So I have a confession to make to you guys….that’s what blogs are for right?? Okay maybe not. But anyways. Last night we went out for dinner and I completely broke my Lent promise not to eat dairy. I wasn’t doing it on purpose…per se…but it happened. My shrimp and grits were…delicious, and very creamy and buttery. And we got bread pudding for dessert, which was sinfully tasty. And full of cream. Also this funnel cake we inhaled down at the beach before dinner probably didn’t help…

But I paid for my failure, because I felt so sick like 2 hours later. And even after I woke up this morning, I felt horrible. I’m going to the doctor soon to get blood tested and find out for sure whether this is an allergy or what…okay enough whining, let’s move on.

I was looking for something to settle my stomach this morning and in searching for natural remedies I came across ginger. My grandma used to give me ginger ale when I had a stomach ache and used to chew on ginger root to ease her asthma symptoms, so you know it has to be the real thing! Ginger has been used as an herbal remedy in countries like China, India, and the Phillipines for many years. It’s known to be beneficial for nausea, stomach ache, indigestion, anxiety, the common cold, respiratory problems and even headaches! It also dilates the blood vessels to give you that comfy, warm feeling inside.

(If you’ve never seen ginger root before, that’s what that tan bulbous thing in this picture is. Ain’t it funny looking?)

Homemade Black Ginger Tea

• 1/4 c. fresh ginger root, either chopped finely or sliced thinly
• 3 1/2 c. water
• 2 t. loose black tea or 1 black tea teabag
• 1/4 c. sugar

-Heat the water in a small sacuepan over medium-high heat. When it starts to simmer, add the ginger to the water. Boil uncovered for 5-10 minutes (depending on how strong you want the ginger to be).

-Stir the ginger around and then add the black tea. Turn off the heat and cover the pot, allowing it to steep for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.

-Strain out the tea leaves and ginger pieces and serve the liquid hot or place it in the fridge and serve cold. Makes 3 servings.

This tea is really tasty and it really does work to settle the stomach. You only need a small cup though to do the trick. If you’re like me and can’t tolerate spicy things very well, you might need more sugar and some cream(non-dairy of course) to drink this.

A few dried apricots on the side and a little couch time and I feel much better already! Thanks for reading!