Beverages Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Anti-Inflammatory Drinks That Help You and Zero-Waste)

Anti-Inflammatory drinks are common and very good for preventing inflammation that can lead to some chronic diseases.

And yes, your skin eczema and other symptoms could be related. Check out the anti-inflammatory blue matcha tea drink below you can make to have a cool and inflammation-free day. 🧋

an heirloom orange loaded with Vitamin C is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant goodness. — Look for heirloom, organic, or local farmers market produce as in-season (free of pesticides, good for us and the environment)

As we’re approaching warmer months, we like our soothing and cooling anti-inflammatory drinks. But that can depend on what helps balance our healthy Ayurveda body (and restore imbalances for our season).

Natural fruit-infused waters are usually a great option to flavor water, where you can simply add parts of whole fruits and veggies. Like orange, lemon, or lime peels for natural sweet-tartness. And are on a list of 200 anti-inflammatory foods you can checkout. 🛒

If you don’t have a home organic composting system (most people don’t), saving food scraps helps to cut down on waste before discarding in the garbage or the disposal. Plus, this eco-move prevents attracting unwanted house critters in warmer months.

For the little extra effort it takes, saving is so easy to do!

Take an orange. You can zest the peel of an orange that can substitute the “sugar” for your baking. Then use the skin and pith for your flavored orange water. It usually gets discarded even though it has higher vitamin amounts.

And of course, saving the best for last… enjoy the juicy orange slices for a snack, which is the only part that almost never gets tossed.

Now that’s a systemized orange habit 👏 where nothing gets tossed out, and you would reap all the healthy and other benefits.

These are some other Zero Waste-inspired anti-inflammatory drinks you can brew in a mason jar or recycled container jugs.

Kapha “Fire Up Cider” Anti-Inflammatory Drinks

Ideal Storage: Cool, dark cupboard or pantry

An off-balance Kapha body often has a need to intake fewer calories, especially if feeling heavy or sluggish after meals is a common natural symptom.

And when lacking energy, I love healthy fire cider drinks made with acidic ACV and lemon juice from a lemon. You can save the lemon zest and lemon pith and skin for lemonade. Or you can use pre-bought lemon juice.

Horseradish is the pungent ingredient I add in this fiery elixir, but that’s for you to decide if you can stomach it, and then top off with a kick of heat that can come from cayenne pepper. You can also sub the horseradish with garlic or onions.

And if jalapeno peppers are more your pack-a-punch vibe, that’s a good sub ingredient. You can also tone down the spicy twist with turmeric or a balanced hint of ginger.

This drink is good for Vatas too, but if you’re experiencing any slight Pitta imbalances, you’ll wanna turn down the heat!

Vata “Spice Digestion Elixir” Ayurveda Drink

Idea Storage: Refrigerator door or lower shelf in the fridge

An off-balance Vata can feel a sensitive or butterfly nervous stomach, and this drink can help.

Add Ginger, Cinnamon, Orange Peels, Allspice, plus your favorite spices and filtered water to a jar. Then shake up your mixture. Because of the peels, store this elixir in the fridge like juice if you plan on keeping it for longer than a week. These ingredients are anti-inflammatory.

I like to keep this in a repurposed plastic jar/container that was going to be sent to recycling (with a 9% chance of making its final destination… just sayin’ ♻️).

Pitta-Vata “Fermented Mother” Ayurveda Drinks

Ideal Storage: Cool cupboard or pantry (but not the fridge)

A Pitta or imbalanced Pitta can feel heartburn or upper GI tract symptoms. The ingredients in this drink all-in-all is a great elixir for high Pittas and Vatas.

Plus, this elixir is sweet and lasts in your cool cupboard with no expiration date!

Add organic ACV with “the mother enzyme” that looks like residue sitting at the bottom of the jar and mix with a few TBSPs of raw honey.

