I am generally not a fan of the term “Super Food”. I do have a list of foods (from my Precision Nutrition curriculum) that I use with my clients called the Super Foods List. I always explain that these foods aren’t magical; they are just nutritionally dense and super good for you.
Green tea is on this list and I do recommend it to my clients. Green tea is full of anti-oxidents and provides a wonderful caffeine focus without the jolt of a cup of coffee. Green tea has a host of health benefits beyond it’s natural metabolism boosting power. Of all the green teas, matcha may be the most powerful and potent.
What is Matcha?
Matcha is 100% pure green tea in powder form. Instead of steeping the leaves, you are consuming the whole leaf ground into a fine powder. You whisk the green tea powder in hot water and drink it all down!
Matcha is made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis (tea) plant. The plants are shade grown for 21 days before harvest. After plucking, the leaves are lightly steamed then dried. The stem and veins are removed and the leaves are ground into a fine powder, which is matcha. (from Amoda Tea)
I am almost embarrassed to admit that up until this point in my tea experience I have not had a cup of matcha tea.
How lucky am I to have found a kindred tea spirit in Tegan Woo, co-founder of Amoda Tea, who was ready to rectify this error in my tea education. I meet her when I reviewed the Amoda Tea subscription box and we’ve emailed back and forth off and on ever since. We have been discussing their new matcha line for some time now. Her offer a few weeks ago to send me some samples seemed to come at the perfect time.
In these final weeks of the OxyChallenge, I have been trying to pack as much nutrition as possible into my super clean and calorie reduced diet. With splurges firmly packed away for at least another week, tea is currently one of my few remaining treats. (Ginger Peach sparkling water and the Magnificent Mug cake would be the others.) The idea of a matcha latte had me swooning.
Have you ever tried a matcha latte? It’s really quiet easy. Here are the instructions from back of the package of the Amoda Tea Organic Matcha – Classic Grade:
Place 1 tsp of matcha into a mug, add 2 oz of hot water and mix with an electric milk frother or whisk. Fill your mug with hot foamed milk or cold milk and ice.
I used Orgain Protein almond milk (which I warmed on the stove to steaming) and then slowed mixed it into my mug last weekend.
Heaven in a cup.
While not the pure matcha experience (more about that in a minute), I am absolutely in love with it. I can’t wait to experiment with coconut milk or soy milk. I find coconut and soy have very distinctly different flavors and feel on the tongue, although I think both will compliment the matcha nicely.
Speaking of experimenting, I have been putting the Organic Classic Matcha and the Organic Superfood Matcha Unsweetened in a number of the foods on the meal plan. (Superfood matcha also has cocao and maca in it. Neither is magical, just really good for you!) Here some amazing ways to use matcha:
- Add the Superfood Matcha Unsweetened or the Classic Grade Matcha to your protein pancakes. I make Amanda’s Super Clean pancakes (egg whites, oats, baking powder and vanilla stevia) with 1/2 tsp of the Classic Grade Matcha. Delicious!
- I add the Classic Grade Matcha to the Green Goddess Smoothie. You’ll never know it’s there but you’ll get a little caffeine boost to start the day.
- Ever made a protein crepe? In Amanda’s recipe you create a batter of egg white, chocolate protein powder, 1 tbsp of cocoa powder and a splash of almond milk. I replace the cocoa with 1 tbsp of the Superfood Matcha Unsweetened, then fill it with a tablespoon of the Chai Walnut nut butter I made. Now I’ve added a new treat to my list!
I’ve also created my own chia pudding recipe. The base of chia pudding is easy to make. It’s 1 tbsp of chia seeds plus ½ cup of coconut milk. Then you let it sit so the chia soaks up the coconut milk. The longer you let it sit, the creamier and thicker the consistency. I let mine sit for 1-2 hours If you want an easy breakfast, let it sit over night in 1/4 cup coconut milk and then add the other 1/4 cup in the morning. Then add 1 half scoop of Vega One Mocha flavor and 1/2 tbsp of Organic Superfood Matcha Unsweetened. Mix well and enjoy for a perfectly filling high energy breakfast, pre workout boost of energy or post workout recovery meal (especially if you add 3-4 Date Lady dates, pitted and chopped).
If you need more matcha ideas, make sure you check out the recipes at Amodatea.com. You’ll find great ideas there for matcha and more!
I’ve decided to save the Ceremonial Grade matcha for the end of the challenge. It will be a way to celebrate completing the mission and time to reflect on what’s next.
Since that day happens to come on a Tuesday for me, we can celebrate together. Tune in for #TeaTuesday on Periscope October 13 to share the experience with me. I would love for us to have a cup of tea together that day.
The products in this post were provided to me at no charge by Amoda Tea. I was not paid to write this post and the opinions are all my own.
