Sweet and Spicy Anti-Inflammatory Tea

 

I’m on a mini Christmas vacation right now. It’s amazing. I pretty much spend all my time running, cooking, and playing outside. Friday, we took a little day trip up to Sedona. It’s my new favorite place… ok, ONE of them. – I have lots of favorite places. Brian probably got sick of hearing me say “Wow.” and “OMG… Just LOOK!” We had an awesome little hike and even enjoyed a little SNOW! It was a really nice little surprise, but we were both happy to be back down in the sunshine after our hike. Still not a fan of cold weather. 

For Christmas I got Brian a pair of cowboy boots, and Saturday we checked out a few awesome boot shops so he could pick out a pair. I had a really hard time not shopping for myself. I’m a cowboy boot girl from way back. Anyway, he picked out (I helped!) this really awesome pair and now he can be like a real cowboy – hah! Yeah, probably not -we’re true blue Mainers… but he did promise me a two-step lesson at Buffalo Chip!

They’re gorgeous. I’m a little jealous.

Ok, so now on to the other fun stuff, which is this yummy tea I made the other day. It’s made with fresh turmeric root (a.k.a. not the orange powder you’ve probably had in your spice cupboard since the last time you made Indian food) and fresh ginger. Turmeric is highly touted for being a powerful anti-inflammatory as well as being great for digestion and your immune system.  It is also said to help reduce muscle soreness after exercise! Here it’s combined with Ginger, another digestive aid and source powerful antioxidants; honey, healthy bacteria and immune support; coconut milk, which has healthy fats galore; and cinnamon and cayenne for a delicious, spicy kick! Try it hot or iced for a SUPER healthy treat!

 

Sweet and Spicy Turmeric Tea

2/3 c. Canned light coconut milk
1/3 c. water
2 tsp. Fresh turmeric (about 1 1/2 inch “nob”) peeled, and finely grated
2 tsp. Fresh ginger, peeled, and finely grated
2-3 tsp. Honey
Pinch sea salt
A few dashes of cinnamon
A few dashes of cayenne pepper (optional)

Whisk all in a small sauce pan and heat over medium low until steaming hot but not quite boiling. Remove from heat, cover, and steep at least 10-15 min. Strain into mug, top with boiling water, stir, and enjoy! Chill for an iced version that might be even better than the hot!

 

Chewy Molasses Gingersnaps

Every year after Thanksgiving, I spend an entire day in the kitchen with my Mom baking cookies. Like, LOTS of cookies. We prepare an assortment of family recipes and pinterest ventures, freeze them, and a few days before Christmas set up boxes all over the dining room table, fill them, and deliver by foot to all the neighbors. Extras, if there are any that have not been scoffed up by passersby in the kitchen, get served at various family gatherings.  For me, this year is one of new and different Christmas traditions, but it still just wouldn’t seem like the holidays if I didn’t bake cookies.

I can’t believe that these cookies turned out PERFECT on the very first try! Talk about a Christmas Miracle… Gingersnaps are definitely my favorite Christmas cookie. This Paleo – friendly version is not exactly guilt free, but the best cookies really shouldn’t be. Plus, I know you’re all going to go out and run it off anyway!

Chewy Molasses Gingersnaps

1 c. Unsalted Almond Butter
1 c. Coconut Palm Sugar
1/4 c. Black Strap Molasses
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 1/2-2 tsp. Fresh Grated Ginger
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Cloves
Pinch Salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix coconut sugar, spices, salt, and fresh ginger in large bowl.  Stir in almond butter, egg, molasses, and vanilla until everything is well incorporated. You’ll have a sticky dough. Spoon onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet about an inch or two apart from each other and bake 12-15 minutes until they begin to darken around the edges. Cool and enjoy! (Makes 18-20 cookies)

Merry Christmas!

I’m Back!

I’m back! After a not-so-brief hiatus, I’ve dusted off my recipe book and dug up my WordPress password to get back to sharing some fun stuff!
The past few months have been pretty busy with work and getting into a rhythm. Since August I’ve run a few really fun races and had some really great times. I am in “training mode” now and really enjoying the building blocks towards my half marathon in January (Sedona 2015 – CANNOT wait!!). I am lucky to have met so many awesome people and runners through the Fleet Feet store, and they are keeping me going – especially with shorter daylight hours. Umm… creepy things come out in the dark – I am all for safety in numbers. So here’s a little synopsis of what you’ve missed. Then we can get to the good part – which is food, of course!

I ran my first ever 5k – not only that, I ran my first ever RACE!  It’s not somewhere I ever thought I’d see myself – but I did it, and even took first in my age category. Sometimes it is important to look back in life, just to see how far you’ve come. Since then I’ve done a 10k, a 7k trail race, and a 12k. Talk about addicting… I’ve got the racing bug.

In October, we had the pleasure of traveling back to Maine to see Brian’s brother and his beautiful fiance (look they have a blog too! VO2(snax)) tie the knot. We shared a wonderful week with family and loved ones doing all that fall New England – y stuff that you just can’t do in the desert: apple picking, country fairs, Pinecrest rd. bonfires… Our departure was bitter sweet.

This year we prepared our first Thanksgiving feast for two. While we missed sharing time with our families, we always find warmth in the abundance of blessings that we have. One of which being the lovely people we have met and had the pleasure of sharing a Thanksgiving morning hike with. It was a beautiful day!

And now I just can’t believe that we are just only week away from Christmas!!  Last weekend we hosted the Fleet Feet Scottsdale Christmas party at our place. It was so nice to squeeze everyone into our little apartment. There was food, wine, laughter, and Brian and I welcomed a new member to our family…

Everyone, meet Bubby

And yes, that’s me dying of laughter when I opened up my white elephant gift to find… a goldfish.

So that’s where we’re at right now. Getting ready to celebrate the Holidays and ring in the New Year with new ambitions and open hearts! And hopefully some more consistent blogging!! I’ll be back in the kitchen soon and sharing some more yummy Paleo-friendly runner food soon!