness is even worse when I'm buying produce online.

Picking out my SPUD juicing box each week has been the most excruciating process because I love them all!  Do I try something new?  Do I stick with an old favorite?  The options! In the end I went with my favorite Organic Dynamic Beauty Juicing Box for this week and I'm definitely glad I did because I discovered a brand new green juice combination that I adore.

I know that many of you have been excited and getting into juicing on your own so I wanted to remind you about this special offer from SPUD that ends in a few days.  SPUD has two juicing promotions going on until the end of January so if you've been looking for an affordable way to start juicing, this is your chance!

1. If you sign up to buy a juicer (with weekly installment payments) and 6 months of juicing boxes, you'll receive a $140 SPUD gift certificate! (This is a great option if you're looking to do a long-term juicing program for yourself.)
2. Or, if you do a one-time payment on a juicer, you'll get 4 weeks of organic produce free ($140 value)!

Onto the juice! This Mojito Juice is one of my absolute favorite green drinks. I love the combination of cucumber, mint, and lemon in the juice because it makes me feel like I'm sipping a fancy cocktail, which also happens to be fabulous for my health! If you want a sweeter version of this juice, simply sub out the celery for an apple of your choosing.

Mojito Juice
Makes one 12 - 16 oz juice

1 cucumber
3 stalks celery
handful fresh mint
2 kale leaves
1 lemon, peeled

Simple Sun Tea

In our neighborhood we have seven different cats that roam around being adorable and causing trouble.  Lucky for me, my desk sits right next to our kitchen window where 24/7 I have a live show of sleeping cats and feline mischief happening in the neighbor's yard.  Today, that mischief involved a squirrel.

This crazy little squirrel kept jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and made his way to the roof where our neighbor throws old loaves of bread for the birds.  And as he sat, happily munching away, one of the neighboring cats, snuck up right behind him.  I had already seen a close-call chase go down this morning  and was horrified because the squirrel wasn't turning around to notice the feline behind him.

In a situation like this, you have a couple of options.  You can keep watching and hope for the best.  Or, you can look away if you expect the worst.  Well, unless, you are me, that is...  because if you are me, your solution would be to open your window and begin yelling for the squirrel to run. Yes, at 10 am on a Sunday, I opened my kitchen window and yelled at a squirrel like a crazy person.  (And, yes, this really happened.  Who would make this up?)

Sure enough, the cat quickly made its move and that badass squirrel made a break for it -- bread and all.  Impressive little guy.  I guess when it comes to wild animals, they really don't need anyone looking out for them.

Luckily the rest of my day was not as eventful.  I stuck some fresh herbs in a pitcher of water, let it sit out in the sunlight, and then stayed away from my window.  I think my neighbors appreciated it.

Sun tea is for days when you want to keep it simple.  Maybe your kitchen is too hot to boil a cup of tea or maybe you just feel too lazy.  That's okay.  All sun tea requires is some herbs and, of course, sun. After brewing, keep this in a pitcher in your fridge and enjoy over ice.  You can use any combination of herbs you like, but this is one of my favorites.  If you aren't able to drink all the tea, you can also freeze it in ice cube trays to add a nice flavor to plain water. 

Simple Sun Tea
Inspired by Simply Recipes

2 quarts of water
3 cups fresh peppermint leaves
1 cup lemon balm
1/2 cup chamomile flowers

Add herbs to pitcher of water and let sit in direct sunlight for 3 - 5 hours.  Refrigerate after brewing and consume within 2-3 days.