Earthly Eating

Many drinks are actually pretty healthy, if you add the right ingredients. Here is a list of common beverages that can boost your health.

• Tea: Tea has zero calories and can be made from black, green, or white. It contains antioxidant compounds called catechins. It can boost your immune system and lower your risk of diabetes. White tea has the most catechins and black tea has the least.

• Herbal Teas: Most herbal tea contains about 2 calories and peppermint tea is the best to drink when wanting to aid in digestion or if you have indigestion. Ginger tea can help ease nausea and licorice and marshmallow root teas can help with sore throats and coughing. Sipping herbals tea on occasion is a great way to add beneficial aids to your diet, but to really get into herbs and tea blends speak with an herbalist to make sure you are taking the right herb for the right aliment.

• Smoothies: Smoothies can contain anywhere from 150 to upwards of 650 calories or more, depending on where and what your purchase to place in the smoothie. If you add the right ingredients you can add vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and even calcium. If you add the right fruits you can make a great smoothie that taste good as well. Try berries, banana, mango and even some watermelon or other melon as well. Blend about 2 cups o juice or milk with two cups frozen or fresh fruit like strawberries, and blueberries with bananas and drink up.
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Earthly Eating Tip

*When it comes to cooking always use organic over conventional. Organic foods are guaranteed to be the best ingredients and if the product has the USDA seal of approval you are sure to know it is the very best. Look for sugars like the Florida Crystals that are now Carbon-Free. Look for other carbon-Free products here.

1. Just Relax with it: In Chinese medicine, tea is said to produce a relaxed alertness. Tea contains the calming compound L-theanine and tea drinkers have the feeling of being less stressed and more relaxed overall.

2. Time to Rejuvenate: Buddhists traditionally drank tea during meditation time and the Japanese combine the Buddhist belief and tea drinking as a spiritual rejuvenation and harmony within the body. This process is still practiced in present day.

3. Nourish your Body: Rooibos is a South African beverage made from Aspalathus linearis and taste similar to a cup of black tea. It has no caffeine and contains vitamin C, other minerals and an antioxidant called aspalathin which is how it got its name.

4. Soothe the soul: Peppermint has soothing properties and a cup of peppermint tea will help sooth an aching stomach almost the same as if you took medicine to help the pain. Peppermint tea can also help relieve nausea and flatulence as well. It can help relieve colds, flu and even mild fevers as well.

5. Calm down and Chill: Iced herbal tea made from hibiscus flowers is a great way to get your vitamin C, it can help lower blood pressure and even have a soothing calm effect over the body when you are stressed.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Grilled Peaches and Cream
Serves: 2

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 peaches, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons clover honey
1 cup soft cream cheese with honey and nuts

Preheat a grill for medium-high heat.
Brush peaches with a light coating of oil. Place pit side down onto the grill. Grill for 5 minutes, or until the surfaces have nice grill marks. Turn the peaches over, and drizzle with a bit of honey. Place a dollop of the cream cheese spread in the place where the pit was. Grill for 2 to 3 more minutes, or until the filling is warm. Serve immediately.

Happy Eating!

Here is a tea timeline of how tea got its start. Believe it or not, but the making of tea was actually an accident.

3000 BC: According to the legend, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung asked for a cup if boiled water from a servant and a few leaves fell into the cut and produced the first cup of tea.

850 AD: Tea spreads throughout Asia and the Japanese tea ceremony influenced by Buddhism makes tea preparation an art form emphasizing humility and simplicity.

1560: Tea introduced to Europe and a trade route was developed in order to ship tea back to Portugal.

1600: Dutch traders introduce tea throughout the Europe country side. It later cost $100 for 1 lb.

1618: Tea becomes popular in Russia along with the tea urn.

1650: Tea cost was reduced so more could afford it. Tea makes its way to New Amsterdam (present day New York).

1767: Tea is taxed and during a boycotting of tea, herbal tea is made.

1773: The Boston Tea Party takes place.

1800: England’s Tea Time becomes popular because of serving tea with light snack in the late afternoon by Anna the Duchess of Bedford.

1904: Iced Tea becomes popular during a heat wave at the St. Louis World’s Fair by Richard Blechynden.

1908: Tea Bags are made by tea merchant Thomas Sullivan when he made individual tea servings in porous bags.

1970: Coffee shops start selling more and more tea.

Current Day: Tea brands are everywhere on store shelves, on coffee shop shelves and even tea can be made right from leaves from your own garden. Tea is one of the things that many can’t do without. Thanks to Emperor Shen Nung’s servant for the great accident he discovered.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Mocha Pudding
Serves: 4

1 1/2 cups cold milk
1/2 cups coffee brewed strong
1 pkg. (4 serving’s size) chocolate flavor instant pudding & pie filling
12 chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
1 1/2 cups thawed whipped topping

Add milk and coffee to dry pudding mix in a medium bowl. Beat with a wire whisk for 2 minutes or until well blended.

Spoon half of the pudding mixture evenly into 4 dessert glasses. Crumble 2 cookies over each. Gently stir whipped topping into remaining pudding mixture; spoon evenly over desserts.

Top with remaining whole cookies. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Happy Eating!

Making a good glass of iced tea involved more than simply steeping leaves for an extra-long time. Actually, longer steeping can draw out a plant’s less desirable flavors. With ample herbs flowers and spices, a steeping time of only 3 minutes in hot water should do. For best flavor, serve tea immediately, or refrigerate for no longer than three days.

• Peach Pick-Me-up
Makes about sex 8-ounce servings

1 tbs. dried mint leaves
4 cups water
2 cups pureed peaches, chilled
Garnish: Fresh mint leaves

Steep mint leaves ion hot (80- to 90-degree) water for 3 minutes. Pour peaches into a sieve to remove chunks. After the mint tea has cooled completely, mix it with the strained peach puree. Serve cold, garnished with fresh mint leaves.

• Hip Apple Rose Tea
Makes about four 8-ounce servings

2 cups hot water
2 tsp. dried and seeded rose hips
10 to 12 dried hibiscus flowers
1 tbs. fresh pineapple sage or apple mint leaves
4 tsp. fresh raspberry leaves or 2 tsp. dried leave
2 cups cold water and ice
Apple juice for sweetening, optional
Garnish: Apple slices, cut horizontally

Steep hips, flowers and leaves in hot water (80 to 90 degrees) for about 3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, strain and add cold water and ice. Pour tea over additional ice. Float apple slices in each glass as garnish.

• Black Forest Magic
Makes about four 8-ounce servings

1 tbs. black tea leaves
1/4 tsp. cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 cup black cherry juice
Garnish: Maraschino cherries with stems

Combine tea leaves, cocoa and cinnamon in a French press or muslin tea bag. Boil water and pour over tea leaves and spices. Steep 3 minutes and strain. Cool completely, then add cherry juice. Serve over ice with maraschino cherries.
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Earthly Eating Daily Recipe

Baked Wild Salmon with Herb Butter
Makes4 Servings

For the Herb Butter:
8 tbs. (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped herbs (such as parsley, chervil and chives)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne

Stir ingredients together in a small bowl, mixing well. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper and lemon as needed. Refrigerate butter until ready to use.

For the Salmon:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds wild salmon fillets, cut into 4-to 6-ounces pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees; remove herb butter from the refrigerator to soften. Remove any pin bones from the salmon,. Oil a baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet and place the salmon pieces in it, skin side down. Season salmon with salt and pepper, then brush or drizzle with oil. Bake until the flesh is just set but still pink in the center, 7 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Spoon soft herb butter over each piece of fish; pass remaining herb butter at the table.

Happy Eating!