Orange coffee as in orange juice in the coffee is a powerful tasting combo. You may be scratching your head wondering how that odd combo is… that works unlike other citrus.
Below I share a couple orange photo inspiration as to what brought this on me…
And I understand if you need a ‘lil nudge because we’re used to separate cups and glasses for the two drinks.
Part of a popular American breakfast has both OJ and coffee.
But you gotta admit adding orange juice to your coffee sounds convenient (one less cup). ☕️
If you’re at a breakfast buffet, it’s one last cup you have to carry.
I’d say… also a smart idea that makes sense for boosting the immune system during holiday travel season… and calming anxious moods that oranges do. It’s good to carry one on ya!
Plus, orange 🍊 adds a nice flavor to your black coffee. Think of it like orange and chocolate or cocoa… another drink idea. 💭
Oranges brighten up your cup o’ joe choices.
And if you’re a Vata, you love the variety and oranges!
In a cup of coffee ☕️, the orange flavor comes through nicely… half orange (or at least 1/3) to half coffee makes it a brightened, pleasant taste…
The best way is with liquid orange juice you can freshly squeeze or mix with prepared juice. You can also use orange zest if you don’t mind the solid textures.
Those are the best ways for the zesty flavor punch to come through.
…Cold brew coffee has less acidity than regular brewed coffee ways. And fresh orange juice has less acidity than concentrated juices you would buy at the grocery stores.
If acidity is a concern, you can add spices like cinnamon and ginger to help tone down and counteract effects.
The caffeine in coffee btw is loaded with antioxidants that are good for not only quick cognitive reasons, but also improving heart health.
We all love that! ❤️🔥
And when you use fresh whole oranges, you bypass sugar added to processed orange juice from concentrate.
You get the Vitamin C and A antioxidants plus minerals and fiber.
Orange juice sales ramp up in the cooler winter months when people are thinking about ramping up on Vitamin C for cold and flu season.
And as helpful nature would have it, oranges are winter fruits.
That’s a great way to start the morning!
They support happy hormones and reducing stress hormones. Gotta love that too! 😀
Your choice of orange is based on your preference and where you are.
For a sweeter orange, you could select a blood orange, navel orange, or a Cara Cara orange.
You can also sometimes find oranges year-round depending on if there’s a good sunshine season.. That’s why Florida and California are the abundant king and queen orange states. ☀️
A Florida orange has thinner skin than California navel, and are more like Valencia oranges that are the most common kind internationally and around the world.
You can tell where you are located just by the oranges in the stores and trees. 🍊
…Like these Spanish ohh-ahh orange trees I saw. Can you imagine these fresh ones for breakfast?
I had my first Sevilla orange for the first time years ago and it was coffee life changing. That was one of the years I spent Thanksgiving overseas.
And then back home n the States, had Sevilla orange coffee that was inspired by my fun visit to Spain.
Spices and herbs are my favorite accoutrement for cooked-in flavor… plus more for zhugh. Spices are usually an after thought though. 💭
It’s good to sniff your spices once in a while to see if they are still fresh and usable. You can test them with a popcorn tasting party.
…Anything tastings btw make me perk up 🤩 and are up-my-alley probably because I spent a decade de ma vie as an event menu and planner professional working with tasty dishes and party planner hosts.
…And hosting your home popcorn tasting, instead of just a shake of salt, you can add a spice blend. You can also add EVOO for some healthy points or keep your dry snack, dry without any fat (that’s good for weight loss missions or a Kapha imbalance).
A small dash of salt (that’s a pinch or a teaspoon) daily is healthy for most people. 🧂
…But most of us get enough salt from the foods we eat without needing to add more… unless you cook all your foods and then you know exactly how much of this-or-that you’ve added.
And for more truth, there’s a myth that sea salts are healthier. All salt has sodium at the core, and salt from the sea has about the same as table salt.
I like to have a mixture of coarse salt, Celtic and Himalayan sea salts, and table salt for different cooking and baking reasons.
Coarser salts make good zhugh like food bling. 💍 Its crunch is also baked salty-good in fall pizzas.
And like salt, spices can add flavor inand on foods.
