In my effort to be more healthy this year, am now up to running 5k three times a week, I have decided to cut down on the amount of tea I drink.
Although we do buy decaf tea, I still have 4 or 5 cups a day, so have decided to reduce this and increase my water intake.
My sister-in-law is a big drinker of Green Tea and as I'd never tried it she soon blasted me with the health benefits and suggested I try it. The British Journal of Nutrition has recently revealed that drinking more than three cups of green tea a day can help protect against cell deterioration as we age. Green tea is also a natural source of antioxidents that may help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals. Two good enough reasons for me to give it a go!
Background Info:
- Green Tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis and is treated in a different way to normal tea to give it a different unusual flavour.
- Mostly produced in China, where 80% of the World's Green Tea comes from and they have been producing for years. Although you can find Green Tea from the Far East, South India and South America.
- The leaves for green tea are not given the opportunity to oxidise as with black tea, leaving the leaves green in colour.
Range:
Where there used to just be Green Tea, you can now buy a range of Green Teas from Twinings
There are three unflavoured Green Teas - one pure Green Tea, one Light & Delicate Green Tea (slightly softer taste) and then a Decaf Pure Green Tea.
There are also some flavoured Green Teas - a Jasmine Green Tea, a Lemon Green Tea, a Cranberry Green Tea and Pomegranate Green Tea. All use natural ingredients so no artificial flavours.
I opted to try the Pure Green Tea (£1.45 for 20 teabags)and you can Buy tea online
although the Lemon Green Tea sounds quite intriguing, I'll stick to trying them one at a time. I left the teabag in for about 2 minutes
(I like weak tea) and then tasted.
My initial comments would be not to expect green tea to taste like your normal tea as it definitely doesn't . It is almost fresher, lighter and perhaps a bit grassier. It takes a few sips to get used to it but I found it quite nice and refreshing and will definitely try and add Green Tea to my daily diet though because it is so healthy. I'll keep you posted on my progress.
In the meantime, you can join the Twinings Tea UK club on Facebook for more info on new products, competitions and free products -
You may remember a while ago, I was sent a box of goodies from New Zealand Honey Co, including everything I need to survive the winter season!
The box was full of natural remedies including a selection of New Zealand Honey Co's goodies, a pack of peppermint tea, lemon juice, a clove of garlic, lavender oil, a packet of dried blueberries and some ground ginger.
Well as Winter is almost behind us (20 days until Spring!) I thought I would update you on my progress.
I have actually done really well this Winter avoiding all the germs and bugs that have been going round. I did get one cold, which isn't bad considering the twins seems to have had a constant cold since November!
Interestingly while everyone in the house was knocked out by the dreaded sickness bug (twice), I totally managed to avoid it (touch wood!). I'm not sure if this is just a coincidence or ties in with the fact I have regularly been using the natural rememdies and trying to be as healthy as possible.
The honey is delicious and I've been having every morning on toast. Plus when I had my cold I made myself a hot toddy (minus the whisky) so perhaps the natural remedies really do work. Who knows? But I will certainly be sticking with it for the rest of the year!
I have got a pic of the fab wooden box that my daughter decorated (for her Moshlings) so will add this pic shortly.
Now, I'm off donate some blood!
Another fab item I have recently been sent is this amazing box full of natural remedies from the New Zealand Honey Co. The wooden box itself is fantastic and my 7 year old daughter has already laid claim to it! I'm sure it will be coloured in and decorated shortly for me to share with you.
The box was full of natural remedies including a selection of New Zealand Honey Co's goodies, a pack of peppermint tea, lemon juice, a clove of garlic, lavender oil, a packet of dried blueberries and some ground ginger.
The idea behing the box is everything you need to survive the winter season without grabbing packets of over-the-counter medicines from the local pharmacy. The honey contains a range of antioxidant, antibacterial and pre-biotic properties to help keep our bodies in tip top shape and leaving us feeling full of vitality! A definite must-have for a mother of twins working full-time!
I am a huge honey fan so very excited to look closely at the honey they sent through:
New Zealand Honey Co's Beech Forest Honeydew Honey - apparently ideal if you are in need of a little boost. It has a pre-biotic rating of 20+ so one of the highest rated pre-biotic honeys in the world. It is recommended to keep digestive systems in shape. The honey feeds the good bacteria in the gut to neutralise harmful toxins and increases the absorption of nutrients.
New Zealand Honey Co's Thyme Honey - smells amazing and is meant to keep immune system on track. Again a must-have when you have three kids at home carrying all sorts of bugs and germs! This honey can help neutralise the harmful free radicals that cause anxiety, premature aging (sounds perfect) and other health problems.
Finally, the honey everyone knows - New Zealand Co's Manuka Honey - has an antibacterial rating of 15+, and is effective against a wide range of harmful bacteria, particularly coughs, colds and sore throats. They recommend dissolving one tsp every few hours in your mouth. Manuka honey has so many benefits, apparently it can also help treat skin infections, rashes, blemishes and sort spots.
I will be using this fabulous selection of natural remedies over the next few weeks so come back to see the results and whether I had to use any other forms of medication to get me and the family through the Winter!
For the last year, all I've read and dreamed about is Whoopie Pies. I'd never actually tried them or baked them but just constantly read reviews about them, or heard people say how yummy they are.
I haven't tried them because I just hadn't found anywhere that sold them and never really got round to ordering online, or didn't want to pay the expensive postage costs. Well I'm pleased to say this week it all changed, thanks to Twitter I came across @Whoopiepiesuk and found they deliver a trial pack anywhere in the country with no postage costs.
I was so excited, I visited their website http://www.whoopiepiesuk.co.uk/ straight away and studied the selection carefully. You could choose two from Strawberry, Banoffee or Chocolate Mars Bar variety. I opted for a Chocolate Mars Bar and a Banoffee and paid the trial price of £5.99 via Paypal.
Customer services got in touch straight away to confirm delivery, I actually requested a later delivery date when I knew I would be there to receive the parcel.
The parcel arrived a couple of days later and sealed in individual tupperware dishes were my yummy Whoopie Pies:
I couldn't wait to tuck into them, but which one to choose first, it was a difficult decision but I opted for the Banoffee Whoopie Pie!
I was nervous! Would the long-awaited Whoopie Pie meet my expectations, what if I didn't like it, what if it was just the same as a boring old fairy cake! I took my first bite ......
...and breathed a sigh of relief!
It was delicious, so moist and incredibly moreish. The sponge was yummy banana and the filling vanilla buttercream with a toffee sauce, it tasted just like banoffee pie (well without the biscuit base). It was scrumptious and its fair to say the rest of the Pie did not stand a chance! I tucked into it before anyone in the office could ask to try it!
I was very impressed and will certainly be ordering again. I've already studied the more extensive range of varieties that are on offer when you place an order for 6 or more. I particularly like the sound of the banana with nutella or the carrot cake with orange. Its so hard to decide, so while I think about it I might just tuck into the Chocolate Mars Bar Whoopie Pie that is staring at me from my desk!
