Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Yogi Tea. All views are honest.
So, how's everyone been getting on this year? We don't get to talk like this much, do we? (Apart from what we love to eat of course)?
Is there anything you're particularly proud for facing or achieving this year and want to get it off your chest? Or have you finally managed to shift some stubborn pounds you've been struggling with?
Well, now's your time to join in and share with me your #GoldenMoments over a cup of Yogi Tea's soothing Golden Milk prepared with Turmeric Chai. I'll start first, shall I? (PS, the recipe is below!)
I suppose that at the start of any year, many of us hope it's going to be a better one. We're given a new start and wonder if we'll have any bad luck this year, or at least I do.
I'm not actually superstitious, but for our last 3 consecutive years, we've had a running theme where we've had to pay 4 figure numbers for camper van repairs. In fact, I'd started to feel like any money we'd saved for home renovations was forever be spoken for.
We'd paid numerous people for fixes, only to drive away and find we still had the same problem. And it wouldn't be just cars either. We hired a carpet fitter for our hallway who hadn't fixed some of the doorway carpet tracks properly and we could lift them up with our hands. Sadly, what I've now realised is that not everyone cares about a good finished job in my home as much as I do.
By Easter, I started to fear hiring tradesmen in general and thought if I wanted things doing to a good standard (or wanted to know what kind of questions I should be asking when hiring someone), then I would need to start giving some jobs a go myself. Hopefully I'd learn a bit more about DIY and cars so it would help me go further in what seemed a man's world.
I then started getting through our camper van conversion to do list. We'd bought a more trustworthy commercial van late 2016, with the intention to make it a reliable camper where we wouldn't need to be towed home mid-holiday, twice. Ugh.
Completing these jobs also meant I needed to familiarise myself with some new tools. A jigsaw, a hacksaw, hammer drill, SDS drill bits, holesaws, a mitre saw; the list goes on.
But more often than not, I was forced out of my comfort zone. And each time I tried something new, I started to think differently about the structure of something and whether it was possible for me to make it or repair it myself safely.
It then became a weekly ritual. I would tackle something new in our first home that needed attention and shared it on YouTube in case anyone else would ever be in the same boat. And relay things from a novice's perspective.
If I hadn't tried to push myself to new limits, I wouldn't have been able to up-cycle roller blinds, make a workbench, adjust slanting vertical blinds, lay my own patio (yep!), install our own fencing and now I'm currently working on a gravel driveway. And we've saved thousands in doing so.
You never know when you're going to need a particular skill and the older I become, the important it feels to be prepared, just in case.
And surprisingly, most things haven't been that challenging, apart from the times when I've needed a second pair of hands for heavy lifting.
As for 2018, one thing I'd love to focus on next year is having a better work and relaxation balance. (The other wish is to convert my garage in to a workshop!).
I know that when I put more time and energy in to a task, other areas can be forgotten about. In my case this year, I haven't always been able to cook something as healthy as I would like, or had as much sleep as I needed. And over the last month, my digestion has been quite poor.
I've been a long time sufferer of GORD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder) since my teens. But what I've found recently is that a cup of Golden Milk for breakfast on an empty stomach is particularly soothing, or adding a teabag to a bowl of soup.
Golden Milk is made with turmeric which is an anti inflammatory that helps promote better digestion. And what keeps me sane at the end of a long day is a big bubble bath and a cup of tea before bed. I also love their Inner Harmony, Classic and Immune Support tea which are all organic and caffeine free.
📖 Recipe
Golden Milk Tea
Ingredients
- 1 tea bag Yogi tea Turmeric Chai
- Dash milk of your choice
- Pinch saffron (optional)
- Drop or two Almond Extract
Instructions
- Steep the teabag in a cup of boiling water for 7-9 minutes. Leave it longer if you prefer it stronger.
- Add a dash of milk, (although you may prefer to froth it first).
- Remove the teabag and add a pinch of saffron. Note, it's also lovely with a very small drop of two of almond extract.
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World’s website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
Nutrition
Another use I can recommend with the Turmeric Chai is to steep it in a bowl of delicious tea soup.
For well over a year, I've been meaning to create a tea soup. I used to love a heavy, chunky soup, but I now have days when I'd prefer something lighter, hydrating, yet still full of flavour.
So here's my bonus recipe of Golden Milk Infused Tofu Tea Soup. It's also vegetarian and easily vegan.
📖 Recipe
Golden Milk Infused Tofu Tea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 bunch spring onions trimmed & sliced
- 200 ml skimmed milk
- 1 litre water
- 1 sheet nori seaweed optional and but in to fine strips
- 2 vegetable stockpots or stock cubes
- 4 cm piece of fresh ginger peeled & grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 block tofu diced
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- Fresh coriander
- ¼ to ½ red chilli sliced (optional)
- 4 teabags Yogi Tea Turmeric Chai
Instructions
- Place everything except the coriander in a deep based pan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the onions have softened.
- Serve while piping hot and add a tea bag to each and leave to steep for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the teabag if you wish and sprinkle with fresh coriander and eat!
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World’s website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
EQUIPMENT AFFILIATE LINKS
Nutrition
So, what #GoldenMoments are you proud of this year?
Don't forget to share yours and tag Yogi Tea through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the following links!
Rachel Bustin
This looks delicious! My golden moments last year was buying our dream home. We had been saving for ages. Then getting pregnant with our second daughter. New house new baby was definitely us! Have a fantastic 2018!
Ali
Oh my word, your photography is beautiful… I think my golden moment of 2017 was the creative workshops I devised and ran at the fforest gather – it wasn’t like proper ‘work’ and I know everyone really enjoyed them, so I hope to continue with these for 2018 and maybe even make it a regular thing!
Claire
These sound delicious. I love the sound of a better work relaxation balance too. I’d love to convert our garage too.
Amanda
Oooh I love a good cup of Yogi tea! I can’t drink chai as something in it gives me terrible indigestion, so I’m still trying to figure out a good turmeric golden milk version without the tea part!
I think my golden moment from last year has to be when I decided to invest in my creativity again – I started sharing my novel on my blog, contracted someone to make crocheted characters for my Advent series for kids (and recorded 26 videos with them!), and also invested in kids yoga teacher training ? Making a decision to prioritise my creative spark was a huge deal for me!
Pippa
I love the sound of the golden milk and the soup! I’ll definitely be trying them! I’ll pop over and have a look on Instagram! Thanks for the inspiration! I think it’s amazing what you have achieved, you should be proud!
vikkie
Thank you Pippa 🙂 The golden milk is very soothing and I try to cook with turmeric as much as I can x