Herbs are often better on (or at least visible), and brown spices better as invisible flavor. But some spice seeds are zhugh exceptional like coriander, saffron threads, and fiery crushed red pepper flakes. 🔥
Herbs come from the greener parts (stems and leaves) of the plants and spices come from the seeds, roots, bark, and flowers… so they’re often ground to pinhead size or a powder.
I’ll share my bits here as these are some of my favorite year-round and holiday cooking spices and herbs in their own anti-inflammatory league:
The thin red strands are unique and tasty on ooey-gooey desserts or a glazed lemon coconut cookie. And not only does saffron lift flavor: did you know saffron is a mood lifter? …so if you have an imbalanced Kapha mood that’s part of seasonal winter months, this is an amazing addition.
It also believed to help with worried and anxious feelings that are obvious Vata signs.
2.Cayenne pepper (pungent):
If you add the heated cayenne spice in your salty dishes like mac-n-cheese, then you have a different tasting dish altogether. Fresh cayenne can be caliente hot so don’t let the muted color-appearance fool you.
Did you know cayenne is used in many Cajun dishes?
If you want to stick with a mild dish, you could use the safer mild paprika (found also in Creole dishes like gumbo).
Adding cayenne on top of avocado sprouted bread toast is a personal favorite snack that’s good so you don’t add too much hot spice as you can see the contrast in colors.
The initial burning sensation you get on your tongue is what makes the plant-based capsaicin compound anti-inflammatory.
Tumeric is a super-anti-inflammatory curcumin spice that gets more healthy potent with black pepper.
It’s smoky and extremely dry to the mouth. The bright orange flaming color would never prepare you for that.
Consider adding turmeric spice to potatoes, fish, or eggs.
On popcorn, I like it with a ‘lil EVOO since turmeric is astringent (drying in the mouth) and popcorn is naturally dry. 🍿
This is a healthy way over adding salt and butter, and one you can do watching movies in your home comfort.
Tip: use a stainless steel bowl as turmeric leaves an orange stain like fiery-orange leaves. 🍂
4.Ginger (pungent):
Add fresh ginger root to your hot tea and water to aid digestion from your big meal and to start your day.
It’s exceptionally beneficial in the morning when you’re revving up your stomach engine for the day ahead with its gingerol anti-inflammatory effects.
An easier way to cut the irregular shaped root and remove the skin is to soak the ginger in water overnight, and then it’s softer so you can cut the skin off. 🫚
Dry ginger is a staple powdery spice ingredient for holiday gingerbread bakes… my fave way to bring in sweet spice blends.
5.Cumin (cool):
And on the other temperature extreme, cumin is one-of-a-kind. That says it all!
It’s one of the primary Ayurvedic spices. If you’re a competitive Pitta or have a Pitta imbalance where you’re feeling angry or irritated, you’ll naturally prefer this spice during those hotter mood seasons.
It’s a cooling spice that will cool down and help inflammation.
If you combine with paprika or cayenne heat, it’ll help balance the spice temperatures that’s good for when you feel hot on the outside and cool temps on the inside, or vice versa. …You know those days, when both a cold and warm shower feel good. 🚿
Cumin is deliciously found in many plant-based and Middle Eastern dishes like falafel or hummus. Or in Mediterranean dishes and salads with feta and red onions.
I added some to falafel waffles and a potato Greek yogurt dip (like a tzatziki without cucumbers) I made over this past weekend.
💡You can always test spice on a popcorn snack or rice first to see if you will like it!
6.Curry (sweet):
…Ok, there are 3 savory spices I used to detest when I was younger… and guess what they are?…They are all on this list! I disliked ginger, rosemary, and this spice… curry.
Today, I am a fan of all of these spices.Why?Because your tastes change and learning to pair tastes changes tastes.
Tastings as I mentioned was part of my job. And when I could taste the notes in the spice with a complementary food pairing, it became a different and newly enhanced experience.
Curry in a mustard potato salad is one example that changed my mind.
