A few weeks ago Simon was on the Oprah Show.  The two drank tea as they discussed his reasons for leaving Idol.  He said he was drinking PG and Oprah said she preferred Earl Gray.  Simon said, “that’s what the Queen drinks. It’s very posh.”  Apparently, PG is for commoners (aka the rest of us, not the Queen or Oprah).  It’s not the least bit surprising that Oprah drinks the same tea as the Queen, Oprah is practically our Queen, right? As a committed tea drinker for the past several years, I was surprised to hear Simon mention a tea that I didn’t know.  I felt a little silly thinking that I knew all about teas when clearly that was not the case.

Well, turns out a few days later I was in the need for more tea after giving up on an awful green tea.  As I wandered down the tea/coffee/rice aisle in Kroger and what did a find, well golly, it was a box of PG on the top shelf almost out of my reach.   England’s Number 1 Tea! I quickly bought the box and I have been loving it ever since.  No need for Red Bull, the caffeine in this tea could totally outlast Lindsay Lohan’s alleged late-night partying.  One cup of this in the morning and I feel like I am flying until afternoon.  I was jittery the first time I had this tea.  Seriously.

Side-note: this tea is definitely not posh considering it is 40 bags of tea for about $4.  Being posh is overrated unless you’re actually Posh.

Since I am on a kick of talking writing about drinks, here are my Top 3 beverages that I’m enjoying at the moment (water was excluded from this list because it is an automatic number 1 and writing about water is boring):

1. PG

2. POM Wonderful – The fabulous people at POM Wonderful sent me a box of these little guys and they are delicious. POM juice is the perfect mixture of sweet and tart. Who doesn’t love a sweet and tart?

3. Smoothies - I have been making a lot of smoothies recently. I think that’s because it feels like it’s a million degrees all of a sudden (anybody else hate summer?) and I want something cold.  My usual smoothie includes, water or tea, ice, POM juice, frozen banana, almond milk, hemp protein powder with maca, and spinach (I tried kale and it was f to the -unky).

Flashback beverage

Shirley Temple – I used to always order a Shirley Temple when I was a kid. We didn’t drink soda on a regular basis and it was reserved for special occasions, like going out to dinner.   I never liked soda as a kid, still don’t in fact, but when you take Sprite, Grenadine (cherry flavored liquid sugar), a few cherries and mix them together it’s pure bliss.  I have heard some Shirley Temples are made with Ginger Ale and not Sprite. I haven’t had one of these since middle school because I reached a point where I knew that drinking water was the healthier option.   One of these days I am going to get around to ordering a Shirley Temple. With Stoli. That’s the way to bring a old-school favorite into your twenties

Are there any celebrities you would thank for introducing you to something? Simon, thanks for the PG 411.  What was your favorite childhood drink? Hands down, Shirley Temples were the best.   Bug Juice is definitely the second best.

Aside from it being Thursday, the other thing that brighten my day was knowing that I could eat one of these for breakfast as I was rushing off to work:

Oatless Oatmeal Cookies!

3/4 cashews, soaked a few hours
3 pitted dates
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon dried coconut flakes
pinch of cinnamon

These cookies are just too easy to make–I think that’s why I like them so much.  Simply combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix until a dough forms.  Separate the dough into desired size for cookies.  Keep in the refrigerator.  I am definitely going to try adding chocolate chips to these in the future.  Can’t go wrong with a little chocolate.

Do you ever wake up thinking that it’s one day and it’s not? I do this all the time.  It’s awesome when it’s actually Saturday but you think it’s Friday for a second.  You dread going to work/school and then realize you have the day off!   Luckily, I’ve never gotten dressed for school/work on an early Saturday morning thinking that it was Friday, that would be terrible.

Four: The frequency of a watermelon purchase directly relates to the weight of other groceries I need to buy that day. In terms of physical ability, carrying a 20 pound melon of water up 2 flights of stairs to my 3rd floor apartment is the equivalent of running at least 50 miles barefoot carrying a gorilla. I usually stand in front of the watermelon bin for at least 2 minutes while I calculate my one-trip carrying ability of my other groceries and that watermelon. Footnote: taking more than one-trip from my car to apartment is out of the question.

Five: I am glad I am not a student anymore. Elementary, middle, high, college — blah. I lack the student gene. The only fun times between Septemebr to June happened after 3pm, on the weekends, and during vacations.

Six: I think it’s interesting when people have a shopping cart of soda, Cheetos, Hostess cupcakes, and a box of Splenda. Do you think using a packet of Slenda in your morning coffee instead of actual sugar is superior? A dozen chocolate glazed donuts and skim milk. Really? Nice try.

Seven: If I ever bump into Simon Cowell I am going to thank him for introducing me to PG tea. He talked about PG on the Oprah show a few weeks ago. Try it, you’ll love it.

Twelve: The sole reason I don’t like to run races is the unfortunate 7:30am start time. They should have night races. I could settle for 11:30am races as well.

Thirteen: Avocados should have their own holiday.

Fourteen: If produce is organic, there is a 50/50 chance that I will wash it. Convential produces always get a wash.

Coal Cookies (makes 10 small cookies)

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for a few hours
• 2 tablespoons carob powder
• 2 dates
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Combine all ingredigents in a food processor and blend until a dough forms. Remove from processor and place in a bowl. Put bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes –this will harden the dough a little which will make it easier to shape. Roll a piece of the dough into cookies.

and two eyes made out of coal …

These cookies are really dark, just like coal.

Around the Sphere

• Jennifer Aniston Denies Eating Baby Food Huffinton Post
• Popcorn’s Dark Secret NY Times
• Is it safe to eat lettuce amid E. coli outbreak? CNN
• The fat burning zone myth The Star Ledger
• Is food obsession linked to spirituality? CNN

Kleenex hand towels … and we take a giant step back in the green movement. What is Kleenex thinking?

One: I  am breaking up with green tea because it makes me feel sick 8/10 times.

Two: Every time I chop vegetables I think I am going to lose a chuck of my hand. Or drop the knife on my foot. Or, while the knife is falling to the floor to stab my foot, it will slash my leg. Unlikely but still possible.

Three: I eat sandwiches not sammies

Four: Sometimes, tofu gives me the heebie jeebies.

Five: I liked Oprah’s show with Geene Roth, author of Women Food and God. Molti interesante.

Six: Oatmeal for breakfast just ain’t my thang. I eat a banana and trail mix (almonds, sunflower seeds, raisins, and chocolate) every morning while I am at work.

Seven: I don’t like when people say that their salsa/pasta/toast/nut butter/broccoli is epic. Only dinosaurs, dragons, and elephants are epic. I am over the use of the word epic.

Eight: I love when my plate has a lot of greens. I think green is my new favorite color (it was red for a really long time).

Talk it up: What are some of your foodie confessions?