Pineapple Chamomile Tea

WITH BASIL, TO CALM THE NERVES

Is there anybody else feeling like they're on a playground stuck on a roundabout that won't stop spinning?The perks of living in a faced-paced society are great, but this style of living isn't free of stress, pressure and competition. Many of us are expected to overperform, work despite our ailments caused from overwork, and to keep moving forward with the pack despite our individuality. These types of unrealistic expectations leave us feeling horribly guilty or disappointed in ourselves if we don't live up to them. Well, I'm a firm believer that we're not machines, and as people, we all work at different paces and absorb the world differently. Sometimes we just need to say enough, "I'm powering off, check back with me in a couple weeks!"Of course some of us can't afford to crawl into a hole for 14 days, so we turn to adding even more to our schedules to make de-stressing more efficient... ironically enough. We make plans to wake up an hour before work to workout at 5 am in the morning, or we meditate for 30 minutes a day, or we try to eat things that help take the pressure off of our bodies so they can power through the day a little easier.I rely heavily on the latter.  :)I love making juices, infusing teas, and just packing nutrients into things that take a second to drink. It feels good. Like a quick pick me up.And on that note, Eric and I are going to debut a drinking section of the blog!   He's a fabulous mixologist; He prides himself in having been the KING of mixing Kool-Aid packets to the perfect percentage for optimum pleasure throughout his college days. (teasing) But now, because he's so much more conscious about his health and out of the habit of drinking EXTRA sugary drinks, he's repurposed his mixing skills, making extensive use of his most-prized kitchen-aid, his Vitamix!He's turned to smoothies, fresh juices, creative cocktails, healthy mocktails, and good quality local beers, and he's excited to start sharing his drink talents on the blog.  I'm just excited to be the taste-tester of these concoctions!Here's a recipe of these

 Pineapple Chamomile Iced Tea with Basil, that he tipped me to, to help me relax before the start of my day.

INGREDIENTS:4 Chamomile tea bags1 1/2 cups of water

1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks2

1/2 cups crushed ice2 tablespoon chopped basilHoney, to taste​

Boil the water in a small saucepan.  

Remove the pan from the heat and add the tea bags, and steep them for 2-3 minutes. 

Allow the tea to cool.

Add the cooled tea, 1 cup of the ice, the pineapple, and the honey to a blender and blend together.  

Stir in the basil leaves. (It will be frothy so let it sit for a couple minutes so the contents of the blender can settle.)

The longer you let the flavors come together the better the tea will taste.

Evenly fill two glasses with the rest of the crushed ice, and pour the tea over.

​SERVE!