And then I learned about the anti-inflammatory effects. Since curry is a seasoning blend with turmeric and chili pepper already mentioned as healthy tastes, you can see why it’s a no-brainer add. 👍
Plus, the lemony coriander vibe in the curry blend is like the cherry on top. 🍋🍒
7.Rosemary (astringent)
Rosemary is a unique herb. Add to cooked eggs and you’ll have a nice hiking, woodsy, and evergreen pine-like experience in your mouth.🌲
Add to roasted potatoes and root veggies and it’s a total flavor winner.
Rosemary is also one of the most anti-inflammatory herbs and is part of the mint family.
Mint is one of my favorite teas and herbs, so you can see why this one became a favorable one even though it took time to grow on me 😉.
And that’s one lesson that can help you to grow: Never give up on healthy foods you didn’t like before!
8.Oregano (astringent):
Oregano can come as a close second to rosemary if you’re deciding on healthiest. But why choose between the two when you can have both?
Add both herbs to a holiday turkey for the more traditional tastes where you can’t go wrong.
Oregano is like adding salt on pastas and Italian tomato-based dishes.
9.Coriander:
Coriander is a lemony-tasting spice and one the subtle yellow brightens up any dish. The best kind to buy is coriander seeds that you can finger crush into your cooking pots and pans or directly into your food bowl.
…I wonder if Fido would like that too? 💭
That adds a spice flavor burst when you get one that leaves a nice, lingering after taste, after your spoonful bite is long gone.
Coriander is also an antioxidant that’s good for preventing free-radicals and oxidative stress (that helps to protect against certain cancers).
10.Sumac (bitter):
And finally, I saved the best for last. It’s one of the lesser known spices but is a superantioxidant good for cold and flu season and around the holidays.
Add sumac to your potatoes for a slightly bitter tangy taste, and casseroles. The small specks of dark purplish red color, stand out from the crowd of spices in your rack.
It’s a key ingredient in a za’atar spice blend, that commonly has sesame seeds, sumac, and thyme. You can easily bake za’atar into healthy za’atar crackers.
Cranberry juice is one powerful antioxidant drink that’s good to keep in your food-as-medicine kitchen cabinet. It’s a festive, easy drink to serve up to your dry and under age guests that wins health points for all.
Cranberries have stood the test of time over centuries like many healthy, plant-based foods. That helped people survive.
The fruits were originally named crane-berry because it was a popular food for cranes, as in birds. Machines 🏗️ aren’t drinking or eating yet.
…Also, wouldn’t it be fun to name fruits because many are still being discovered in our New World? 💭 I remember when elderberries came on the scene as good for cold immunity… I feel like an elder berry. 😊
These days, we share these same foraged foods with other small wildlife creatures like squirrels, deers, and other birds. 🐿️🦌
And humans turn this cranberry fruit (that’s not a berry) into a drink for good reason.
For one, cranberry juice is known to be good for preventing urinary tract infections, even though it hasn’t been made fact.
But preventing infections mean less antibiotics in your body that always helps gut health. The rise of antibiotic resistance and contaminated meat is costing over $2 billion annual in the U.S., so it’s worth believing cranberry as preventative medicine.
Pure 100% juice version is the one to source and buy. 💯 without added sugars like the common cranberry cocktail version you find in convenience stores. Buy it when you’re inconveniently in the big grocery stores with a cart and the juice will last long after opened.
It’s one healthy holiday tradition that you can stand by…
And on-travel, ordering a cran-apple juice on the airplane can be a good next-to-water hydrating drink with vitamins and minerals.
At home, besides as a glass of cranberry juice, you can make a cranberry tea… either iced for warmer months or warmed tea for colder or transitional months.
And the way to keep this a low-sugar, healthy beverage is to change the taste. 100% cranberry juice is tart, so adding other natural flavors will enhance the tartness and make it exciting. ♥️
For warm tea, use dried fruits, flowers, and spices to naturally spice-up the tea, like these pairings:
-Hibiscus & rose hips
-Elderflower
-Raspberry
-Apple
-Orange Peels
-Ginger
-Cinnamon
Use a strainer for the dried bits, and if they’re finely ground, you can use a paper coffee filter that you can cut down to the right size for your strainer.
