I have a confession… I hate smoothies. I hate the grainy texture of adding powders, the cold, and the sheer volume.
I love warm drinks in the morning – regardless of the weather they make me feel calm and coolheaded and perk me up. Since I don’t drink much caffeine anymore, I have wanted alternatives for what to drink. And right now? I want something that picks me up but keeps me mellow as I’ve got enough stress in my day.
I love green tea because it has less caffeine than black tea or coffee (about 50mg per cup) so it gives you a steadier climb to alertness rather than the rude jolt. Green tea also has other health benefits we can get into at another time. In general, tea can brighten your eyes, clear your voice and is a great way to start the day. Add in some herbs and this little concoction is something to bring some alertness to your system and keep the blues at bay.
Chai is traditionally served with lots and lots of milk/cream. Here we only use a tablespoon to give you a nice fat boost and we hide in some lovely additions to help you get started in your day.
Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom are all warming, help increase vibrancy in your system and can help with digestion.
Collagen is a way to deliver protein to your system and has many health benefits, some of which have helped my recovery greatly. (Happy to share more if you want to DM.)
So here is my way to ease into your morning with bright eyes and a calm attitude.
Green Tea Chai with mood boosters
Makes 1 cup
Time: 15 minutes or less
Contains animal products (marked with “A”)
Your favorite Green Tea (loose or bag – caffeinated or decaf)
Chai Spice Mix (see recipe below)
2 Tbsp Hydrolysated Collagen (A)
1 Tbsp Milk – your personal favorite (dairy or non)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract or powder
1/2 tsp agave (if desired)Freshly grated nutmeg on top
**Optional adds: If you want a mood boost:
I suggest adding a second teabag containing Raspberry Leaf (fabulous for the ladies!) or Ashwaganda Root for any gender!
Equipment
A way to boil water 😉
Teacup or mug
Tea strainer or cheesecloth or empty teabag
Grater (for nutmeg)
Optional: spice grinder
Directions:
Add the collagen to your mug or cup and add a bit of water to dissolve it. Add your tea(s).
Add hot water and spice mix and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the spices. (If you use ground spices, you will have some floating grains, if this bothers you, use an empty tea bag or cheesecloth.)
- Spice Mix Recipe:
1 whole black peppercorn - 1/2 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
- 2 whole cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger, or a nice fresh slice of some
- 1 cardamom pod (green preferred) or 1/8 tsp ground
Put these ingredients in a piece of cheesecloth or a tea strainer and us in the recipe above.
NOTE: If you have a way to grind these and put them in an empty teabag or cheesecloth, great! Otherwise, keep them whole. You will get some grittiness from the ginger and cardamom, but the flavor is worth it!
(If you want to make a ground mix you can spoon into an empty teabag for long term use – I love this recipe.)