Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener

This would have been Bear and my 35th Valentine's Day—if you count our courtship. His passing on February 8, 2018 understandably made this year's celebration an obstacle course of melancholy emotions.

In anticipation of Valentine's Day, I had pre-ordered a fresh installment of Harney & Sons "Valentine's Blend" sachets. With chocolate and rosebuds, it is the perfect beverage for romance and tea lovers. Although I never got to share it with Bear, I did brew some up for myself, adding heavy cream and a teaspoon of Lakanto Monkfruit (lo han guo) Sweetener. It was amazing!

As someone who no longer craves white sugar but is not particularly fond of the stevia aftertaste, I found monk fruit sweetener to be a delightful substitute. There was nothing unpleasant about monk fruit. In this combination, it tasted like the real thing! 

Monk fruit is 100-250 times sweeter than sugar, so not much is needed. It is ZERO GLYCEMIC, NON GMO, VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE and it has ZERO CALORIES and ZERO AFTERTASTE. It also has a 1:1 replacement ratio. Still, the product has 4g of carbohydrates per teaspoon, so I am cautious about how much I ingest.

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Enjoy,

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Murder on the Orient Express

Harney & Sons has designed a tea that will get our teatime on track. Murder on the Orient Express is a blend of black, oolong, and jasmine teas with a twinge of bergamot oil for suspense. What a perfect beverage accompaniment for viewing this remake of the 1974 classic motion picture.

MOVIE DESCRIPTION

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. Discover this smoky and citrusy black tea inspired by the riveting tale. 

From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again. Kenneth Branagh directs and leads an all-star cast including Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad.

I love the canister design of this tea. It mimics the rich interior of the train and Daisy Ridley's skirt. 

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Creamed Bai-Bai

It was 102° today in the Treasure Valley of Idaho. Happily, our temps will begin to descend into the mid-to-high 90's. I am not alone. Many of you are coping with harsh heat, along with humidity!

Refreshment is more than AC, an ocean, lake, or swimming pool. Icy beverages provide a speedy path to relief. Of course, water is a mainstay, but who wants to nix sweetness and flavor?

In years past, lemonade, sugared tea, Italian sodas, and Dr. Pepper were my summer go-to's. Now, I favor unsweetened Tejava; loose leaf refrigerator tea; iced coffee; Starbuck's iced unsweetened passion tea; and Bai Antioxidant Infusion. 

Costco carries this Bai® Sunrise Variety Pack™ which contains 15 18-fluid-ounce bottles of Antioxidant Infusions, with only 6g of carbs per 8-ounce serving! The sweetener is a blend of stevia and erythritol. It hits the spot and my family loves it!

I pour about an inch of heavy cream into a medium sized glass, followed by 8 ounces of a Bai flavor, and then add ice. It is a welcome imitation of an Italian soda—without the sugar and carbs.

Stay cool,

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We have a winner...

Thanks to all of you who entered my AUTUMN TEA GIVEAWAY! I loved the fall images that you shared through poetry and quotes. You had me feeling quite fall-ish! 

AND THE WINNER IS...

Congratulations, Renna! You can click HERE to make your selection. Also, tell me if you prefer loose tea or silken sachets. Then message your address to me on Facebook and I will have this sent to you!

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Autumn Tea Giveaway!

I love autumn so much . . . that I am hosting a TEA GIVEAWAY! The winner will get to choose one of these seasonal teas from Harney & Sons! You will find the descriptions of these teas on my previous post. You can also visit their website HERE.

HOW TO ENTER . . .

1. CLICK ON "COMMENT" BELOW.
2. SHARE YOUR FAVORITE FALL QUOTE OR POEM. Be sure to leave your NAME and STATE in the actual comment. Enter only once.
3. SIGN IN TO PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT. There are several ways to sign in, even Anonymous.
4. EARN EXTRA ENTRIES BY REFERRING FRIENDS. If your FRIENDS do enter, please make sure that they mention your name in their comment. This way I can give you credit.
5. DEADLINE TO ENTER: Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 11:59 P.M. PST. The winner will be selected on the next day through a random drawing.

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Tea for Tuesday | Harney & Sons

One benefit of living in Idaho is that I get to experience an actual fall! This is significant because I came from Southern California. Autumn is warm there. Here, our local mountains show signs of fall in August. By mid-October, our nighttime temps sink below 40˚.

Winter comes too early for my taste, so I cling to fall. I attempt to extract every possible flavor and comfort. One way of doing this is to surround myself with delicious, seasonal tea.

Allow me to share one of my favorite companies with you: Harney & Sons. I have happily consumed their products for over 15 years! Here are some autumnal selections, along with their own descriptions.

Pumpkin Spice | Harney & Sons

Harney & Son Description: Try our herbal tea celebration of autumn harvest time. A masterful blend of pumpkin and warming spices. This herbal tea brews a bright red and is light-bodied. Offered seasonally in limited quantities. Tin of 20 sachets. Each sachet brews a 12 oz cup.

