Okay, I know I’m not Oprah and I’m not suffering from delusions of grandeur! But I do have some favorite things to share with you.
And being as we are all looking to eat happy, healthy and whole, let’s look at what’s in my kitchen…
1. Tea
I know, I know…I’m always talking about tea. But it really is good for your health to get into drinking tea. My top favorite, cheap + cheerful, go to is Tetley’s British Blend. It’s a true black tea, which means it contains caffeine. And I buy the loose leaf, as the bags aren’t nearly as good. So, I drink it in the morning and switch to herbal teas in the afternoon. Check out more about the different types of tea.
How to Make Black Tea
Bring enough good quality water to a rolling boil in a kettle. Don’t use the microwave as the tea doesn’t taste as good. You can use your tap water, just let it run for 10 seconds before you fill the kettle.
Warm the pot! Even if you are making tea in a mug, it’s best to warm it up first. Fill the pot or the mug with hot water while your kettle is heating up. Dump the water out before the next step…
Pop loose tea into a tea ball, or strainer or straight into the pot or teacup. You’ll have to experiment with the amount…usually a tablespoon per mug. Or if using teabags, into the cup or pot they go. I use 2 x Tetley British Blend teabags in my pot or 1 in a large cup.
Pour the boiling water over the tea and allow the tea to ‘steep’. This means the tea has to be in the water, so this is where teabags work by not making so much mess. Steeping allows the water to get flavored by the tea.
Leave to steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the tea leaves from the pot (if you have a strainer or tea ball) or pour the tea into another vessel with a strainer to catch any tea leaves. Tuck the tea pot back inside a tea cozy if there is tea remaining in the pot after serving everyone. This helps keep the tea hot longer. If using teabags, take them out the pot.
And definitely take the teabag out of the cup before adding milk!
I like my Brit Blend served with a splash of milk. You can instead try lemon and you can add sugar or honey if you wish.
Tea has been around for years and is considered one of the world’s oldest beverages. It warms you up when you are cold, comforts when stressed, energizes when you need a pick-me-up, and tastes good too! And currently, is one of the trendiest drinks, gaining popularity with the rich and famous.
2. Vitamix
Blender on steroids…oh yeah!
I first heard of Vitamix in 1993. I was working a Health Trade Show, doing lots of lovely Reflexology treatments and educating people about the wonders of Reflexology. We were there for 4 days and spent the down times visiting with all the other vendors, including the Vitamix guys. All day long they had those amazing blenders whirring. We ate raw soups and ice cream every time we could.
Trusted by more professional chefs than any other blender! Create fresh, flavorful dishes from whole-food ingredients, so it’s amazing for you and your family’s health and wellness. Vitamix is in a class all its own. These self-cleaning machines allow us to chop, blend, cream, purée, and more—through every course of the meal—with a single appliance. With commercial quality and top class engineering, you buy a Vitamix once and have it for life.
Truly, it’s the Rolls Royce of blenders. Now I’ve added icy slushies and green smoothies to my repertoire. It’s one of the best kitchen tools ever.
3. Patak’s Curry Sauce
I know…shock, horror! Here I am recommending a processed food! But seriously, like everyone else I have days when I don’t have time (or energy, or just plain old inclination) to get busy in the kitchen. This is where Patak’s Curry Sauces comes in handy. They range from mild to spicy, and have lots to choose from.
Labelled when gluten-free (which most are) and authentic ingredients have earned Patak’s the honor of being recommended as a kitchen staple by the Naked Chef and the Founder of Food Revolution himself, Jamie Oliver.
4. Organic Potatoes
Did you know that there is a list known as The Dirty Dozen? This list consists of the most pesticide contaminated foods that are on sale in the supermarket, as updated annually by The Environmental Working Group. And potatoes are always, yes, always on the list.
And the regular supermarket potatoes have no taste. Coming from an Irish family background, I grew up on daily potatoes. Unfortunately, along with gluten intolerance my unhappy GI tract (tummy in layman’s wording ;)) doesn’t love the spuds each day any more. But I do enjoy my potatoes and finding organic spuds in the supermarket has brought back the joy of potato eating for me.
Hubby isn’t a potato fan, unless it’s covered in Sour Cream and Chives (organic sour cream and chives from my herb-garden of course.) But he’s got into enjoying potatoes more now that we have organic ones with lots of lovely flavor. So, load up on the mashies this Christmas…and my favorite…roast potatoes that have been par-boiled and chuffed…crunchy, fluffy, spot-on spuds. Here’s how.