I actually like when a few tea leaves seep through as it keeps the tea homemade and rustic feeling. Turn on the moody jams and you have an enjoyable break. 🎶
But that’s a nice choice you get to make in the moment…
And at the end, zhughing with some ruby red fruits like cranberries and pomegranates sinking to the bottom make it a bottomless tea party!
In my drinks, you can even find some shredded coconut streamers or rosemary spikes, and a ‘pick of cranberries for tasty interest.
Those details come naturally from my event and party planner days where it’s all about the special zhugh. This one is good for the heart.🫀
For an iced tea version, use fresh fruits, flowers, lemon… and omit the spices.
You can also use your cranberry juice tea to make other wild fresh drinks or mocktails…
You can add cranberry seltzer water to make a big fizzy punch that’s a pink champagne color and bring up happy spirits! 🎉
Mindfulness brings in happiness because in the present head space, you have the chance to let it go and bring in light.
As a visual, walking down this art deco outlined carpet can be the amount of time needed for loving mindfulness.
You have the now space to make the better choice.
You can count 1-Mississippi as a mind gap or mind the gap that is popular from the London tube words.
It’s as simple and complicated as that.
In the mindfulness space, you get to choose your positive or negative thoughts and responses despite your initial thoughts.
Thoughts are betternegotiated if you want your best outcomes.
Plus, practicing being mindful is an opportunity to grow.
And as an easy test, you’re in the now if you understand these words.
Whether you’re here or not 😁, good mindfulness lessons (especially for love relationships) can be learned from an entertaining reality relationship show like Love Is Blind. 📺 👩❤️👨
Have you seen the worldly Netflix series? 🌎
The premise of the show is that you can fall in love on a blind date (potential partner unseen) behind the pod walls.
The goal: to find your person and get married at the end.
But the healthy spiritual growth way to look at it is that you come out a better person no matter what happens. Because not all relationships are meant to turn into marriage as a sign of success.
…You can come out with new friends of both sexes, learn more about yourself, and grow up in the process. 🎉
The latest season was in the DC metro backdrop where I spent most of my years… and is always in the news especially these days.
…And not for mindfulness reasons.
In the LIB love reality show microcosm, you see the raw moments that aren’t edited.
Where blindspots are made transparent…
And it’s easier to learn from others watching on the sidelines.
When tested in our own relationship situations… that’s where the rubber meets the road. 🏎️ 🛣️
But more knowledge leads to better self-awareness, and these are some gleaning points that can help you…
In Love Is Blind DC, the couples embark on the engagement journey that ranges from loving couple selfie-video filming to fiery heated disagreements. 🔥
...Ugh, that’s how the show can be renamed “Ego Is Blind.”
And in those difficult moments, we see what’s going on behind-the-scenes…
A beautiful budding relationship unravels and goes reality life awry.
Not the couples’ faults… learning about ego devise is something that takes time to learn (if caught on and learned).
Egos (not eagles 🦅) invisibly soar and hover over us and are more magnified in relationships. 🔎
💡 And that’s the main issue in every relationship issue.
…Did you catch that?
The masks are unveiled, gloves come off, and differences are an ego mind playground to create more divide.
Since the LIB participants are 20 and early 30-something young adults, they don’t have the same experiences they’ll have in 10 or more added years as mature adults. That’s just a fact of life.
You trade in youth for wisdom if you’re on the growth track. 📈
And in the episodes we can see that theydon’t know what they don’t know that lessons-learned experiences could provide. We’re all in that boat for one area or another.
In relationships, couple happiness comes from letting go of the petty stuff. And that’s where mindfulness can be the handy solution.
Being tired or moody any day can derail from that mission, so staying alert and wise to know yourself enough can help your conversations and situations you get roped in.
They help in my situations.
A simple “can we talk about this another time?” is sometimes all that’s needed.
…And if the other person can calm their momentary crushed ego and say, “sounds good” and stick to that, then there’s no issue.
And that way, you make the issue smaller to ego as you stay objective and get further away from emotions.
Let your pot simmer down inside you first.
Because situations will arise. Everyone is different. Another fact of life. So embrace the differences, even if it’s your close partner.
…Just remember they grew up different than you even if they grew up down the street. They are them and only YOU are you. 🪞
You’re the only one you can change and are fully accountable for.