Hot Cinnamon Spice | Harney & Sons

Harney & Son Description: Our most popular flavored tea worldwide, Hot Cinnamon Spice is an assertive blend of black teas, three types of cinnamon, orange peel, and sweet cloves. There's no sugar added. Try our Classic tin of 20 tea sachets. Each sachet brews a 12 oz cup. Caffeinated. Kosher.

Cranberry Autumn | Harney & Sons

Harney & Son Description: Ideally sweet and tart, our Cranberry Autumn is a black tea artfully blended with cranberry and orange flavors. You'll find it a full bodied brew that is exceptionally smooth and delicious in fall, or anytime if you're a cranberry fan. Tin of 20 tea sachets. Each sachet brews a 12 oz cup.

NOTE: Check back tomorrow for details concerning my TEA GIVEAWAY!

Teatime. Free time. Me time.

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The Perpetual Tea Tray and Sugar

Green Pine Needle Cast Iron Teapot
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I resisted the low-carb lifestyle at first. My love for tea parlors made it hard to imagine high tea without scones, pastries, truffles, and mini sandwiches. I never added sugar to my tea, but carbs were a major component in everything else. I owned a handbook listing the tea establishments in and around California. I wanted to visit them all! I was off to a good start, too, until we moved to Idaho.

Since going low-carb, I no longer miss the sugar. I am content with a steamy pot of tea and a nibble of fruit or dark chocolate. However, I do miss the pomp of parlors—the indulgence and anticipation. So, it is my desire to recreate one of my favorite pastimes into something that is low-carb friendly.

I used to conduct workshops in retail settings. One of my favorite topics was The Perpetual Tea Tray. I challenged my guests to always have a tea tray prepared for the act of tea. Just add water! I then recommended changing the tray's themes to celebrate seasons and special occasions.

Stay tuned for my weekly feature: Tea for Tuesday. I will be expounding on the virtues of tea and teatime!

NOTE: The above photo spotlights some treasures that I have collected over the years. The pine needle cast iron teapot and mug are not only attractive, but they keep the tea warm. The napkin is from April Cornell. The bamboo tea tray was an exceptional deal from Grocery Outlet!

Teatime. Free time. Me time.

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Fat Sat | Grocery Outlet

Fat Sat will be a weekly Everlovin' Low-Carb feature. The post title is short for Fat Saturday and will feature LCHF (low-carb-high-fat) news, tips, and inspiration.

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I now have a Grocery Outlet in my neighborhood. Being unfamiliar with the store, I immediately pictured heavily processed food. I was curious though, so I attended the Grocery Outlet Grand Opening. I was delighted to discover their NOSH merchandise (natural-organic-specialty-healthy), which includes many low-carb essentials.

I found plenty of products labeled gluten free, but nothing specifically identified as low-carb. Gluten free products usually replace the culprits with other carbs, so I read a lot of Nutrition Facts. I ended up scoring some quality goods at serious savings!

The only drawback of any outlet is the limited availability of products. Yet, I have seen many favorites reappear.

Here are some of the low-carb items that I have picked up at Grocery Outlet...

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Organic Mango & Chile Black Tea

My secret weapons with low-carb are lots of fat and flavor. Thank God that I have moved beyond tasteless diets that never satiated me!

Beverages are a biggie with me and I especially love tea. Year round, I usually buy bottled Tejava and add it to tall glasses of ice. However, I enjoy brewing flavored teas as well.

As a fan of Trader Joe's, this newcomer caught my attention. Here is how TJ's describes it...

A long, long time ago we started selling Dried Chile Spiced Mango. Something about the combination of sweet, juicy mango and the heat from dried red chiles made this product irresistible. And now, with Mango Season upon us, we transformed these flavors into a unique, new product: Trader Joe’s Organic Mango & Chile Black Tea. 

Our Organic Mango & Chile Black Tea is made of high-grade black tea, and then flavored with organic dried mango pieces and organic dried red chile. All three of the ingredients in this tea are grown and processed in Sri Lanka, the world’s fourth largest producer of tea—so they really know their stuff. 

The dried mango pieces give a tropical sweetness to the classic, strong flavors of black tea leaves, while the dried chile adds a little kick to the finishing taste. These three ingredients—and only these three ingredients—are mixed and sealed in pyramid-shaped bags that allow for excellent steeping. 

To brew this tea, pour boiling water over one tea bag and steep for 5-7 minutes. Add a splash of Trader Joe’s Coconut Creamer or Coconut Milk for a creamy tropical twist. Or, brew as an iced tea—a sweet and spicy summer treat! 

For $3.49, you can pick up a 1.4 ounce tin (20 bags) of Trader Joe’s Organic Mango & Chile Black Tea. Or two. Or three. This special, limited item will be gone in the blink of an eye—or in the sip of some tea, if you will.  

INGREDIENTS
Organic Black Tea, Organic Dried Mango, Organic Dried Red Chile. 

NOTE: Since posting, the details of this item may have changed due to fluctuating market prices, federal regulations, currency rates, drought, pestilence, bandits, rush hour traffic, filibusters, clowns, zombie apocalypse, punctilious product developers... Contact our Crew for current price and availability.

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