ACV improves digestion (increasing stomach acid production that tends to decrease as you age). Our internal body changes over time– a good message to share to younger friends and siblings who think they’ll stay the same forever! 😉

You can take a few spoonfuls of this before a meal and this helps glucose levels and prevents blood sugar spikes. The ACV smells can be off-putting to some, but the raw honey will smooth out the unfavorable ACV scent.

Honey is everything sweet in my opinion. So much so, here are some good storage tips:

Honey is best stored in a cooler, dark cupboard or sitting with a closed top in a pantry. By itself, raw honey never goes bad. It’s best not refrigerated or in changing (cooling) temperatures in a fridge that can speed up crystallization. And if you find the right honey and brand, it won’t crystallize at all in the right room temperatures.

Anti-inflammatory raw honey doesn’t have a hard rule expiration date that needs to be followed, as it has very low moisture content. I’ve never seen it go bad. But be sure to close the top or lid completely to eliminate moisture (and bacteria) in the air from entering over periods of time.

One popular honey dessert I remember was served up to many during my event planning days, is a dessert called Awamat, or Lebanese donuts, that is finished off with none other than honey and saffron as a glaze.

Because they looked more like donut holes they could be beautifully displayed as a croquembouche-style evergreen tree table display with a ‘lil engineering ingenuity and creativity… I’m sure recent GBBO contestants, Giuseppe or Juergen, could figure it out!

And besides food, “honey is medicine” as it’s an antioxidant and has antibacterial and antifungal (microbial) benefits. Our ancestors (the ancient Egyptians) and our modern Ayurveda practices have been using honey to prevent infections and help lower inflammation for ages.

It’s also a natural humectant, so whether you have dry skin or a dry throat when applied, it will also help with relieving symptoms. I can’t say enough about raw honey’s sticky goodness. 🍯

And you can add your honey to this calming anti-inflammatory butterfly tea 🦋🍵 drink that’ll sweeten your day.

Print Recipe

Anti-Inflammatory Blue Matcha Tea Ocean Drink

Course beverage

Cuisine American, Japanese

Ingredients

blue matcha tea (Butterfly pea flower tea)
coffee or black tea like English Breakfast or Early Grey
raw honey, optional
blueberries, optional

Instructions

Brew your blue matcha tea leaves for about 5 minutes in a mug. Be sure to use cooler than boiling water to not burn the leaves. Cool in the refrigerator.
Pour about 1/3 high tea to your drinking glass or rock glass for your "ocean." Add honey (optional).
Freeze.
Add a "sand" layer with coffee or black tea.
Freeze again.
Add milk or cappuccino froth for "cloud." layer. Zhugh with blueberries if desired.

3 Work-Life Balance Ways For Daily Joy

Work-Life Balance is the way for daily joy and a recipe for daily joy helps too… Like this Almond Joy Smoothie reminiscent of the candy bar you grew up to without the calories and lower sugar.

Almond Joy Smoothie

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup chocolate almond milk or cocoa powder
Additional cocoa powder
1-1/2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tsp almond butter

Instructions

Blend ingredients and enjoy!

Notes

The main ingredient for a magical Almond Joy chocolatey-coconut smoothie beverage, is coconut flour, and can be gluten-free. If you don't like coconut, then make a chocolate smoothie beverage without the coconut ingredients.

Almond Joy Smoothie (Recipe description BELOW)

These days, workers are choosing work-life balance, joy, self-care, and wellness. And some are consciously walking off the job for their personal lives, health, and safety.

You have to be your cheerleading advocate and make your best decisions for work-life balance. I know this from my almost two decades in DC working for Corporate America in tech companies, associations, and hotels run like corporate with little time balance.

(Reminder that you only get this one life).

And happiness at the end of the rainbow or sprinkles is something we all identify with and define differently.

In my early workdays, I soon realized happy employees don’t quit good companies and jobs. The motto used to be, “it’s hard to find a good employee,” and that seems to have shifted to: it’s hard to find a good employer. The roles are reversing in our evolving society.

