I might have a problem...

Today I went to my usual tea spot, Teavana and the guy working says "Back again, we need to get you a frequent customer card!"... does this mean I might go there too much? But really my first though was, omg do they have those cards? I'm all for discounts. I settled for signing up for the e-mail list to receive a 10$ off coupon. 

Tea has become my treat lately it brightens my day (and my mind) when I'm overwhelmed or just relaxing, any occasion calls for tea. I've come a long way from buying the poorly stored loose leaf I found at Bulk Barn! I've got 5 cute little glass jars (hello Dollorama!) that I keep my tea in, they hold 50 grams perfectly. I've got a constant rotation going, so whenever I empty on I can go buy more! It's like a little gift to myself. Being as obsessed as I am with tea, so much so as to put it in my blog title I wanted to share the teas I'm drinking right now...  

 This tea is great with a little honey if you like things sweet, Jeff loves this tea without the honey so it's really up to you! You get the kick of a green tea and the sweet flavour of the cherry. To tell you how much I love this tea, I can say it's the first one I bought 100g of, that's commitment. I officially recommend it to anyone looking for a new tea to try and am officially calling it my favourite! Did I mention it smells like a fruit roll-up? YUM. 

I only just bought this tea yesterday and I've had one cup and I'm already sold! I picked this tea by name I figured, hey I like peach and I could use some tranquility in my life... I was right! The first thing I noticed was, wait, fuzzy peaches? Yep, it smells like one of my favorite candies! I usually drink white/green/herbal teas with honey but the first time I try something I like to get the natural flavour and it turns out this tea is sweet enough without any honey. This one is going to be great to wind down with at the end of the night

Well, now I really need a cup of tea. Hopefully you're craving one too, next time you're out try one of these teas! I doubt you'll be disappointed. 

Healthy Banana Blueberry Flax Muffins

Following a trip to my natural path, homeopathic doctor, whatever you'd like to call her, I found out that my body responds really well to flaxseed, so I should probably eat more! The best way to eat it she said? Bake with it. Now that was music to my ears! I went home to find 3 rotten bananas, score! And some blueberries that we're starting to get laugh lines, okay, wrinkles. I think that's about all the explanation I need for why I decided to toss this recipe together!

Although not as scrumptious as my Aunt Liz's muffin recipe, they're still delicious and you don't have to feel guilty about eating one.. or two.. or three, okay my max is 5 in one day. That was probably a little much.

Anyways, here's the recipe:

BANANA BLUEBERRY FLAX MUFFINS

Prep Time:

10-15 minutes

Baking Time:

15-20 minutes

Serves:

16 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour 

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 cup applesauce (sweetened) 

3/4 cup honey

1 tbsp vanilla 

2 egg whites

1/3 cup ground flax seed

1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries

3 bananas

Instructions:
Preheat Oven to 350 C
Mix Liquid Ingredients together
Slowly add dry Ingredients
Fill muffin liners 3/4 full
bake 15-20 minutes

I enjoyed my first muffin with a cup of Bohemian Raspberry tea that I got in Ottawa! It's a delicious green tea with a hint of raspberry flavour.  

Monday night ramblings

It's official, 2013 will be my year of travel! It may not seem like much to some, but for me it's a big deal to be taking two large trips next year. Not to mention my very first trip overseas!! I'm more excited than a cat with catnip.

My first trip is back to my homeland, London, ENGLAND!! I say my homeland because my grandma literally came over in a boat as a child, my family has the chest she brought with her in our living room. It's legit, not antiques roadshow approved, but legitimate none the less. My school and department is amazing and is offering a trip to England during reading week that counts for a credit. Yep, I get to go on a trip AND get an academic credit for it, unfreakingreal. I mean, I do have to write a paper... but, I'll worry about that on the hungover plane ride home. 

My second trip is our yearly family trip to Florida, BUT there's an added bonus this year... Jeffrey is coming! For the first time in our lives we will be vacationing together. FINALLY. My excitement for this goes beyond cats and catnip, maybe like the way my goldfish feel about any food I put in their tanks.

Mondays suck, but this monday wasn't too bad considering it was the last day of first semester classes!

Other than that, this Monday also made me happy because I had time to think about all the things I want to do/make this week...

Food I want to make: Whenever I get groceries I try to pick 2 or 3 recipes I want to make so I buy stuff especially for that. As you can imagine, I pick from my "I like to eat" Pinterest board. Click the pictures below for the recipes.

1. Cheesy Broccoli and Rice I have some leftover ham from a Christmas dinner this weekend that I want to try adding to this recipe as well!
2. Asparagus, Mushroom & Wild Rice Asparagus & Mushrooms are two of my favourite veggies. Actually, I like almost all veggies.
3. Spinach & Strawberry Salad No official recipe for this one, just a massive craving for it. Basically it will be a mix of Spinach, Strawberries, Pecans, goat cheese and Balsamic dressing. Mmm... my mouth is watering.

1.   2.  3.

BONUS: I have some "gone bad" bananas which can only mean one thing... 

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS (aka the perfect study snack)

I use my aunt liz's recipe to make these delicious treats, I'll post it for you later in the week! Fun fact about this recipe, it was given to by my aunt over an xbox headset, classic recipe sharing.

FUN FACT FOR STUDENTS: If you show your student card at the Superstore on Tuesdays, you get 10% off! Save your money so you can buy more than Kraft Dinner. 

Pinterest thing I want to make: DIY wall flower refills. I absolutely love my Bath and Body Works wallflowers, all 4 of them. The only problem is, the chemicals used to create the smells aren't so lovely. I sometimes try to be green, so I'm going to try to make my own homemade refills. I bought some lavender essential oil to try. Click on the images to check out the tutorial!

 

Place I want to go: My Little Tea Shop. Ever since a lady I worked with gave me this card I've been dying to check out this tea shop in Windsor. I love tea and could really use a good winter/christmas flavour. But I also want to go to do some Christmas shopping! I'll fill you in on that one later..

How I want to paint my nails: Frosty Glitter Gradient. If you noticed in my last picture, my nails look like garbage, that will be fixed this week. Now that December is finally here, it's time for some snow. I know I can't expect much being in Southwestern Ontario, but I'll settle for snow-like frosty nails. It's time for a glitter gradient nail, one of my favorite looks... as seen here on Packzi day last year. I could really go for a Packzi now, only 70 days until Fat Tuesday 2013.

And finally, here's some motivation for exam times, which can also be found on our fridge:

I hope your monday went well and that the rest of your week is even better... Can you tell I'm in a good mood?