Product Review: Teavana

I have a confession to make…I don’t like coffee. I find  it bitter like burnt chocolate.  Among my friends, you will not hear us say let’s go out for coffee; most of my friends don’t drink coffee either.  Interesting fact, most Seventh Day Adventist don’t drink coffee because of the caffeine.  Caffeine is seen as a drug and reasonably so due to its addictive characteristic and  it’s effects on the body over time.

In the past, I would drink an ice coffee along with my 2 liquid Advil to rid myself of a migraine.  After visiting a neurologist, she made me give up all caffeine. Even though I thought it was helping me, she let me know that the caffeine was feeding a craving my body had developed  for caffeine when it ran low in my system.  I can honestly say that my new regimen which also includes a medication has been my most successful attempt at ridding myself of migraines that would usually last for days.

So what do I drink you ask? I drink tea.    My most recent adventure  lead me to  Teavana which is the Starbucks of tea.  This tea boutique sells various types of loose tea that they sell by weight and tea brewing accessories such as teapots and cups.  Brewing a top-notch cup of tea takes a few more minutes than seeping a teabag but the taste is so worth it.    Before Teavana,  I would have to drink packaged herbal tea and loved the brand Stash teas but it does not match to loose tea leaves.  Why tea?  They are a healthier way to break a fast hence the word break-fast, drinking something warm gets rid of the gas that accumulates overnight. Some people don’t believe it but most West Indians drink tea in the morning for that very reason. Try it for 2 weeks and let me know if you notice a difference.  Even though the teas I drink are not all 100% caffeine free, they don’t amp me up.  Drinking iced teas have less sugar than drinking a cup of juice.  Herbal teas have medicinal benefits:

• peppermint tea helps to calm ease a stomach ache
• chamomile tea helps calm stress
• garlic tea breaks up mucus
• ginger tea eases upset stomach

What are my favorites? I started with a Chai white tea blend: Samurai Chai Mate & White Ayurvedic Chai.  I use this blend to make a soy latte with brown sugar and vanilla soy milk;  this is a great morning perk. For the holidays, I treated myself to  Strawberry Rose Champagne Oolong Tea which is an elegant slightly fruity tea that I am tired of drinking peppermint tea.  My ultimate favorite is the caffeine free Berry Mint Cassis , a rooibos tea, which is good both cold and hot.

Why Teavana?

• Health benefits of  the variety of teas 
• Educated store personal
• Specialty tea tools

My Baby has Type 1 Diabetes!

My baby Lucas

It all started a little over a month ago.  Lucas was never was a big eater but I started to notice that he had a thirst that never seemed to be quenched.  The more he started to drink the less he wanted to eat.  I thought that the reason why he didn’t want to eat was because he had a loose tooth and a double one growing in at the same time which left his gums sore.  He had a little cough but nothing crazy so I never thought to take him to the doctor.

We were doing our usual Friday schedule when I pick up the boys from school, but he didn’t look as himself.  On Sabbath (Saturday) morning, he was out of it and I let him stay home with his dad with hopes that it would pass with some Advil because he complained of body aching.  When we returned from church, he didn’t want to eat.  Instead, Lucas took sips of liquid and slept off and on all afternoon.

It was 4 a.m. when my grandfather woke me up and told me that Lucas was throwing up.  He was so weak and tired.  I took him into our bed and between 4 a.m.  and 8 a.m. he threw up every bit of liquid he drank.  I finally decided it was time to go to the ER because when I looked at him, I didn’t recognize my child.  His eyes were so sunken in, he looked to have lost 10 lbs in a day. I had to pick him up just to get him to the car.

While Alvin stayed home with my 10-year-old, Lucas and I headed to the hospital with hopes of getting some answers.  In my mind I thought it might be Diabetes because I had seen a commercial from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation that gave symptoms of juvenile diabetes but I didn’t want it to be.  I thought maybe it is just a virus and he was dehydrated.  I told the intake nurse that I thought he was dehydrated, she didn’t seem to take me seriously but I know my child. By the time the doctor came to see us, he took the pinch test and ordered an IV quickly because he was really, really dehydrated.

It was so hard to watch because he was so lifeless.  Was I too late? Did Alvin and I ignore the signs too long?  The nurse took a glucose test and his blood sugar measured at almost 1100 when it should be around 110.  He had a condition called ketoacidosis:  when cells don’t get the glucose they need for energy, your body begins to burn fat for energy, which produces ketones. Ketones are acids that build up in the blood and appear in the urine when your body doesn’t have enough insulin. High levels of ketones can poison the body. When levels get too high, you can develop diabetic ketoacidosis (American Diabetes Association). 

Long story short, he was started on insulin right away.  After monitoring the situation, the doctor transferred us to Hackensack Medical Center Pediatric Unit.  We stayed there for a few days while they figured out the his proper insulin dosage, I  learned how to take blood sugar test and give insulin.  In the future, I will be writing a lot about what I am learning about Diabetes and about my little champ.

I just want to say that Lucas is the BEST!!! He doesn’t cry, get mad or throw a tantrum when he has to get these shots all day long.  I love him so much. I thank God for saving and keeping him under His divine care. 

Uninspired

I finally have the time that I have been looking for to cook whatever I want and I don’t feel like cooking anything.  I have stocked my fridge with good pantry items, good cheeses and homemade seitan but still no inspiration. I have spent the last few hours visiting blogs and websites hoping to find a recipe that I want to try but still…nothing. 

I have been in school for the last 4 months and couldn’t cook or bake as I wanted. Over the holidays, I spent most of my energy shopping and baking for other people that I don’t feel like I want to today.  What did I bake? I made homemade granola, baked carrot cake muffins, and banana bread.  I would love to say the recipes I used were mine, but they were built off of published recipes.  I even found a new recipe from Bisquick,  crumb cake with a coconut and nut topping.  The irony is that I don’t eat any of it; I mean  I taste as I go but I rarely sit and have a chunk of cake.  I think because I know in the back of my mind that I am allergic to wheat, barley and rye means I have to limit how much flour I intake.  

So will I cook before winter break is over? Yes without a doubt! I still have 2 more weeks on my break to tap into my creativity. Plus,  I cook almost everyday but everyday is not picture or blog worthy.  The real question is will I post a new recipe? I hope so otherwise I am wasting money that I don’t have. I have been pinning pictures on Pinterest which have got me percolating. If you have a recipe you want me to try or want to me to convert into a healthy version, email me at notjusttofu@gmail.com.

Thanks guys