Busy day & a review

Yesterday I woke up at 4.30 AM 😯 for no unknown reason but I managed to finish what I needed to do (i.e., preparation for my proposal defense,which is TODAY!) Usually I’d be zombie after lunch if I don’t sleep well the night before, but no time for that, so double coffee did the trick 😉 After I finish the last touches to the ppt, my eyes were soooo heavy, so I had a super early dinner  at 6 PM and went to bed at 8.30PM. After 9 hours of sleep I’m refreshed for an important day, the day I become ABD, All but Dissertation, an Ph.d student jargon 😉 Wish me luck~~~

Okay. Let’s quickly rewind to some eats, all super simple (for obvious reasons)

Breakfast: a new batch of porridge made with barley, millet and aduki bean; 1/2 steamed sweet potato; cottage cheese and almond butter!

I know it doesn’t look very pretty but it’s soooo yummy that I’ll have it again today! 😉

Lunch: prepared in 10 min

mashed cauliflower with LC

mashed tofu with olive oil, Salt and dijon mustard

sliced cucumber

a wrap setting

Good good~~~ to be repeated soon! 😉

Dinner prepared in 10 min. Warm salad: bed of romaine lettuce, stir-fry of broccoli, onion, mushrooms and celery in coconut oil and soy sauce, topped with tomato and roasted peppers; Women’s Bread and parmesan cheese

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Review Time

Last week I got a sampler set from LeafSpa

LeafSpa Organic Tea is an importer, blender and retailer of premium quality organic and Fair Trade Certified teas. LeafSpa is also proud to offer their new line of organic spa products and bath accessories all made with the purest tea leaves on earth. Whether you want a tea for stimulation, relaxation, weight loss, detoxification, or overall health improvement, LeafSpa has the perfect organic tea product ready for delivery right now.

I know there are a lot of tea drinkers here. Are you aware of all the health benefits of teas? Let me remind you:

• Fight Cancer and Heart Disease
• Strengthen your immune system
• Increase Metabolism and lose weight
• Increase mental alertness and lower stress
• Control inflammation

Details can be find here.

Which Tea to Drink?

The more processing the tea goes through, the more antioxidants are stripped from it. In that regard, white teas have the most antioxidants and black teas have the least. Still, the benefits of drinking tea, even black tea, cannot be overlooked. It is best to choose loose leaf teas as opposed to instant or bottled teas because they have higher levels of antioxidants. If you want the healthiest and best tasting teas, choose high-quality loose leaf teas.

They have a big variety of all kinds of teas: white, green, oolong, black, rooibos, herbal, etc. I got to try these:

The liquor has a typical India green tea flavor with a mouth feel that is pleasant although very lively. Delicate fruit notes make this a good choice for an afternoon tea. This selection is a good choice for an afternoon respite. The liquor is light with mild malty hints and delicate fruity notes. The cup has a mild pungency which can be balanced with a spot of milk if desired.

This Chun Mee, which the Chinese refer to as precious eyebrow,is a Superior Grade tea with leaves of dusty jade green, shaped like delicate eyebrows. This tea brews a golden liquor and tastes of smoky-plum and sweetness. This special grade presents a smoothness unmatched and it will not disappoint.

Enjoy this traditional Honeybush tea, grown on the mountain slopes of the East Cape of South Africa. A sweet flavor and honey scent combined with the caffeine-free, health benefits makes this a tea not to miss.

Black tea from the Yunnan region of China. Yunnan tea is easily identified by its luscious soft leaves, and a unique peppery taste. Our ‘Yunnan Gold’ as the name implies is an exceptional quality tea with beautiful gold-colored leaves and an abundance of rich peppery flavor. Allowed to take only one tea to a desert island, ‘Yunnan Gold’ would be our clear choice.

A Japanese classic of lightly roasted, popped brown rice and bancha green tea leaf, this handsome blend is rich in rice kernels, giving it a pronounced brothy, nutty character very low in caffeine.

I enjoyed trying teas around the world and my favorite one is Genmaicha! 🙂

Thanks Leafspa! 🙂

Wanna to win some tea? Enter my Tea Giveaway, you have until 9PM 🙂

Tea Giveaway!

People from Golden Moon Tea kindly sent me a tin of Tippy Earl Grey

Tippy Earl Grey is Better Early Grey (from the website)

It’s difficult to improve upon a tea so revered as Earl Grey. But we believe we’ve done so, in creating a Tippy Early Grey that takes the traditional and adds layers. To start, the base of our Early Grey contains substantially more tips than others. This requires meticulous plucking, and lends a unending complexity to your cup. Then, we add not just the traditional oil of bergamot, but fresh, fresh lavander that blends sublimely with the citrus of the former. All real reasons many open-minded connoisseurs of Early Grey claim that Golden Moon’s Tippy is the best Earl Grey they’ve ever sipped.

