Notice Board: Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder Review

I was delighted when Jessica from Kiss Me Organics got intouch and asked if I wanted to review their Organic Matcha Green Tea. I adore Green Tea, I can't get enough of the stuff so I didn't hesitate in accepting her offer.

The Organic Matcha Green Tea I was sent is culinary grade and is reported to be the "ancient secret, to beauty, health and longevity". Kiss Me Organics provides lots of information on the benefits of incorporating the Organic Match Green Tea Powder into your diet on their website, but in a nutshell they state it provides the following:

• All day energy 
• Increased focus
• Metabolism boost
• Improved skin health
• Up to 137 times more the antioxidants of brewed green tea

As the product comes in powder form you can make your creations as strong or mild as you like, you really have the control to adjust to your specific taste. I couldn't wait to try it out in a few different creations. Obviously you can drink it as a tea (hot or cold) or a latte, in fact on purchasing the organic match green tea powder you also get sent a whole heap of recipe ideas, bonus! Unfortunately most recipes aren't vegan but can easily be adapted. But who needs recipes, I couldn't wait to experiment.

What I made:

• Green Tea Fruit Shake
• Green Tea Loaf
• Green Tea & Blueberry Oat Bars
• Green Tea & Lemon Ice-cream/Sorbet 

I was not disappointed in the slightest! I love the stuff, I got that carried away making different creations (none which were disasters which is fabulous for me) that I didn't manage to make much tea at all. Thankfully I have some left and I've promised myself to enjoy it as cups of tea! My first creation was a Matcha Fruit Shake as it takes no time at all to whiz one up. For other fruit shake ideas see my earlier post. I've been having matcha fruit shakes for the last 5 days and I love them.

Organic Matcha Fruit Shake - Serves 1

Ingredients 

250ml soya yoghurt*

1 Tsp Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder**

1 Banana, sliced and frozen

¼ Pineapple, sliced and frozen

*I used Alpro Lemon and Lime

**Use more if you prefer a stronger taste 

Method

Add the ingredients to your blender in the order provided and  blend until you have a thick but smooth shake. Pour into a glass and enjoy. Caution: please check your blender is capable of blending ice cubes.

I love my fruit shakes and they are perfect for breakfast on the go, just pour into a screw top beaker and take with you. If you prefer to drink your fruit shakes through a straw I would advise that you use fairly wide straws as the mixture is thick!

My next creation was an Organic Matcha Green Tea Loaf using organic raisins and it went perfect with the fruit shake as a mid morning snack, or should that be meal!

Organic Matcha Green Tea Loaf - Makes 10-12 Slices

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder

300ml Boiling water

1 Tbsp Agave nectar

1 Lemon, juice only

250g Plain flour, sieved

150g Organic raisins

125g Sugar

2 Tsp Baking powder

1 Tsp Bicarbonate of soda

Method

Turn on your oven to a medium heat, around 180 - 190°C. Line a loaf tin with baking powder or a ready formed baking case, which is much easier!

In a jug mix the Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder with the boiling water making sure all the powder is incorporated. Add the agave and lemon juice and whisk in.

In a separate bowl combine the sieved flour with the remaining ingredients, stiring to combine fully.

Pour the matcha liquid into the flour mixture and stir to incorporate all the ingredients.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the loaf springs back when lightly pressed.

Let the loaf cool slightly in the tin before removing. Enjoy a slice with a cup of green tea or my match fruit shake.

I'll share my other two recipes with you over the next couple of weeks.

If you would like to purchase a packet of Kiss Me Organics Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder they sell exclusively on Amazon and you can find their product here.

Jasmine x

Nutrient Rich Foods - Spirulina Fruit Shakes

Personally, I don't like the term superfood, especially how it has been banded around the media over the last few years. You don't hear the terminology "superfood" referred to with carrots do you? But to me carrots are one of the healthiest foods out there, if you don't believe me do some research yourself, you'll be amazed at the power of a carrot!

This month I am focussing on "nutrient rich foods" which are high in a number of vitamins and minerals, which are said to have a number of health benefits. They are the most potent and super concentrated foods you can find, which will improve your overall health. Now, I'm not a dietician or medical expert but an individual who after undertaking research for myself has decided to include some of these foods into my diet. 

