Candy Cane Peppermint Tea – Sugar Free And Delicious!

Sooo it is once again winter, my absolute FAVORITE time of year! I have Christmas music playing as I write, and it’s finally colder outside (yay!) so I get to break out my favorite winter attire. I have tons of hats, scarves, boots, sweaters, leggings, etc. and I want to wear it all. I like to wear at least one holiday-themed item each day. Expressing my holiday spirit is an important part of my Red Sugar Life. Not to mention all of my lovely holiday/Christmas-themed accessories, like these cute, festive Christmas light earrings I bought:

 

I LOVE Holiday Food!

One of my favorite parts of this season? HOLIDAY FOOD! Yesss, the holiday drinks, holiday desserts, holiday meals, holiday treats, and one of my favorites…holiday CANDY! Yes, I said holiday CANDY. Yes, I’m a type 1 diabetic (type 1.5 diabetes), so candy may sound like a big, bad, scary word in my world but it’s not. Candy often saves my life when I am suffering from hypoglycemia, which can happen anywhere or at anytime so I always have to stay prepared. And, there are tasty sugar-free/low sugar options like these xylitol mints and gums. I have options!

 

My Holiday Recipe – Candy Cane Peppermint Tea

I have decided to talk about one of my favorite holiday drink recipes. Now this particular drink I consider it both a drink AND a holiday-treat for me: peppermint tea. The herb peppermint has amazing health benefits and tastes wonderful to me, and it has no caffeine. There are many ways to use peppermint leaves and using it in hot tea is especially soothing for me during this time of year where it is chilly outside.

(I had so much fun taking the photos of my tea <3)

Now of course, I can have peppermint tea during any season of the year. But during the holiday season I sometimes like to add something extra to make it a treat. I call it “candy cane” because that is what it tastes like to me. Sometimes I use a small amount of raw honey as well for its benefits (see here) or stevia, but primarily I use xylitol (see my post about xylitol and its benefits here). The xylitol I use tastes wonderfully sweet, has no aftertaste, and I can use it freely without it raising my blood sugar levels! This is very important for me as I live my Red Sugar Life.

How I make my Candy Cane Peppermint Tea:

Ingredients:

• Between 8 and 12 ounces of water, depending on desired strength
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of pure xylitol (I personally don’t use mixes or additives, or artificial blends)
• 1 pure peppermint tea leaf bag (or loose leaf peppermint leaves)
• 1 mug
• Optional and yummy: 1 candy cane or 1-3 peppermint candies

Directions:

-Prepare and steep peppermint tea bag (or loose leaf tea) to desired strength.

-Stir in xylitol, to taste.

-Add in peppermint candies to hot tea if using them and stir in.

All done!

(So yummy and festive!)

Not Only Does It Taste Good, It’s Good For The Body Too!

This yummy candy cane peppermint tea is very soothing when I am dealing with a sore throat, cold, cough, tummy issues, etc. Peppermint naturally contains menthol which has a cooling effect, as well as natural antibacterial properties that help to heal the body as well. It’s goodness all around. I’m in the mood to have a cup of this yummy tea right now!

Enjoy,

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Red Sugar Life!

 

~Luna