When you want the benefits of a soothing tea, but you kinda also want a filling yummy smoothie at the same time, what to do? Why not combine them?! I love creating smoothies that incorporate my favorite brewed teas.
Such is the inspiration for my new Chamomile Delight Smoothie Recipe. Especially as the weather starts to warm up, and you love iced teas in general, this tea-smoothie has so many great beauty and health benefits, like boosting your Beauty Sleep! We all need that, for bright, perky eyes and skin that is soft and smoothie but not puffy. Read on…
Why Chamomile Tea?
A few years ago, I did the full trek to Machu Pichu in Peru with a friend, but I was woefully unprepared. We scored last minute permits at the edge of the rainy season, and I didn’t have waterproof hiking boots, a rain jacket or a rain proof pants.
Actually, if you want to know the truth, I was clad in the naive outfit of sneakers and jeans. For nearly the entire week-long trek, it rained, snowed and hailed (though it cleared up beautifully as we ascended the top!), and so between the soggy jeans and wet sleeping bag and waterlogged sneakers I didn’t sleep for days.
But on the second day, when we climbed the steepest part of the hike, I made it to the top first, before the Italian National bike team member and the English hard core hikers in my group, as I channeled my physical discomfort into sheer getting- through-the-climbing-as- quickly as possible mode.
The reason I am recalling this travel tale (one of hundreds I have stored up!), is that whenever I think of chamomile tea I associate it with the only thing that made me feel better on that super soggy, arduous trek.
I would drink one steaming cup of it after another during meals, as I shivered in our makeshift meal tents, and it gave my shivering body some comfort and soothed my- shall we say frayed- nerves at the time :).
This tea is known as tea de manzanilla in Peru, and I still smile to myself when I order it here in restaurants, remembering my soggy little travel battle.
I don’t drink much caffeinated tea anymore (though I did a few months ago when Bubs was up every 2 hours to nurse, you can be sure of that!!). Too much caffeine can overload the liver and slow down the liver’s ability to efficiently burn fat and cleanse out other toxins in our system.
There are other side effects I talk about in The Beauty Detox Solution book, but you get the point. We all like it sometimes for the little boost it gives us- let’s be real!- but be mindful when you do drink it and really enjoy it!
Aim for herbal teas like our old pal chamomile, for these reasons:
With it’s anti-inflammatory and anti-septic properties, chamomile helps in clearing up skin irritations such as: eczema, acne, and allergies. There are many applications for dried chamomile, though the easiest and most often used is an infusion or tea.
This tea helps to sooth stomach ailments, muscle spasms, and help in falling asleep—soothing the nervous system so that you can sleep better. It’s been used as a solution for insomnia for centuries.
Chamomile tea is hostile to bacterial properties that battle against microbes and help cure sicknesses. It contains 28 terpenoids, 36 flavonoid compounds, including the bioactive components: coumarins, flavonoids, terpenoids and mucilage. These properties give this delicate little flower its potent healing touch.
When it comes to free radicals, this is one thing that can cause our skin to age and mature too quickly, aka: premature wrinkles. Yikes! Chamomile helps protect your skin- keeping it healthy and beautiful.
Prepare ingredients.
Deeply steep the organic chamomile tea bag in hot water and let cool.
Add cooled tea into blender.
Add hemp milk.
Add the banana.
Add vanilla extract.
Add cinnamon.
Add your choice of sweetener – stevia or dollop of coconut nectar.
Blend on low increasing speed as needed until smooth. Serve immediately!
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Full recipe below….
- ¼ cup deeply steeped organic chamomile tea
- ½ cup hemp milk
- 1 organic banana
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp. cinnamon
- Pinch of stevia or dollop of coconut nectar
- Optional: coconut yogurt for layering smoothie
- Combine chamomile tea, hemp milk, banana, vanilla extract, cinnamon and sweetener in blender.
- Blend on low increasing speed as needed until smooth.
- Optional: layer smoothie and coconut yogurt into glass.
- Serve immediately!
All my love,
Kimberly
Lil Bub, post banana-binging bliss. :)
