This weekend, here in the states we’ll be “springing” forward and losing an hour. I don’t know about you but it always takes me a good week to adjust. And clearly young children do not get the Daylight Savings Time memo – at least my 4 year old does not. So I plan to enjoy this soothing drink each night (and going to bed a 1/2 hour earlier isn’t a bad idea either…but if I’m being completely honest, that’s not happening.)
You’ve probably know about some foods that can help you sleep – we often hear about tryptophan-indused naps after our Thanksgiving meal as it’s an amino acid is found in turkey. But tryptophan needs carbohydrates to help transport it to our brains before it can work it’s calming powers. We’ve all heard that warm milk can help us sleep and that’s logical since milk contains both carbohydrate and tryptophan. And lavender is a flowering herb that’s long been used in aromatherapy products to relax the body and mind. It’s also found its way into culinary creations like cakes, breads and ice cream for its beauty, fresh flavor and calming attributes.
You don’t need a fancy espresso maker to create a milk steamer. I love this simple glass milk frother but as long as you have a saucepan, stove & whisk, you are good to go. Add a drizzle or spoonful of your favorite sweetner or just enjoy as is and hopefully you’ll be off to catch some zzzzs sooner than later.
Ingredients
- 2 cups lowfat milk
- 3/4 teaspoon dried lavender
- 4 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
- In a small saucepan, heat milk and lavender over medium heat until hot (but not boiling.) Stir occasionally and warm for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain out lavender petals, discard.
- Whisk in honey and almond extract.
- Froth milk with frother pump or stir vigorously with a whisk. Serve in mugs.
Sweet dreams and bring on Spring! Do you have food or drink rituals that help you go to sleep? How do you adjust to losing that hour during DST?
Just gorgeous and I’m sure delicious too! I have so much lavender growing in my yard right now-this would be perfect to make. Does Daylight Savings Time really start this weekend???
EA – I can’t tell you how hard it was to find lavender here in the Northeast! Finally got a hold of some dried. Love the idea of it growing all your yard. Yes – I can’t believe DST is this weekend – while I love the longer days but not adjusting the week after
This looks (and I bet smells) absolutely wonderful. I’m a sucker for lavender loose leaf teas, this is a great way to change things up!
Dogs don’t get the whole DST thing either unfortunately, so I feel your pain.
This sounds lovely…I do enjoy steamers! Beautiful photos as well.
can you use a milk aulternative? Soy or almond or coconut?
I don’t see why not – I’ve never tried to froth a nondairy milk before – let me know if you try it.