Tea and Cognac

 I like this nice little evening drink that is very warm and soothing, and good for calming the mind before bed: some sleepy-time tea (with chamomile and valerian) with a splash of cognac.
I'm a little frightened of cognac because I like it a bit too much, but I made this drink for my hubs the other evening and he loved it.
I am not opposed to a little self-medicating with soothing drinks, don't get me wrong.  Last night I had two giant glasses of wine, one before dinner and one after... it was anaesthetic really and it did the trick.  I had absolutely ruined my shoulders doing a crazy yoga class on Tuesday that was basically an hour of planks, downward dogs and side planks.  Yesterday I couldn't move my arms above my shoulders, so I lost a day of doing housework and prepping for my block party on Saturday.  So frustrating!  Must remember I'm not 30 anymore, I have to treat my poor bones, joints and muscles with respect.

I did figure something out in my kitchen yesterday that's been nagging at me.

 I make almond milk in my Vitamix  and it is so delicious (here's the recipe).  It is the perfect thing to have in your morning coffee if you're on a plant-based diet.  It's a completely different product from the stuff you can buy in the cartons, it's full of fat and creamy.

 The process requires a bit of patience: the soaking of the almonds, the whirring up, then the mixture goes into a muslin bag to be slowly squeezed out.

The problem is there is so much almond pulp leftover and it seems a real waste to throw it away!  I end up making almond milk about every third day so there is a lot of almond pulp remaining.
Yesterday I baked some muffins using the pulp (along with flax, whole wheat flour, a little baking powder, water, apples, dates and cinnamon).  They were delicious, not fancy but good for a snack or elevenses.
I found an article detailing many uses for almond pulp (including baking muffins) here.

I have a list as long as one of my sore arms to get through so I'd better get cracking.  Lots of errands and housework today, there's nothing better than getting ready for a party.
Have a super day,
xoxDani

Cures

Yesterday my day was taken down by a migraine attack.  I woke up with big plans but I was feeling that familiar pain in the neck accompanied by nausea that sometimes leads to migraine.  As usual I tried to fight against it but these things just need to play out.  The nausea increased, the pain went into my head and the lights and smells of the world around me intensified to the point of making me want to crawl under my bed.
It was actually a mild attack, I've had some migraines that lasted days.  By about 6 or so last evening the nausea was subsiding and I was able to cook dinner (and eat a big comforting bowl of risotto, there's nothing like carbs to ease the nausea of migraine). During the day I did some stretching, minimal housework, went for a short walk and tried to cure myself with various vitamins and lots of ginger tea.
I'm obsessed with kitchen cures, I even have a Pinterest board devoted to them.  Oddly, ginger seems to be the most effective thing I've ever found to ease my migraine.  A perfect drink is fresh lemon juice, freshly grated ginger and honey, all in a ginger tea that's been steeped for a good ten minutes or so.
Fortunately I have a light work week, my main focus is preparing for our Christmas block party on Saturday (which is so easy, it's just drinks and snacks).  Today I'll go to yoga with my friends and take Scout for the longer walk she missed yesterday.  I'm behind on laundry and cleaning but I'll get caught up on that today.
Do you suffer from migraines?  Give me your best kitchen cures, I'd be so interested to know what they are!
Hope your day goes well and not sideways,
xoxDani