Drink Up!--A Healthy, Yummy Concoction

This is not my typical blog post, but life has been crazy and so I am blogging about life and what is going on around me.  And drinking up this yummy concoction is keeping me on track this month.  I know, it doesn't look yummy, but trust me, it is!

So, what have I been busy with you ask?  You did ask, right?  First and foremost, I have been busy WRITING A BOOK--eek!  Crafting With Wood Pallets is the title, you all know I love me some pallets and reclaimed wood!

It has been so much fun, but work too with a bit of a learning curve.  You can pre-order the book NOW HERE on AMAZON!  Yes AMAZON PEOPLE--pinch me!  I am still finishing it up, but I promise it will be in before it's due date and will be ready to ship in October.  

It has been hard to be creating some really cool pallet projects and not being able to share them with you.  I am sure as time progresses I will be able to give you some sneak peeks.  

I also have been watching my boy do a lot of this (photo by Dan Chesnet):

It is such a joy to see you children do something they love and are passionate about and the round, orange ball is what this shorty (6'4") kid of mine loves and he has had a great senior season (insert sniff, sniff here).  The state tournament is next weekend.

So,  here is this healthy drink I make that I swear by, especially when I need a little boost or feel a cold coming on.  I am NOT a health professional! All claims are based on MY PERSONAL experience, bolstered by what I have read on the internet about the individual ingredients.  I show brands of products used, but I am not getting ANY compensation or free product from them, it is just what I buy and use.

I will say that ever since I was a kid, I have suffered from different forms of colds--sore throats, ear infections, and horrible coughs that would lead to bronchitis or walking pneumonia that kept me up coughing at nights for weeks.  Since putting this concoction together, I have not had a single, full blown cold.   I get a tickle in the throat or a stuffy nose and start drinking this and it disappears in a day or two.  In addition, it works as a great appetite suppressant, helps to clean the system (but won't give you a terrible case of the runs), and it tastes delicious.   

I make mine up in a quart size mason jar.  While water is heating up, add the following to your cup or jar:

A tablespoon or two of local, raw honey,

a tablespoon or two (depending on the size you are making) of organic, raw apple cider vinegar (If you plan on drinking this all day long, use less vinegar in each cup, you don't want more than a few tablespoons per day.),

and a piece of a cinnamon stick and a few dashes of cloves.  I also add ginger (not pictured), typically using a few slices of fresh ginger, but ground if I am out of fresh.

I add the juice of a half lemon,

and a tablespoon of organic coconut oil if I have a sore throat or cough.

After adding the hot water, I stir the ingredients and then use two bags of green tea, one plain and one flavored.  

Let steep for five minutes, remove tea bags, stir again and enjoy!  This will be sour/sweet based on  how much honey, vinegar, and lemon you use.

In the summer I drink this iced and use fruity flavors and will add fresh fruit to it.

As I said earlier, the health benefits of these individual ingredients are listed all over the internet--some substantiated, some not.  While I do not want to get into the DEBATE, drink mixes and meal replacement and cleanse drinks are a BIG money making business.  You can read reviews of some of those products that tout health HERE--search the product name on her site. Not only would I rather use ingredients in their natural form, this drink costs only pennies to make. ENJOY!