Don't Drink the Water

First, hearing someone say "I better not drink the water" when there are numerous pregnant people around is not funny to someone with fertility issues.  Although, it does seem like EVERYONE is pregnant all of a sudden (even Kate Middleton!), that is not the point of this post.  Since finding out last week that the IVF cycle worked I have been researching a variety of foods that I eat and drink on a regular basis to make sure they won't be harmful to the pregnancy and it honestly feels like all of my favorite things are a no-no.  So sad!  I already gave up alcohol and caffeine, for obvious reasons, but it didn't even occur to  me that herbal tea and my beloved Tazo chai might be dangerous too!

I used to go to Starbucks WAY too often for a chai, but when I discovered the chai concentrate being sold at Target for only $3.50 a carton I began buying that and making it at home to save money.  I was sad when I had to give up caffeine, but I was happy that there was still a Decaf Tazo Chai option at Target.  BUT last week I learned that star anise is a main ingredient in Tazo Chai (and many others), which may cause miscarriage.  I do not want to do anything to increase my risk of miscarriage, so I immediately stopped drinking that chai.  But then I remembered that I could make my own chai concentrate (Val - I've had yours before and it was delish!), so I researched and found a simple recipe without star anise here: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/homemade-chai-tea.

I was a little shocked that I had to spend $25 on the ingredients alone, but I think it will be worth it to be able to drink chai and I'm sure this will all last many months.  I'll have to play around with the spices a bit to make it to my own liking (I like it spicy, so I've already added more peppercorn), but in my opinion this is pretty good!

The ingredients (plus water, and then a little milk and sugar at the end)

in progress....

today's double batch, which should last until Friday :)

Yum!

So, even though it seems like water is the only safe thing for me to consume right now, I'm working on finding alternatives so I can still enjoy my beverages.

One more thing...does anyone know the group that sang "Don't Drink the Water?"