5. Mushrooms
I got into mushrooms while I was in my vegetarian phase. Yes, this Primal Diet eating gal was a veg-head for years. I battled with vegetarianism for 20 years. Finally throwing it out on my 40th birthday. (Of course, there’s a story there…another time!) Mushrooms were a great choice as they were a good protein source.
But there’s lots more to mushies than that! Good ol’ mushrooms boost your immune system. There are a number of studies going on at the moment, including studying 100 mushroom varieties. Although it appears that there are 140,000 + species, of which we have studied only about 10 percent.
Note: Mushrooms absorb, so buy organic. But you knew that!
There are studies indicating that mushrooms help: weight loss, improved nutrition, increased Vit D levels, improved immune system function, and a whole bunch of other stuff, including cancer!
And they taste good. This year I was able to hook-up with a mushroom grower at a local Farmers’ Market and that’s been a real treat! You can add them to almost anything, but I do enjoy them with a Great British Fry-Up on an occasional Sunday Morning. Damn, another naughty nourishment secret revealed. My kinda Soul Food.
Another Fun-Guy (oh yeah, I just did that!) I’ve hooked up with (not that way, just professionally…sheesh!) is the fabulous Joe Bruno at Thrive Cuisine. Click here to check out the Many Benefits of Mushrooms for great info presented in a way you’ll want to read it! You’ll be mowing down on these little goodies in no time.
So, check out your kitchen and see how some of your favorites stack up. Pop a comment below and let me know what you are thinking.
And, as always, I’m here to offer you loving support and guidance as you wander along this amazing journey of life.
Debra Jason says
My most recent favorite tea is Bengal Spice. I don’t own a Vitamix, but love making smoothies in my Blender (mostly in the summer months). I enjoy sauteed mushrooms and roasted potatoes. And, when it comes to curry, it has to be mild.
Jacqueline Fairbrass says
Yum…Bengal Spice is a very nice herbal combo. I enjoy a medium hot curry myself, but tend to tone it down a bit for my hubby. Check out the link for Jamie’s roast potatoes…they really are the best. That’s how I converted hubby to spuds. xox
Belinda Rose says
I am with you on the black tea and the vitamix. I buy an organic brand of black tea…Rishi. The Vitamix is a dail thing for my protein/vitamin shake! 🙂
Jacqueline Fairbrass says
That’s great Belinda. I’ll look out for the tea and check it out. Thanks for sharing.
Denise Marie Filmore says
I actually had a custom blended tea business way back when. I ordered organic ingredients, blended, packaged and sold them at fairs. I do not have a favorite. I just love all teas so much.
I own a Vitamix and I do not think I can live without one. I also have an Omega juicer that I am equally fond of.
Potatoes are my favorite as well I sometimes chop up parsnips and turnips to give them extra flavor, then I add Greek yogurt, olive oil and sometimes red pepper flakes to spice it up a bit.
Jacqueline Fairbrass says
Oh my…a custom blended tea business sounds heavenly! But lots of work. I’d be drinking the profits 😉 And thanks for the tip…I’ll definitely give your potato recipe a whirl.
Teri Smart says
Thanks for the recommendation for the vitamix! I have a nutri bullet and it has not been a pleasant experience with the blades going out etc. I love the smoothies but have set them aside due to the frustration.. I’ll be looking into vitamix now!
Jacqueline Fairbrass says
Yea Teri! It’s expensive, but worth it. Rather like my Dyson…once you get the best you wonder why you allowed yourself to be frustrated with the substandard stuff before. Enjoy your smoothies <3
Eyenie says
Ooh, I love this post, Jacqueline! Thank you for the black tea ‘astuces’, too! I had never thought of warming the cup first! And the curry sounds DELISH! Is it only found in the UK? Always so much fun and so yummy to read your goodness! THANK YOU! 🙂
Jacqueline Fairbrass says
Lovely to hear from you. I found Patak’s curry sauces just this weekend in the World Market store…and they were on sale, so I stocked up http://bit.ly/1fmDEiu. Check out the foreign food sections of your supermarket too. Ooh…and Fred Meyer has them sometimes. It’s a bit of a game I play to track it down and stock up.
Enjoy your tea in your warm cup…mmmmm!!!