Tea Drops And Southern Breeze Teas

These things revolutionize tea drinking

In 2018, during my quest to find all things low-carb and delicious, I came across several really great sources of tea. One of them, Southern Breeze, sells pre-sweetened cold brew tea. I don't like to have sweetener every day, but when I'm craving something I have to say that it's incredibly convenient to be able to brew tea in my water bottle on the go. The raspberry and peach flavors are my favorites but they're supposed to be working on new ones in 2019. 

Another company I fell madly in love with is Tea Drops. Tea Drops sells concentrated teas in many different flavors that you just drop into your hot water and stir. That's it! No tea bags to drip everywhere, no waiting for steeping, nada. My favorite is the turmeric tea and I'd like to try the Thai tea kit but I'm betting it's got some carbs in it. 

Both companies are fantastic sources of new teas as well as recipes in which you can use the teas. I'll continue sampling fun, low-carb drinks this year but I'll also continue purchasing from both of these companies. What yummy tea finds did you run across in 2018? Share your links in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Soft Drinks
Food & Beverage
Desserts/Sweets

Homemade Nog

The perfect spiked holiday drink

Even if you're not a fan of the holiday drink, there's something about the yummy scent of eggnog that gets you into the spirit of the season. Sure, you can get any number of commercial nogs, many of which are flavored with everything from peppermint to sugar cookie, but everyone knows that it's like chocolate chip cookies: homemade is always better.

And no, eggnog doesn't have to take days to prep, either. It seems as if it might, given its complex flavors and the nuances you've tasted in your cousin's recipe. But like most dairy recipes, the actual cooking is limited to keep it fresh and frothy. This recipe, for example, has homemade eggnog in your cup within five minutes as long as you've got a blender!

And there are all kinds of varieties of nog you can make. Need a dairy free recipe? Here's one with peppermint! How about a keto or paleo version? Here you go!

What eggnog recipe will you be using this year? Gonna spike it up? If so, with what?

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Food & Beverage
Home Cooking
Recipes
Desserts/Sweets

Mulled Wine

Share your recipes

At the Trader Joe's sample area (don't you love that area?), I sampled some spiced mulled cider the other day and it was fantastic! It was spicy and sweet at the same time, and they'd heated it, which made it so warming on a cold day. I definitely want to serve some at Christmastime, and I might have a little booze nearby for the holiday, too. 

But if you wanted to make your own mulled wine or cider, how would you go about it? It looks simple enough: you can add a few ingredients to a claret wine to brew up your own warming goodness. Sugar, cinnamon, lemon, nutmeg and cloves seem to be popular ingredients, but I bet someone out there has an amazing homemade recipe with a touch of something one wouldn't expect to really bring out the flavor.

Is that someone you? Share your mulled wine recipes here! 

Klat Categories: 
Holidays

Can Light Drinking Shorten Your Life?

One study suggests yes

Remember those studies that suggest a glass of wine is great for your health? A new study is suggesting that even light drinking can shorten your life. This includes daily light drinking at levels that are considered safe by United States standards. Those who drink 1-2 drinks four times a week have a 20% risk of dying prematurely higher than that of people who drink three days a week or less. 

Honestly, the evidence here, as with many studies, seems to correlate with but not cause the risk. Many of those surveyed were veterans who may have already been suffering from PTSD, injuries and other issues, and of course drinking four days a week would be more likely to cause you to be a bit more careless. Four days of drinking out of seven seems more than "light" drinking to me, especially if it's more than one drink each day. Who set up these standards anyway?

Studies that show that wine is good for you still say to go easy on the drink, after all, but where is that sweet spot? It likely varies by individual. What do you think is a healthy amount of alcohol to consume in a week?

Klat Categories: 
Alcohol
Liquor
Beer & Wine

Warm Drink Recipes

Share your favorites

It's not yet the first of December, so I'm trying to keep "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" out of my head. That said, all things holiday are on my peripheral radar, including warming drinks, and I am starting to feel the excitement! We actually have heat this year after it being broken for a few years, so I'm not hankering for a hot toddy to keep my fingers warm this time around (woohoo!), but I still love a warm drink to help get me cozy and I'm sure many of you do, too.

Here's a list of 14 delicious homemade warm drinks to enjoy this season. Personally I always go with Penzey's cocoa, which is the best, unless I want to stick with a keto drink, in which case I'll just use cocoa powder, some sweetener (stevia, monkfruit, etc.), cinnamon, heavy cream, water and a pinch of salt. Honestly you can make almost anything keto if you are creative enough and have enough time to do it! The gingerbread latte on this list is definitely tempting this hot drink fan.

