Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Since it is the season of all things pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes had to be added to the recipe list. I don’t know why, but nothing seems quite as comforting on a cold fall day then a warm drink by my side. And even though I live in San Diego and it never really seems to get to ‘I can’t feel my fingers’ cold, I still cannot seem to part from my warm drinks. I made my latte with coconut milk for its mildly sweet flavor, but feel free to substitute it for any milk of your preference.

Side note:  I find that when the hot drink craving stikes, I am 95% of the time too lazy to whip up a fancy latte from scratch.  Much more likely, I make a quick cup of tea, throw in an absurd amount of stevia, and I’m good to go. So although it may be ‘cheating’, when making this spiced hot drink, I double or triple the recipe (minus the espresso) and stick the leftovers in the fridge. That way, when I want another drink the next day (or an hour after my first one) I just heat up the milk mixture and add in the espresso at the last minute. Who needs to spend $4 on a Starbucks drink that is full of sugar? Not I.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2-1 teaspoon of stevia

1- 2 espresso shots

1 dollop of natural whipped topping (optional)

 

Directions:

In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, stevia, and pumpkin pie spice on medium heat until everything is combined. Add in the espresso, transfer to big mug, dollop with some natural whipped topping, and cozy up with a blanket and good book for a relaxing evening.

 

Health Benefits of Tea

Black, green, white and oolong are all teas that contain antioxidant benefits.  Some say tea has more antioxidants than fruit, however it does have to be tea (from a camellia plant – not herbal).  Herbal teas have benefits as well, but herbal teas are not really tea at all.  They are herbal infusions.  However many herbal teas do provide benefits of their own; they just can’t be put in the same category as tea which provides antioxidant properties.

Here are a few helpful facts about each type of tea:
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