It doesn't matter where you live this week, chances are you have been experiencing some snow, perhaps even a blizzard and (hopefully) tons of winter fun! With that, a lot of folks all across the nation have sadly been out of power, some for many days, which can be fun at first, but quickly loses its charm when you find yourself and your family struggling to keep warm, and fed.

One of my favorite things to do when it’s cold outside is to use warming herbs - there are so many great ones out there!

Ginger

I love to cook with Ginger! It’s warming and a great circulatory stimulant. It’s brings blood to your extremities helping to warm them right up.  A simple hot cup of ginger tea can work wonders to get you nice and cozy from the inside out. All you have to do is grab a hunk of ginger rhizome from your local grocery store, preferably organic, cut a little chunk about the size of your thumbnail, and pour boiling water over it.  If you’ve got a plate or something like that to cover it and keep the steam and volatile oils, then after 10 or more minutes, add some lemon or honey if that’s your jam. It’s super yum! 

Spicy Soup 

This past week, I made one of my favorite soups. It’s a 10 Spice & Veggie Soup from the 'Oh She Glows' website. It’s a whole lot of yummy veggies like carrots, peppers, butternut squash, tomatoes, celery, and some others I’m forgetting now but the awesome 10 spices include: 

• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

It’s warming, it’s delicious, and uber nutritious! Click here for the full recipe.

Cozy Curry

You could also make yourself a nice curry. There are so many fantastic warming herbs in a curry dish, plus you get the extra benefits of a whole rainbow of colorful vegetables to add in. The sky is the limit as far as what you can experiment and play with here!

Some common warming herbs to add to your curry dishes are:

• Turmeric
• Cumin
• Chilies (red or green)
• Ginger

You could add other herbs such as:

• Mustard
• Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Clove
• Cardamom
• Nutmeg

Along with fresh aromatics such as garlic, onion, cilantro, lemongrass, lime and lemon, you can make it with the rainbow of veggies. You could also make it as a rub for your meats, use it as a popcorn seasoning, or simply add some coconut milk to it.  

Speaking of coconut milk, another favorite of mine when it comes to warming beverages is making Golden Milk. It’s sooooo yummy, and you can totally get creative with which herbs you choose to add to yours. I’ve got a basic recipe for you here, and you’re welcome to check out my blog post on Why Gut Health Is So Important.

Golden Milk

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut milk (preferably homemade, try this recipe from Wellness Mama)
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 1 chunk of fresh turmeric, about 1 inch, or 1/2 teaspoon dried turmeric
• 1 chunk of ginger, unpeeled & thinly sliced
• 1 TBL honey
• 1 TBL virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 2 whole cloves
• Dash of ground cinnamon as a garnish

Directions

1. With a mortar and pestle, crush your peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom pods.
2. Put your milk in a small saucepan, and simmer on low with all of the ingredients, minus the honey, for 5-10 minutes.
3. Strain the concoction into a clean mug.  Add your honey to taste, or not.  

Healthy Hot Cocoa

Another favorite drink of mine to warm you right up in the winter time is a healthy version of Hot Cocoa! Yes, it’s possible to have hot cocoa not laden with all kinds of sugar and who knows what, and it can be totally delicious and warming. The secret is buying organic raw cacao powder!

Cacao is rich in flavonoids and has been shown to be beneficial to a wide range of health issues including cardiovascular health, and reducing inflammation throughout your body. And, it’s rich in fiber to improve digestion.

Two of my great friends, Dr. Orna Izakson & Dr. Melissa Berry just did a whole webinar on the health benefits of chocolate. Dr. Berry actually owns an amazing Chocolate company, Missionary Chocolates, they’re all vegan, and she uses a lot for herbs in them. Seriously amazing chocolate.  And, Dr. Orna has a lot of fantastic information on her website and her newsletters, if you’re looking for great people to follow with solid knowledge to share. Anyway, on to the hot cocoa!

I like to make my hot cocoa with my homemade coconut milk. I do about 2 cups, and then I add 2 heaping tablespoons of Cacao powder, let it simmer and add some maple syrup to it. I add about a Tablespoon here, but you do you. If you need it sweeter, make it sweeter. Love the bitter pow of cacao? Do less syrup.

And, if you really want to increase the warming effects of this super yummy, warming and filling beverage, sprinkle some cinnamon in there. Help get that blood moving to those fingers and toes and get you all warmed up.  Cinnamon is a bit more friendly for the kiddos, than the other herbs I love to add to my hot cocoa. So, depending on if you’ve got kiddos drinking this cocoa blend or not, you could also add in some cayenne.

Yes, cayenne. Obviously this is a HOT herb!  Which also means that it can help to warm you from the inside out. You can add a little, or if you’re super into the spice action you can add a lot. But, be careful not to get so crazy that you can’t enjoy this delicious bevy!

Cayenne

Another cool tip that I love so much when it comes to wintertime fun that doesn't require any cooking or electricity for those of you that are without. Try putting a bit of cayenne pepper powder in your socks. If you’re careful and promise to wash your hands well, you could also put some in your mittens. But, please, be super cautious about the hand washing part. You don’t want to get cayenne in your eye, your nose, or any of your other special parts, if you catch my drift. But, doing this will also help to bring more blood flow to those fingers and toes, and get you nice and warm and cozy toesies! With the weather happening now, who doesn’t want that?

Oooh oooh, one more suggestion! If all that snow shovelin’ & body shiverin’ has you all achy and your muscles all sore, try out my Bobcat Balm.  It’s pretty amazing when it comes to easing those aches and pains. And, it has cayenne in it, so you know it’s bringing circulation to the area as it also works to ease the pain. 

Stay warm my friends, bring on the warming herbs, and try to get a bit of snuggle time in!

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