Supernatural Botanicals

Save those coffee grounds after your morning pot of joe, they’re good for your skin.  Be the ultimate recycler and multitask your coffee grounds.  Simply apply a great body oil all over your skin while in the shower.  Next, grab a handful of damp coffee grounds and scrub your skin in a circular motion.   The caffeine in the coffee is ultra-beneficial to the skin, and the coarse texture of the coffee grounds scrubs your skin, leaving it beautiful and healthy.  All natural, eco-friendly, and leaves your gorgeous.  What’s not to love?

A recent study at the University of Georgia Department of Kinesiology suggests that breakfast paired with 200 milligrams of caffeine (the average amount in a mug of coffee) improves the mood.

Coffee Smoothie Caffeinated deliciousness!

This coffee smoothie is available at many coffee shops, now you can make it at home in just few minutes as instant coffee is used to make this delicious smoothie. You may adjust flavors according to your taste.

Ingredients:

1 tsp instant coffee
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
Ice cubes

1. Add all the ingredients to the blender including instant coffee, milk, vanilla extract, sugar, ice, and chocolate syrup in a blender. Try to use a good quality blender to make smooth drinks and in this recipe of smoothie particularly because coffee needs to blend properly.
2. Blend them all until become smooth and creamy.
3. Serve in beautiful serving glasses and add some whipped cream on top.
2 tsp chocolate syrup.

Scenes from my day today at two farmers markets in Cincinnati; Hyde Park Farmer’s market and Findlay Market.

I’ve been making banana bread since 5th grade.  That’s also the year I begged my mom to teach me how to do the laundry.  I was born with domestication in my bones, evidently.    I have literally been making this recipe since I was 10 years old, so it has deeply-rooted memories of home to me.

Home smells like freshly baked banana bread.  I’ve baked thousands of loaves of banana bread.  When you stop by my house for a cup of coffee, odds are, I’ll make a banana bread while we are gossiping around the kitchen island.

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°.  With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4″ x 8″ inch loaf pan.  Bake for 1 hour.  Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

*Note:  There are so many variations you can add to this, such as walnuts, banana chunks, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sliced almonds, coconut, dried cherries, etc., in addition to various icings and glazes on the top.  For a quick icing, purchase cake icing, and microwave in its container for 30 seconds (or until pourable), pour over loaf of banana bread.  Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of icing.  I can tell you from experience, this brings ooohhhs and aaahhhhs.

     Enjoy a bowl of berries:  Top super-food, blueberry, is rich in antioxidants.  Reservatrol helps to repair damage done by free radicals (unstable molecules produced as a result of stress) and pterostilbene regulates blood sugar levels, inhibiting the release of stress hormones.  And they keep better than another berries. 

     Have a cup of tea:  A study in 2006 found that those who drank black tea’s blend of antioxidant ingredients recovered more quickly from the effects of stress than those who did not, and felt more relaxed up to 50 minutes later.  A study at King’s College in London showed that drinking around three cups a day enhances mental performance.

   Enjoy Coffee:  As well as boosting mental acuity, a 2006 report found that 1-2 cups a day of coffee relieves liver stress, supporting the liver’s detox functions and helping stabilize blood sugar.  It may also relax the muscles, ease pain, and cut the risk of heart disease and stroke. 

   Munch on apricots  Eat a handful of dried apricots every day.  These are a good source of potassium, which helps to control blood pressure. 

   Red grapes:  Keep a stash to repair damage caused by free radicals.  The skins contain the antioxidant reservatrol, which accounts for the benefits of red wine.