How it pans out is revealed only after you take a job. Most jobs begin great. Like most relationships, where there’s the honeymoon period. And then the cracks become clear. You wouldn’t enter a bad one knowingly.

The 2021 Great Resignation trend is becoming a more defined movement with dissatisfied employees quitting. It’s not just one reason, but at the top of the list are better life and care, and overall work-life balance dissatisfaction (work misery, burnout, lack of employee care or concern, being pushed to the limit in work demands… and sadly, work toxicity, harassment, and bullying). Often these areas get brushed under the rug.

I know in my many management experiences, I often questioned demands, decisions, and lack of attention from the-powers-that-be, with no satisfying answers. For me, sales was a happier place to be because the role empowered me to make opportunities happen. And those were the good management jobs where I felt like a productive workhorse.

But not everyone is cut out for that work or the one they’re in.

Finding a good job these days is a diamond in the rough. And most are tough and will probably get more demanding before it gets better. So what can you do about a better work-life balance in those situations?

Lessons Learned: Creating Better Work-Life Balance and Happiness

As humans we have to find some joy in our lives, or we can break. Getting up in dread over our work is no way to live. And not having work stability is another tough place to be.

I’d been through the washing machine spin cycle (I thought), several times as an adult – starting at the bottom again after career switching and experiencing massive corporate layoffs.

In the post-2008 economy fallout, many industries fell apart like the one I was in. I went through years of the next phase (the drying machine years) where I found daily joy in the small things. Like a nice cup of chai tea. Or journaling. Seeing friends and volunteering.

And that’s how I ended up back to my hospitality roots where I left off and new opportunities existed (and now in life’s roll-of-the-dice 2020 uncertainty, is the industry that has been impacted the most).

Entering the dryer process lasted until the appointed time. I lost track of my age, as days turned to months. And then years. And I discovered contentment means happiness (and not what the strong-armed ego feeds you with baloney). True happiness and peace is from within and at the moment in the daily joy. You look out for it (and you can miss it in life’s noisyness).

I also learned patience (a virtue) in an impatient culture where Patience is a bad word. And where people show their impatience on the road and is part of the get-ahead mentality. People are irritated and angry and don’t realize it’s in the air. No judgment.

Love thy neighbor. We only see snapshots of people in time, and each person has the freedom and accountability to their own lives.

…and btw, have you noticed that when you purposefully let others go ahead of you in line, then deep down, you feel better that you’re sending good karma in the world. Your angel poofs out the ego critic.

Depending on how often you think to do kind acts, this can be your way or standard. The more you practice, the more it becomes what you see in the mirror and your daily habits. And you feel the difference between good and icky. It can be counter-cultural as we’re taught to try and be first, but you can realize where there’s misalignment between giving and getting.

And, you and I who are wiser, are looking to create more impact in this world and our lives. We are connecting the dots and letting go of disconnects so we can live our best life now or at least start the process.

For me, that starts in flow, getting in Happy Baby Pose, working out the neck and body kinks, and getting intentional in daily purpose. Something to fit in today at home if you need a suggestion.

…So, during the unfulfilling season (about a decade ago) after I started my yoga and quiet practices, I could find deep gratitude, contentment, be patient, and let go of judgment and complaining attitudes. And that became my way. It wasn’t in the things I had or didn’t have. It was a choice.

As with most things, it was in the missing pieces I had to search for and figure out.

Today, I’m grateful for that long season. The practices and attitudes I adopted help define who I am. And while that was happening, healthier options and new digital resources are available to us today (something else to be grateful for).

These days, it’s hard to be bored, and very easy to get distracted and not listening to our thoughts. Growing up we found activities with a radio, television, and books. And that was a lot compared to my parents age who grew up on less book options and radio only. There was no streaming (live or not) or doing online research… I know it’s hard to think of life without!…right?

I believe whatever time you were born into isn’t going wasted. You were born for the exact right moment that works with you and what you’re meant to do, and that you can make the most of every day in a joyful way.

