“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

It started with a french press. Then, my roommate and I purchased a tiny little espresso machine at Target. It was just barely small enough for our micro-kitchen, but we made it work. We'd whisk up some milk for a bit of froth, and add some flavored syrup to our joe.

When summer came, and we no longer wanted steamy drinks, we made our own cold brew. I'd stir cocoa powder and cinnamon into my grounds, and we'd sit by the pool sipping away. That cold brew was so smooth, we could easily drink a whole liter in one sitting. It took about 3 months to take me from coffee hater to coffee lover, and then I was hooked.

At some point I realized just how much caffeine I was drinking, and I decided I probably needed to stop--I was running more, and needed more sleep as well as more water. I gave up coffee entirely, went "cold turkey".

Talk about a struggle! I'll never live down the one day that my dad scored tickets to see Ira Glass. In the car, I told him how I was giving up coffee and felt great about it. An hour later, listening to Ira Glass (whom I adore, and am constantly inspired by,) I fell asleep. Right there, in my chair. I missed most of the show, but man did I sleep well that night.

Since I've recovered from my caffeine withdrawal -- I drink mostly tea (spicy chai lattes!), but I do enjoy a good cup of coffee once or twice a week. Instead of drink bottomless mugs of cold brew, I drink teas like this one: Secret Garden Relaxation Tea. With chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and spearmint it's beckons visions of a garden. A secret garden, where you can let it all go and just breath.

Secret Garden Relaxation Tea

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free | Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 1 cup dried tea | Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons chamomile
4 tablespoons lavender
2 tablespoons licorice
4 tablespoons lemon balm
2 tablespoons spearmint

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a jar and toss to combine.
To make tea/tisane, put 1 teaspoon of herb blend into a tea strainer for every 1 cup of water. Fit tea strainer into tea pot and pour boiling water over herbs. Allow to seep for 5 minutes. Serve with honey if desired.

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