Show up mature as you can be. And if both are mature, then saying yes! at the altar has a better chance (despite what it seems like or is said weeks before that… which btw, the ego mind will chomp at).
Every moment has potential for ideas to collide even with the person you think you know best or as well as yourself.
One day, what seemed perfect is no longer.
Expect that to happen.
When that happens…
Talk it out.
Have fun again.
Tyler and Ashley do this well taking sky diving and sharing moments. 🪂
Garrett and Taylor do this well laughing, playful, and enjoying each other’s company.
Those loving honeymoon period ways get them through their tough times.
Those are the couples that make it through LIB married at the Reunion.
That’s the relationship experience they signed up (and hoped for)… a life partnership that’s enhanced with two.
When they ran into a disagreeing situation, they let upset emotions out which is communication. They also moved on in their own mindfulness moments.
Maybe smartly asking themselves in the break: “why was I really so upset?”
…Usually it’s from an experience or idea from the past that was traumatic and is now pulled into the gray matter.
The secret is knowing that most of it is curable in self-discovery that improves relationships, and not about changing someone else.
And in tough relationship times, we can learn 3 lessons:
Lesson #1: Wisdom teaches us to move peacefully in the moment.
The most mismatched couple in LIBDC was Nick and Hannah. They had a parent-child relationship that was obvious wouldn’t end well.
Usually there’s a honeymoon period but for this couple, it was obvious from the start who would wear the pants.
Words deeply matter. Saying aloud things like: I’m not the same person I was who had fun before…” is nothing short of putting a dog’s tail between its legs. But that’s common ego power trying to dominate in language.
Nick could have addressed that comment, walked away, and let Hannah think about her words. But since he kept taking it to the end of their relationship, it just got worse.
And so it turned into passive-aggressive behavior.
A lesson in mindfulness: at the late group mini-reunion, she could’ve sat down with Nick and her best friend in the pod at the table rather than let her jealous emotions creep up later and address privately.
Wisdom say you never get a second chance with the moment.
Mindfulness thinking: you may never have another chance with this person again so embrace the moment (as in “in the moment”).
That situation could have been avoided if she acted on her deeper feelings at the moment in a peaceful way.
That’s how mindfulness practice could have helped.
Practicing mindfulness on a yoga mat or away from social situations (alone) when things are good, can allow breathe-in space to be brought into awareness in impromptu situations. 🧘🏻♀️🧘
Lesson #2: Be the giving person. Two giving people are better than one.
Never go into a relationship seeking gain for your life, and expect it to end well. The other person wants to be loved and that’s the agenda.
The couple that became a hot mess was Tim and Alex. Their perceptions of each other were completely off. Another ego power trick.
They had miscommunication and unrealistic expectations.
There are no mind readers as Alex pointed out and especially with unspoken expectations.
There’s not one right way with two people involved, but there’s usually a point in the right direction.
In the moment, a person can directly tell the other partner their needs. Both will feel better about it no matter what it is.
…It’s how it is said that’s most important.
When you say “I feel…” it’s totally different than ego judgment words like “you always…” Those 2-words are the difference between love and ego. 🥰❤️🔥
Practicing using more loving words helps direct the mind to those ways. Let the other person be themselves and not come up with a list of “all I want you to do is…” Leave that legacy to their mother that can get away with that agenda impact.
Lesson #3: Respect should never be a word tossed around in love relationship communication.
When the other mentioned they felt disrespected, that was a bad sign. The “respect” word doesn’t belong in relationships.
Respect is a word you use in an office place that’s an arm’s distance business-to-business arrangement.
Respect is usually earned from deed or time. Co-workers know when they are respected because work boundary lines aren’t crossed. It’s nothing personal.
In love relationships, it’s all personal.
In a loving relationship, you don’t want to earn love or your place to the other. That’s inferiority vs superiority (ego power).
Your loving partner wants a soft place to fall, not a daily enemy they face. Those common feelings happen when out-of-alignment or out of happy mindfulness.
Besides, respect means different things to each person mostly based on upbringing. As a couple, if you grew up on opposites sides of the grass, then respect definitions are wildly different based on their grass past life experiences that can’t be defined in one 7-letter word.
