Tea!

As many of my long time readers know, I love tea. In my home it is a staple, and there are always reasons to have tea. So I am going to share a few fav's that we have in our home, and why.

1) The most practical tea and also one I make daily in the winter months is for cold and flu prevention and it tastes great. Little Mister has struggled with keeping a strong immune system no matter what time of the year it is. He drinks 1-2 quarts of this tea per day and doesn't even want juice or milk. Now be prepared if you children drink this much tea they will be peeing like crazy. I change lots of diapers, but it is worth it. Herbal teas that are not caffinated are also seen in the body same as water so no more dehydration issues either. I buy all my teas in loose leaf bulk form from the bulk herb store website. They are the cheapest and you get way better quality herbs there than almost anywhere I have found.

Now, what do I put into this mixture?

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, and remove from heat and add;

1 tbsp fenugreek seed,- great for the immune system

1 tbsp rose hips-high in vitamin c

1 tbsp spearmint or peppermint leaves- great taste and soothing for the tummy

1 tbsp fennel seed - for upset or gasy tummy's

1 tbsp cammomile flowers- relaxing and a very sweet flavor

1 tsp. lavendar flowers- relaxing

Add in for specific impact:

1 tsp valerian - calms nerves and helps with hyperactiveness

1 tsp echineacea- fights colds and flus

cover and let steep for about ten minutes, I add blue agave nectar to sweeten. If your child is not sick and you are just using this for prevention I would not use echineacea every time and also if you child doesn't have a big problem with hyperactiveness I would not use valerian every time.

This tea is great for everyone and it is tasty. i even gave this tea to my babies at 2 and 3 weeks old. (but not the valerian and echineacea because they are stronger)

Another favorite of mine is just using the Jasmine green tea from the bulk herb store because it is tasty and the aroma makes me feel pampered.

Also the Lavendar flowers and the chammomile flowers is awesome for an evening cup of tea and enjoying a nice hot bubble bath. A great gift idea is to mix both of these herbs, place them in a clear airtight glass jar and package with a teacup and saucer and a ball strainer, you can even add a candle if you like. Click to go to the bulk herb store

This is a picture of the chamomile flowers, and remember these don't weigh much and so a 1/2 pond will equal about 5 cups of dried herbs.

Hope you will try this and let me know how you like it when you do, Christina