There are many different benefits to using lavender in your everyday life. Lavender is commonly known for its relaxation effect and its beautiful floral scent. Did you know it is actually part of the mint family??
Lavender is an amazing herb. It has so many uses and it tastes and smells devine so I use it often. My kids and I love to drink lavender milk tea just about daily. Just as you would a tea, I infuse my almond milk with lavender. I warm up a cup and add about two teaspoons and let it seep for 5-10 minutes, and you can add a spoonful of local honey. (Local honey is great for allergies!) Then I add it to another 1-2 cups of cold almond milk. I use vanilla almond milk. If it’s night time I will add some chamomile in there also. My kids and I absolutely love it. I actually use milk instead of water for all my herbal teas. It has made me enjoy it so much more.
During the day when I want something that refreshing and that will calm my nerves, remember I have three kids so that’s often, I make me a quick and easy lavender lemonade. I use the minute maid lemonade and I add some lavender in a tea bag. If I have the little bottles, I just throw it in there and shake it up and leave it until I’m done. You can also warm it up if you’d like, then put it in the refrigerator or add ice to cool it down after seeping for about 5 minutes. For some extra fun you can use blue butterfly powder and it will turn purple. Its initially blue but the acid from the lemon turns it purple and kids (and I) love it.
Ohhh, one of my favorite breakfast meals I’ve made was pancakes with sliced bananas IN them topped with homemade lavender butter and local honey. I’ll explain the butter in just a bit but for now let’s focus on the pancakes! I used two packs of Martha White muffin mix (I used one blueberry & one blueberry cheesecake), 2/3 cups of coconut milk, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 banana, lavender butter and honey.
Fist I preheated my oven to 400 then rubbed butter on the bottom and sides on my pan. I then mixed one packed of muffin mix with 1/3 cup of coconut milk and one egg and spread it out in the pan. (If you’re using two packs of the same flavor you can mix both at the same time, just spread half of it in your pan.) Angel hadn’t finished his banana so I used his half in addition to the one I already had. I sliced up my bananas and spread them evenly in the pan. Then I mixed my second pack of mix (same measurements) and spread it out on top of the first layer and bananas. Baked it for 14 minutes then rubbed butter on top and drizzled it with honey. For less than $5, it made a lot and was so fluffy and delicious.
Still wondering how I made the lavender butter? It was actually an accident! I was trying to make lavender infused whipped cream for my kids’ ice cream but I over whipped it and it became butter! I just warmed up a class of whipping cream and seeped a tea bag of lavender in it for 5-10 minutes. Cooled it down then poured it in my blender. I had it in high and got then got distracted and noticed it was splitting up and getting stiff. I poured it out and used a cheese cloth to strain out the liquid then put it in a zip lock bag for storage in the refrigerator.
Tonight, I made a lavender cheese cake pudding with sliced fresh bananas. It was absolutely delicious and VEGAN! I did my usual 1 cup of warm almond milk with 2 teaspoons of lavender in a tea bag for 5-10 minutes then added another cup of cold milk. Cooled it down completely and added the two cups of lavender milk to the pack of Jello Cheesecake Pudding Mix. Poured it into a pie dish then added sliced fresh bananas to cover the top, I pushed them down to be covered in the pudding mix. Refrigerate till it is set and enjoy this amazing desert.
Another way to use lavender is by smoking it. I personally have a business where the main products are herbal blends for tea, incense or smoking. (www.alliegatorsherbalremedies.com) Although smoking anything isn’t healthy, there are many benefits that come with it. It helps with anxiety, depression, relaxation and it helps with nicotine withdrawal symptoms. I occasionally smoke my blend Zen Out on stressful days. I do not smoke cigarettes but many people use my blends to replace them and to help fight nicotine addiction. Lavender is also a great complimenting flavor to cannabis. They also share a common terpene called linalool! So if you’re looking for a little extra relaxation, drink, eat or smoke some lavender.
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