And they are offering one reader to win a tin of this special tea!

Ways to participate (US. residents only)

1) Go to Golden Moon Tea website and tell me what tea you’d like to try.

2) Link back to this giveaway on your blog

3) Tweet this giveaway.

4) Add me to your blogroll.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, April 21th, 2010 9PM Eastern Time

Tea review & A giveaway

Two weeks ago I received a package from Celestial Seasoning

It was part of a “wellness kit” that they’ve created for the “flu” season. It included: Four wellness teas to ease  symptoms associated with the cold and flu including Sleepytime Extra, Echinacea Complete Care and Tummy Mint and Two green teas to support a healthy immune system year round – Authentic Green Tea and Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea.

I tried all of them and my favorites are Tummy Mint and AM Detox. I really like them because they’re rich in aroma and smooth in taste. Since I’ve been wanting to cut down my caffeine intake, these caffeine free teas are satisfying my hot drink craving. I’d probably drink 2-3 bags of different tea everyday.

Do you get “flu” in this season? I personally am fairly “insensitive” and don’t get flu often. But for those of you who do, here are some teas that might help.

A Tea for Whatever Ails You!

Seasonal discomforts keeping you down? You can trust delicious, all-natural Celestial Seasonings teas to help foster everyday wellness as part of your balanced, healthy lifestyle. The selection of recommended herbs, teas and other foods provided below can help you find great-tasting natural relief for your symptoms.

Tea for Health 101

Once you’ve chosen the tea that best matches your symptoms, click here to view a series of short videos that teach you about drinking tea for health and wellness, how to properly prepare tea, tea pairings and more!

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Symptom	Herbs for What Ails You	Teas to Try	Other All-Natural Health Helpers
I have a sore, dry or scratchy throat.	Soothing chamomile Licorice root and slippery elm bark to coat the throat and help alleviate discomfort Ginger and lemongrass to rejuvenate the body	Sleepytime Throat Tamer™	Ice cold orange juice, honey, lemon juice, salt water (for gargling)
I am beginning to feel sick; my immune system needs a boost.	Echinacea to support the immune system and the body’s ability to defend itself* Vitamin C for its antioxidant properties Zinc, an essential mineral that provides immune system support during cold season* Aromas and flavors likeeucalyptus and peppermintthat make you feel better fast!	Echinacea Complete Care®	Walnuts, garlic, berries, citrus fruits
My stomach hurts and/or I’m feeling bloated.	Revitalizing fennel to quickly but gently calm your stomach Soothing herbs likepeppermint and chamomilethat naturally assist digestion	Tummy Mint®	Yogurt with active cultures, whole grains, water
I’m feeling run down.	Whole eleuthero root andAsian and American ginsengto sustain healthy levels of energy and stamina Vitamins B6 and B12, which are essential for helping you cope with stress Revitalizing and refreshing flavors like orange peel andspearmint	Ginseng Energy®	Oatmeal, berries, citrus fruit
I need to cleanse my body after over-indulging in fatty foods, alcohol or caffeine.	Milk thistle to cleanse and detoxify the body and promote healthy liver function* Immune system-supportingEchinacea* Cleansing botanicals likedandelion root, sarsaparilla root and red clover	Detox AM®	Green leafy vegetables, water
I can’t sleep.	Tilia flower to quiet the mind and relax the body Valerian, a trusted natural sleep aid Calming herbs like chamomileand spearmint	Sleepytime Extra®	Dairy products, nuts, carbohydrate-rich foods
I am feeling healthy and want to stay that way.	Powerful polyphenols and potent flavonoid antioxidantsto counter the harmful effects of free radicals Vitamins A, C and E to maintain your body’s good health	A delicious, health-supporting Green Tea, like Antioxidant Supplement Green Tea	Fresh fruits and vegetables

okay. Wanna win a Wellness Kit? which included six package of teas that I got, PLUS Mug, soothing lip balm, honey sticks and Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Bear and the book “Herbs for Health and Happiness” by Celestial Seasonings founder Mo Siegel and Nancy Burke.

Ways to participate:

1) Leave a comment on this post answering the following question: What’s your favorite tea?

2) Blog about it.

3) Twitt about it.

4) Add me to your blogroll.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

Giveaway ends Sunday, March 28th, 2010 9PM Eastern Time