On that brighter note…

Here are 3 ways to add joy into your work-life balance and day: Continue reading “3 Work-Life Balance Ways For Daily Joy”

Featured Starbucks Pink Drink + Create Your “Signature Tropical Drink”

starbucks pink drink and tropical drinks — Refreshing virgin pina colada beverage

Starbucks has a menu of refresher drinks including the Starbucks Pink Drink and a choice of exotic fruit drinks on their current menu, including these:

Star Drink, Pink Drink, Strawberry Acai, and Mango Dragon Fruit.

A couple of these drink names don’t describe the drink ingredients exactly. Like, the Starbucks Pink Drink has passionfruit and gets its pink name color from the strawberries.

The Star Drink is kiwifruit-based, but the name reminds me of star fruit (that’s star-shaped). When you cut it up, it can have a similar green color to a kiwifruit (but isn’t nearly as sweet).

Curious Tropical Fruits

Tropical fruits make for very unusual and refreshing summery drinks (great for balancing Vata and Pitta). Tropical and most fruits have Vitamin C plus their variety of vitamins and nutrients. The kiwifruit is a superfruit with amazingly high Vitamin C content.

Tropical fruits have strange exteriors, fascinating interiors, and unique colors. They can make you curious…

Like the kiwifruit with an egg-shaped, smooth coconut-looking exterior and the interior of a perfectly patterned seed.

And the dragon fruit, that’s one strange looking fruit with a fireball-exterior color/shape with artichoke-like stems, and contrasting oreo-cookie color polka-dotted interior… whew, that’s one long description…sorry, I tried my best here to describe it to you

What can I say?… it’s in a league of its own.

Then there’s the passion fruit with a soupy-mushy interior with contrasting peach orange and plant stem green colored seeds.

I have to admit passionfruit is not a taste I prefer. I’m passionate about fruit, but not the passionfruit… some people love the taste (calling all Pittas!), but it gives me a pucker face when I drink it because it’s too tart for my taste.

Me — I like pure sweet, but maybe that’s because I’m a Vata… so kiwi, pineapple, or strawberries are more my jam. Those are the sweetest fruits I know 😊.

The good news is, added sugar like the kind you find in a girly pink lemonade drink isn’t necessary as natural fructose sugar is enough.

Dreaming Up Your Drinks

In making my dream version of a perfect Starbucks Pink Drink, I think I’d mix strawberry, basil, and coconut froth. To each her own.

In making your homemade drinks, you can always stick with the fruit basics if all of this is too exotic for you.

You can use strawberry, banana, and orange, but I-yyy think you can get a little more creative!

You could make a virgin pina colada smoothie with pineapple and coconut milk and then zhugh up with a dessert maraschino cherry (that’s lower in sugar than you think 😉).

…Can you tell I turn into my ‘lil girl self when I talk about the fruits?

Other fruits to consider are berries and watermelons — perfectly ripened in the summertime. Watermelons are refreshing and contain lycopene, an antioxidant that you often hear about in tomatoes. You can add mint or basil for a great refresher-balanced drink.

Cantaloupe is another good fruit choice, loaded with Vitamin A. And it’s fun to cut up. I like to cut in half, use a mini-scooper, and add the chunks back into the cantaloupe bowl. That’s a perfect environmentally-conscious way to take mixed fruit to a picnic 😉. But less waste is a whole ‘nother topic I’m passionate about besides fruit.

Here’s a list of 30 fruits that you can make creative drinks on a whim from… and maybe add some tropical ones on your grocery list to try!: Continue reading “Featured Starbucks Pink Drink + Create Your “Signature Tropical Drink””

Creative Smoothie and Dessert Tea Ideas For the Sweet Tooth

Creative Smoothie ideas is one way to celebrate that we have beverage variety choices. This can give you a new reason to be happy today.

Your body, balance, and sensitivity to tastes and smells change all the time. What’s good for you in this season may change in the next or even tomorrow.

