Whole30 food : : 23

Doing the Whole30 has certainly broken my coconut juice and mango kombucha habits.  There is nothing wrong with either of these drinks, health-wise, in my opinion.  Were they making me healthier?  Probably not.  Did I rely on them to give me happy boosts?  Probably.  Is there a benefit to not drinking them?  Yes, to our checking account.

I have rediscovered the simple joys of drinking water.  Partly, this is due to the fact that I have not replaced the electric kettle which conked out within a month of purchase.  My tea brewing really suffers if there isn't an electric kettle around.

I got my period early (yesterday afternoon's teariness suddenly explained) and am pretty danged tired.  So much so that I canceled my appointment with Vinny this afternoon.  I went to feed the rats early so I could have the rest of the day free to chill.  I have turned on the air conditioner ungodly early to avoid the late afternoon/early evening melts that seem to come out of nowhere.  (Yesterday was so lovely, with a breeze, had the windows open all day and then, boom, around 7pm it felt like the apartment turned into an oven.)  Also, I just feel better in the dry cool of the air conditioned air.

I'm glad it came early because I am hoping this will shift the timing of my period in August.  This may mean I won't be traveling to Williamsburg on the second day of my period.  (And that my period will essentially be done by the time we're down there.)  The bad news is that the second day of this cycle will be tomorrow.  I may cancel going into the city for Momoko's graduation dinner and the molten Valrhona chocolate cake.  (Which, incidentally, I am starting to feel I may forego anyway now that my little spike of PMS hormones has smoothed out.)

Anyway, back to tea.  As I washed up in the kitchen after our breakfast, I felt a tug for some iced tea.  In my one and only Terra outing during the Whole30, I had an iced herbal tea which I found completely refreshing and satisfying.  I didn't miss the honey at all.  It's become a little beacon of positivity in my mind's eye.  When the kids and I went to the library yesterday, I peeked in, but they were still on vacation.

So, after washing the oatmeal pot (Gem's breakfast request), I placed a pot of filtered water on a burner and went foraging in the tea basket.  Because I have my period, I decided to go caffeine-free.  Gentle appealed.  But, I still wanted flavor.  I chose Queen Bee, a tea Cap picked out for me last winter.  A tea that promotes balance, specifically tuning into cycles...sweet, floral, fragrant.  Perfect.

Once the tea is cool enough, I will pour it into one of our glass pitchers and get it real cold in the fridge.  Looking forward to that first restorative sip.