My Shrinker Concentrate

If you haven’t guessed by now, I love Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett. This biblical approach to healthy living has given me hope after decades of being overweight and obese. They did the research and wrote the book, but it is God’s gift to me.

So, when they share recipes with ingredients that have HUGE health benefits, I sit up and take notice. I follow the recipe precisely the first time, and then I tweak. One section I had to force myself to try is their sippers.

I love water. I drink it all day long. I seek warm baths when I feel sick or sore. I swim in the river as much as possible in our very short summer. I even had water births with my daughters. Why would I need to drink something else?

Oh, oolong tea prevents obesity and burns fat (along with a whole host of other health benefits you can read about here: The Shrinker:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=526073044113214&set=a.394655747254945.94224.277546472299207&type=1&theater: SIP THE SHRINKER!!!)

Yay! They're finally in!

Don’t the tea leaves of this oolong look mysterious and tempting? I had to look, and look for it. I looked in every grocery store locally and in most of the larger stores in “the big cities” of Coeur d’Alene, ID and Spokane, WA. No, oolong doesn’t really factor into country life here.

Then, talking with one of my father’s long-time friend I bumped into at the library, I discovered she is a distributor for Frontier Foods. I asked if they had oolong? Why yes, yes they do: just $17.50 for an ENORMOUS 16 oz. bag of it. (She gave me her wholesale cost, hoping I would continue shopping with her buying group.) I know, 16 oz. doesn’t sound big, but using just ½ cup each week, I think it is a great bargain.

Ok, now I didn’t have the excuse that I couldn’t find oolong. Fine, I like vanilla chai lattes occasionally. This could work. I tried it, and liked it, but I didn’t love it…yet.

Cinnamon helps lower blood sugar. Turmeric supports adrenal function and reduces inflammation. Yes, I know, that ingredient isn’t in the original recipe. It is part of The Singing Canary (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=543644169022768&set=pb.277546472299207.-2207520000.1378502583.&type=3&theater: Drink Away Adrenal Fatigue with the Singing Canary!) However, I did not enjoy this exotic spice in that particular drink. It overwhelmed the lemon and orange flavors I prefer. So, I figured I would try it in my second batch of shrinker.

Loose oolong leaves in my French Press. It's cute and functional, just like me!

All ready to experiment

Hmmm, exotic spices and oriental tea. I decided to go a little crazy with some of the spices on my shelves I rarely use: allspice, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and turmeric. Here is a picture of my experiment. 

I know, the allspice remains invisible. I overlooked it at first, but when I was putting my spices back on the shelf before continuing, I saw it and said, “Why not?” The camera refused to focus on an individual bottle, so no picture. Kind of like that kid who always missed picture day back in school: “No picture available of Allspice.”

I'm actually measuring! This is just for you, I usually dash, dollop, and dump.

So, I pour the oolong leaves into my French Press (thank you Susan Stanton Hitchcock for suggesting that.) Then I put in the cinnamon, ginger, and the rest of the spices.

Oooo, exotic and mysterious! What will it taste like?

I pour boiling water to fill the canister and stir it well with a spoon. Then I let it infuse for hours. Sometime this afternoon, I will transfer this concentrate into a sterilized quart jar and store it in my refrigerator. This concentrate lasts me a week.

All the spices float to the top. Must stir!

Stirred and Steamy

Infusion Starts. It will get much darker.

With the last ¼ cup of my last batch, I mixed up my shrinker for today. I put the concentrate in a quart jar, add 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, vanilla, and sweetener. I prefer the liquid sweetener for this drink, as it mixes well with the cold liquids. Today, I chose my French Vanilla liquid stevia. Be careful, 4-6 drops is usually enough. I think I got 8 today, and it is a bit too sweet for me. 

Voila! A sipper that I love, easy for me to make throughout the week with minimal prep time. (Happy sigh.) THM makes my life a bit more relaxed and a lot more healthy!

Now I’m done with MY science experiment. Going to post this and then get the girls started on their science: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.

My Shrinker Concentrate

Ingredients:

½ ounce (I'm changing from ½ cup) loose oolong tea leaves

1½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

¼ tsp each: allspice, cardamom, cayenne, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric

Layer in a French Press, add boiling water, and stir to combine. Allow the medicinal properties of these herbs and spices infuse for at least 2 hours. I have let it sit as long as 6 once, when I forgot about it. Store in a sterile, glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. Makes 6-7 sippers of The Shrinker.
To dilute, I take 1/4 cup concentrate, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, vanilla, and sweetener. I put it all in a quart jar with a straw, and dilute it with cold water until it is the flavor and consistency I want.