But bringing in more self-awareness, mindfulness, self-discovery helps to turns things around and bring more peace to lives and relationships.
Remember changing your words said can change your relationship.
Do unto others as they would like to be treated, keep growing, and doing your best. Good luck! 💘
Malt loaf bread is comfy country bread that I could eat regularly as in weekly. It’s hearty, comfort food like a raisin bread. And this similar molasses cake (yes, you heard right!) recipe needs no proofing.
Learn more below 👇
Recipe below 🧡
Molasses is one of the star ingredients in this loaf or cake (depending on how you want to look at it) and one of my favorite sweet ingredients. ⭐️
Watching the slow as molasses dark glossy liquid glide down the jar to the opening is joyful.
And when it does and makes contact with its destination, it comes with multi-dimensional tastes.
…I like to call it dark caramel and one that Grandma’s from the south grew up with. (That’s also the common household molasses brand most of us know).
It’s got the old-fashioned flavors mixed in…
Along with regular molasses comes a bit of sweet, bitter, and black licorice tastes that gives gingerbread cookies its distinct flavor.
The acidity in the ingredient also helps to activate the cake rise if you use a common household ingredient like baking soda (that’s usually stored in the fridge for other purposes).
Also, unlike white table sugar as a sweetener, amazingly molasses has anti-inflammatory effects. If you’re a food science nerd like me then you get excited about these nuances in daily sustenance that affect the body! 🎉 …and whether the ingredient will be used.
Not as common is blackstrap molasses that comes out after the third boiling, so most of the sugar has dissolved like Houdini. It has a lower glycemic index and polyphenols compared to regular molasses. PLUS it has minerals and Vitamin B-6.
With the dark flavor, the dark color matches.
It’s perfect for the cooler months and warming inside if you think of a warm fireplace playing jazzy tunes. 🎶
…And just in time for holiday baking season.
Malt loaf was a challenge on the The Great British Bake Off where I heard of the cakey bread.
And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a cakey bread because that means no proofing, but is Prue-fitting, as in Judge Prue Leith who sent the loaf popularity waves across the pond… and into my sound waves vicinity.
…And what makes this loaf so out-of-the-ordinary great is the plumped up raisins from the Earl Grey tea.
It’s a strong brisk black tea that is what you expect for an afternoon high tea. 🫖
I had first heard of the intriguing “raisin plumping” idea in a food class where I collaborated with dieticians.
I loved the idea then… and loved it even more when I added them to this recipe.
You can see how bold and dramatic the raisins become. Who knew raisins could grow and not more wrinkly old? 😁
And to top off this breakfast dessert, you can add a glaze if you wanna shine! ✨
But I like the rustic and plain… like the simple raisin bread. But with bananas, this one is even BETTER.
Not needing butter.
And however you bake your cake or bread, you can make this in one bowl or even in the same baking pan it will end up in! That’s what happened here…
I mean, it doesn’t get much easier than this for fall foods, breads, and baked goods. That makes it so easy to FALL for! 🍂
A moist malt loaf that has molasses as a star ingredient.
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy LIfe Secrets
Ingredients
1tbspEarly Grey tea, brewed
1tbspraisins (plumped up from tea)
1/3cupcurrants, chopped dates, or additional raisins
1cupmashed bananas
1tbspcoconut oil (in addition to coating the pan)
1/3cupmolasses
2eggs, room temperature
1/4cupalmond milk or milk of choice or more
1/2tspbaking soda
1/2tspground cinnamon
1/2tspsalt
1cupflour of choice
walnuts, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Coat your baking vessel with coconut oil that helps to give a nice thin outer crust and help prevent sticking to the pan. If you prefer less crust, then you can use a light dusting of flour to coat your pan or use a non-stick baking spray.
Brew hot tea and add raisins to the tea. While you're waiting for the tea to steep and raisins to plump up, make the loaf.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Easy tip: you can do this in one bowl and even the same baking pan/vessel that you will use to bake the loaf! This is/should be a very liquid-y batter (like pancake) depending on the flour(s) you use tthat will come out moist. Bake on 350°F for 65-80 minutes until outside is the brown color preferred.