Which hot drink can you not wait to sample this holiday season? Share your favorite recipe with us!

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage
Home Cooking

Organic Roasts From Brandless

Where do you get coffee?

With so many different places to buy coffee today, it's overwhelming choosing which brand to buy. I like trying out new kinds of fair trade coffee that I can also afford, which can sometimes be tricky! So far my favorite kind is Laughing Man, but I know there are so many other varieties out there that I could try something every day and never sample them all. Today I saw that Brandless, a company known for selling all kinds of different foods without name brand associations, is now selling organic, Fair Trade Certified tea and coffee, so I'm thinking of trying that out. They also have a pretty cute hot cocoa bundle that my daughter would love for Christmas.

I don't use pods, but I see there are a few options at Brandless. The prices are quite reasonable, especially for just trying out the flavors, with most items costing $3. It looks like most items at the website cost a similar rate. They even have a cold brew coffee option, which might be the one I try first. I'm notorious for brewing a pot, having one hot cup and then sticking the rest in the fridge for iced coffee later!

Where do you get your Fair Trade, organic coffee? Have you tried the Brandless kind? If so, what did you think?

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage

Festive Non-Caffeinated Drinks

Any ideas?

Going caffeine-free is such a bummer, especially when everything seems to have caffeine in it these days. If you're trying to avoid caffeine, carbs AND sugar this holiday season, good luck! Water with low glycemic fruit chunks is probably your best bet, especially if you're also avoiding artificial sweeteners. For people like me who are suffering from insomnia and are trying to steer clear of the caffeine, it can be a challenge. I went through Starbucks the other day and thought a keto pink drink might do the trick but the tea in it still contained caffeine!

These non-alcoholic drinks look pretty tasty but some still contain caffeine. Some other ideas include herbal teas, like peppermint, which are often caffeine-free; just be sure to check the labels to be sure. You can also try chaga mushroom tea, although I prefer the coffee which is beside the point!

What caffeine-free drinks are you enjoying this holiday season?

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage
Alcohol

Tea Quiz

How well do you know your tea?

Are you a big tea drinker? If so, could you say that you're an expert on all things tea? Do you know which plant tea is derived from, or who the largest producer of tea in the world is? If you think you might know the answers to these questions and others about your beloved drink, click here for a fun tea quiz. 

I learned some very interesting things about tea that I didn't know, like which beverages, if any, sell at a more popular rate than tea and what the shelf life of green tea is. Sad to say that while I got many answers right, I missed these two interesting ones! #TheMoreYouKnow, right?

Do you think you can ace the quiz? Take it and tell us how you did in the chat. Then tell us your favorite tea facts!

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage

Non-Alcoholic Drinks for Halloween

Serve these for your non-drinkers

As a person with new dietary needs courtesy of chronic illness, I have a much better appreciation of what it means to be excluded from food and drink socials because of what I can't put into my mouth. For people who don't drink, for whatever reason, Halloween can mean feelings of exclusion as well. Sure, it's nice to have some soda to offer everyone, but wouldn't it be amazing to also have a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails to enjoy? 

You can set up ingredients for everyone to make their own Shirley Temples, but this link also features some great non-alcoholic drinks, like Charcoal Witch's Blood and Bloody Marys, that can be enjoyed without alcohol and carry the Halloween theme as well. These are great options if you're having a party for little ones, too!

Do you have any great Halloween non-alcoholic cocktail drink ideas? Share them in the chat! 

Klat Categories: 
Alcohol

Applebees Has $1 Drinks on Halloween

See if your local store is participating

We often talk about great drinking recipes here at Good Drinking, but sometimes you just don't feel like being a mixologist and want something prepared for you by a professional bartender. The Dollar Zombie, an "infectious rum cocktail," is shuffling its way toward Applebee's this Halloween. The cocktail, which only costs $1 (which could vary depending on your area liquor laws) is blue and topped with a gummy brain for full fun effect.

The Dollar Zombie, the restaurant's new drink of the month, will feature rum, pineapple, passion fruit, cherry and lime, and it's served in a 10 oz mug. It's available all month long at the restaurant in participating locations.

Will you be trying this drink? Do you like Applebee's drinks of the month? If so, which has been the best?

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage
Dining Out
Alcohol

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