Today, I'm focusing on Spirulina, which is a blue-green algae which is found on water. In other words its like pond scum, but that doesn't sound appetizing at all does it? So lets stick with calling it Spirulina, it sounds far more appealing and kind of exciting! 

Spirulina provides a vast array of minerals and my research has unearthed that it is the worlds highest source of complete protein! In fact around 65% of Spirulina's dry weight is protein. Spirulina also has over 100 types of nutrients including B complex vitamins, which is great news for vegans.

There are many reports of health benefits associated with Spriulina although it appears that more research is needed before it can be determined whether or not Spirulina can treat certain health conditions.

Personally, after the research I have undertaken I have decided to include Spirulina in my diet for the following health reasons:

• To strengthen my immune system so I'm less likely to experience colds and other winter bugs.
• To help with inflammation, it is said to be one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory agents in nature.
• To ease the symptoms of pre-menstrual tension, it is said to be one of the leading sources of Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) 
• To help my body detox naturally, and provide a boost in energy, Spirulina has a very high concentration of chlorophyll, a natural detoxifying agent 
• To ease my heyfever symptoms, it is reported that Spirulina can alleviate allergies. Since transfering to a vegan diet my heyfever is mild into comparison what it has been previously so I'm all for an extra boost to make it disappear altogether!

So, how can you introduce Spirulina into your diet? The easiest way is by adding a teaspoon into your juices, smoothies or just adding it to a glass of water. But I wanted something a bit more exciting than that, enter fruit shakes.

Fruit shakes have the consistency of a milk shake but use frozen fruit instead of milk.Thanks to my beloved Vitamix I can make fruit shakes in 2 minutes flat, which includes cleaning up afterwards! Any powerful blender should work though, just make sure it is suitable for ice!

I've been playing around with fruit shakes for a while now and I have three out right favourites, strawberry, raspberry and a combination of mango and pineapple. Just add a teaspoon of Spirulina to the mix and there you have it a green fruit shake.

When they are first made they are the thickness of soft serve ice cream, in fact I can hold my jug upside down and they don't budge. But after transferring to a glass they soon start to melt a little and are easy to drink through a straw.

I make one every morning, transfer to a plastic cup so I can transport it to work and as soon as I get to my desk its ready for drinking, delicious. In fact I'm drinking my green fruit shake right now!

Green Fruit Shake
Take any of the recipes below and add 1 teaspoon of Spirulina to your blender and whiz up! My favourite to add the Spirulina to is the mango and pineapple fruit shake as you get such a vivid green colour. The raspberry and strawberry fruit shakes are more brown than green in colour. Any recipe you choose though is delicious.





Mango & Pineapple Fruit Shake

Ingredients
4 Tbsp Lime and Lemon yoghurt
(I used Alpro)
1 Frozen banana
150g Frozen mango & pinapple pieces
(great if you can freeze your own but a bag from the supermarket works well)
100ml Cold water

Method
Add the ingredients to your blender of choice in the order above and blend until you have a smooth consistency similar to soft serve ice cream. I have to use a tamper with my Vitamix machine to push the frozen fruit down towards the blades. 





Raspberry Fruit Shake

Ingredients

4 Tbsp Rhubarb and Strawberry yoghurt
(I used Alpro)
1 Frozen banana
75g Frozen raspberries
(great if you can freeze your own but a bag from the supermarket works well)
100ml Cold water

Method
Add the ingredients to your blender of choice in the order above and blend until you have a smooth consistency similar to soft serve ice cream. I have to use a tamper with my Vitamix machine to push the frozen fruit down towards the blades. 



Strawberry Fruit Shake

Ingredients
3 Tbsp Vanilla yoghurt 
(I used Alpro)
12 Strawberries (frozen)
1 Banana (frozen)
200ml Coconut water

Method

Add the ingredients to your blender of choice in the order above and blend until you have a smooth consistency similar to soft serve ice cream. I have to use a tamper with my Vitamix machine to push the frozen fruit down towards the blades.