You can come up with your own creative smoothie ideas like I did below. That keeps life interesting!

As a natural Ayurvedic Vata, I was born with a sweet tooth, so if I think a dessert is too sweet, then believe me… it has waaay too much sugar, so that’s why I came up with less sweet, healthier options!

Especially in America, where foods are loaded with sugars, our healthy taste buds and sense can be off track. The average American consumes over 70 grams of sugar a day, when 25 grams of maximum recommended added or processed sugar is agreed on by both the FDA and American Heart Association.

While fruit sugar (fructose) is a better kind of sugar, it’s still sugar at the end of the day.

Going From Morning Frappucino and Coca Cola to Black Coffee, Tea, and A Creative Smoothie

In our American diets, we can go over the recommendation in just our breakfast beverage choices alone! If you like Frappuccinos like many of us do, whether your drink has added whipped cream or not, you’re looking at 50 grams of sugar or more for a 16-ounce drink.

That’s okay once in a celebratory while, but if you order a Starbucks Short size beverage (regular 8-ounce glass size drink), you’ve used up all the recommended sugar for the day… and it may not even be 10 am yet!

And actually, you can see most Americans carrying around the Tall or Grande size beverages (or larger). Our small is often a super size large in other countries.

The healthier order option with no sugar is black coffee or tea. So then, getting back to basics, the only safe beverage out there is water, as pure and healthy… but are they all?…

You can clearly taste the difference between purified waters and artesian waters like Fiji brand water. The water variety is all sold in plastic bottles and available on grocery shelves, but the cost difference gives you an indicator of the quality difference. And you can clearly taste the difference between Evian and purified water.

In America, you can commonly buy a water bottle case (24-16 ounce bottles) of purified water for under $4. They’re usually advertised “on-sale” and you can find them in the front of the store when you first walk in.

Higher-end, luxury water brands you can find in the water aisle selections also, but you can expect to pay closer to a dollar or more a bottle. The good news is most tap water in America is drinkable and many households use a Brita pitcher with a filter or similar.

So as we question drinks such as basic water, we have to wonder about other consumable beverages. Coca-Cola is known for its evolving trends as society changes and as a popular beverage consumed around the world.

There’s even a Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, GA where you can taste different versions of Coke served all around the world. As you can imagine the American Coke version is loaded with sugar (too scary to even mention how many sugar grams per can, but you can look it up!).

In my late 20’s I used to drink sodas for breakfast when it was trendy and corporate offices stocked their refrigerators full of soda cans for employees and invited visitors to grab.

I quit the unhealthy soda habit after a few years in healthy awareness. I traded caffeinated sodas for healthier morning teas, coffee, and smoothies as better choices with redeeming health benefits, and hopefully, you can do the switch if you haven’t already!

If you want more energy and vitality, getting off sodas and high-sugar drinks is a good move. And also adding more water, that can seem boring to taste, but that’s what our bodies want and will reward you for.

Despite some of our generally unhealthy cultural habits, Americans have made drinking water, chic and cool, as we carry around water bottles to our work and of course to our workouts and yoga.

It’s a comparison observation I made when I was in Rome in 2019 and saw that even though all the public water sources and fountains are deemed clean and drinkable, you won’t easily find reasonably priced water bottles around. …how funny is that?

So, we’ve gotten better at drinking water regularly and not just taking a vitamin supplement or while we work out. We know that drinking proper water amounts prevents kidney stones, keeps our bodies functioning and our skin looking young.

So on that healthier level, we can make healthier breakfast drinks like a smoothie easily with the Magic Bullet gadget or a blender. You can add protein powders or if you like bananas, they’re a good smoothie staple.

Bananas have a higher glycemic index that can spike inflammation, but they are rich in fiber, potassium, and B vitamins, so they’re still a good natural super food good for filling an empty or upset stomach.

Keep reading for 7 creative daily beverage ideas…

Continue reading “Creative Smoothie and Dessert Tea Ideas For the Sweet Tooth”