Every homeschool mama needs time to recharge and refresh herself. For some moms that looks like alone time, reading a book just for fun, a girls night out, or maybe a nap. For me? It’s an afternoon pick-me-up cup of joy.
Struggling To Find Joy
Let’s be honest, finding time to be alone can be a challenge especially when kiddos are young and need (demand?) constant attention. I used to think that time alone was what I needed to recharge, but after years of occasionally trying that I realized it wasn’t having the effect I had hoped. I learned that my wanting alone time really came down to two things:
- either I was trying to accomplish a task (like oh say, write a blog post without my train of thought being interrupted) or,
- I was completely, COMPLETELY fried.
And girls nights out? They are so life-giving and refreshing, but personally not the thing that recharges me for the day-to-day.
To really keep my mental health on the up and up it turned out that I needed to attack it head on, rather than wait until I was about to break. (Duh, right? But in the throws of motherhood this isn’t always quite as obvious or feel as achievable as that.) I needed little things I could practically do to keep myself going strong. Realistic and achievable plans to incorporate into my days, weeks, or months. It’s taken some trial and error and is a process that I continue to work on, but I wanted to share with you one thing I’ve found that I can do every single day that brings me joy: an afternoon pick me up beverage.
Afternoon Pick-Me-Up
The last few years my go-to drink has been matcha, a powdered green tea. I love it. I love how easy it is to make. I love the earthy taste. And I love that it’s GREEN! How fun is a green drink?
Sitting down with my cup of joy brings me peace. And I do make a point to sit with it. Sometimes that sitting looks like driving the car to wherever we’re going for the afternoon, but the point is that I am sitting and enjoying my drink.
And matcha is delicious any time of year! I love it over ice in summer time. Add a drop of peppermint essential oil for an extra cooling sensation. I also love it in winter, nice and steamy hot. The creaminess of this latte feels wholesome and cozy on the coldest of days and yet light and refreshing in the heat of summer.
And the great thing about this afternoon pick me up is that matcha has plenty of health benefits. While it does contain caffeine it is a lower caffeine content than coffee (so don’t feel bad if you want to drink a second!). It also contains L-theanine which is said to promote alertness but without the crash of coffee, and also has antianxiety effects. Matcha is also high in antioxidants, and best of all, it promotes joy. (That last part is not scientifically proven, but I’m sticking to it.)
The Process
Want to see how I prepare my matcha tea latte over ice? Head over to my Instagram page to see my process. (You can find that video here). Not sure where to get the ingredients and tools? I’ve got you covered!
Matcha
I purchase my organic matcha at Costco, but if the Costco near you doesn’t carry this organic Sencha Matcha you can buy it here.
Coconut Milk Powder
This is not a requirement for the recipe, but I’ve been using coconut milk powder in combination with almond milk because I find organic nut milks to be too thin (and I do not recommend milk alternatives that have additives in them). Coconut milk powder doesn’t make the drink taste like coconut (perhaps a hint if you’re sensitive to taste) but it does add MCT’s and a creamier mouthfeel. Often I also just use regular organic (or preferably raw) dairy whole milk, in which case I omit the coconut milk powder. To purchase the coconut milk powder, head here.
For the best homemade almond milk recipe, head over to Oh She Glows. I omit the cinnamon and reduce the number of dates, and always make a double batch. If I use store-bought I only use Califia Farms organic almond milk, the one made with only three ingredients. Their organic oat milk is yummy, too.
Milk Frother
I know, I know, this is NOT the traditional way to prepare matcha. I love the idea of having a special bowl and an actual matcha whisk, but in a minimalist household we do our best to only use multipurpose tools. This little mini frother gets a lot of use and works great for breaking up the matcha chunks (because no one likes to chew on one of those). The one I use in the video is different from the one I am linking, but I prefer the linked version because of the style of button. You can get yours here.
Enjoy your matcha! I’d love to know what you enjoy as an afternoon pick-me-up. Drop your favourites in the comments below!
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