Food & Drink
Let’s drink to a mindful Christmas with Maria & Craig’s
Maria & Craig’s CBD botanical spirit is the perfect swap for alcoholic drinks this party season
Maria and Craig explain how the benefits of their botanicals and CBD drink and why should raise a glass to wellness this Christmas.
Only a few years ago people would have been shaking their heads at the thought of non-alcoholic spirits, some still do. The growth in the non-alcoholic drinks category is not a trend, it is here to stay.
Never before have we seen such lifestyle change and disruption, with technology being the catalyst. We socialise online, we learn online, we shop online, we do business online, we operate our households online, and all this before artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, biotech, and nano-tech have truly invaded our lives.
So, our lifestyles have radically transformed, and this is just the beginning, we are only now approaching the curvy part of the exponential change curve, and quite frankly, we are freaking out.
To cope, we need more balance and mindfulness in our lives. We need to appreciate ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities. We also need to be kinder to ourselves and to our bodies. Switching from alcoholic drinks to non-alcoholic adult drinks is recognised to be part of the way forward. And within the adult non-alcoholic drinks space we are also seeing the rapid growth of functional drinks including CBD.
Humanity is re-discovering ancient botanicals, and there is no better example than CBD. We have been using cannabis for 1000’s of years, for many purposes, including its health benefits.
We forgot this lore over the last century, however now we are falling back in love with CBD, much to the pharmaceutical industry’s chagrin. We will see CBD (and THC) products come in a number of formats including skin creams, sprays, soaps, etc however the main growth area I predict will be in the non-alcoholic drink format.
Botanical CBD drink
This is why we decided to launch Maria & Craig’s non-alcoholic botanical CBD spirit at the end of 2020. Understanding the considerable anxiety society feels at the moment, Maria & Craig’s remind us of the importance of taking some time out to unwind and enjoy the small pleasures life has to offer while sharing it with the ones we love.
Appealing to adults who would like to encounter a drink without alcohol in a social setting, Maria & Craig’s aim is to enhance uplifting connections and treasure real moments, ensuring an emotional and calm drinking experience.
Consumers have also renewed their love of mother nature, along with more appreciation of natural ingredients. More folks are keen to delve deeper into the world of botanicals, to find out their medicinal and functional properties.
The knowledge at our fingers tips is immense, and we are getting better and better at accessing it, so we can make our own decisions on what is good or bad for our health. Old claims like drinking red wine every night is good for us, or whisky will help us get over a cold, have clearly been proven to be false.
Most of us in the non-alcoholic adult social space are not anti-alcohol, far from it, we are just pro-choice, and believe that when adults want a sophisticated, intriguing, beautiful, taste experience, they should always have the option to have it, whether alcoholic or not.
Some folk are teetotal, or giving up for a month, or abstaining for an evening, or just pacing themselves during a night out. It doesn’t matter, all adults should also have the option of a refreshing and complex non-alcoholic drink and this is where Maria & Craig’s comes in.
We want everyone to be able to enjoy an adult drink experience and as they relax at the end of a busy day. The addition of CBD in Maria & Craig’s, minus the alcohol, is there to provide an additional level of relaxation and for many, it is just the perfect swap.
Now I don’t know about you but if there is any time of the year when I personally think that we could all need to practice a little bit more mindfulness and mindful drinking it is in and around the lead up to Christmas.
Let’s drink to that!
Food & Drink
Five delicious CBD recipes to start your day
Potyque shares five quick and easy CBD recipes.
Enjoy your favourite CBD oil in your morning breakfast, for a relaxed and easy start to the day. Potyque shares five quick and easy CBD recipes here.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy your CBD oil, but food and drink is one of the very best.
Infusing your favourite meals with CBD oil is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to enjoy the properties of CBD, but choosing to add it to your breakfast can be a great, relaxing way to begin the day.
Lavender & Honey CBD Latte
Lavender has calming properties of its own, but infusing it with some milk, honey and your preferred dose of CBD, will create an early morning beverage that is sure to ease you into the day ahead.
Grab some of your favourite milk and heat it up in a microwave or in a small saucepan. Add the dried lavender, a tea strainer is best for this, or add it straight to the milk and strain it out once heated through. You can then add your honey and CBD to finish off.
CBD Green Smoothie
A tasty and healthy way to start the day, the green smoothie is a firm early morning favourite, especially for those always on the go. Add a whole banana, half a mango, a handful of spinach, almond milk and your dose of CBD oil to a blender and blend until smooth. This is a great recipe if you find that you’re especially stressed trying to get out the door on time.
CBD Infused Breakfast Pancakes
Everyone loves pancakes and they can be the perfect treat for an indulgent weekend breakfast. To make your pancakes extra special, make up your pancake batter and add your CBD oil to the mixture. You can then top your finished pancakes with your favourite toppings, from strawberries and honey to blueberries and greek yoghurt.
Read more about cooking with CBD oil here
Coconut and Chia CBD Porridge
If you’re looking for something quick, filling and nutritious, then porridge is always a good option. You can make it up first thing in the morning, or mix it all into a mason jar and leave in the fridge overnight to make tasty overnight oats. To make this coconut and chia porridge, add 40g of rolled porridge oats to a pan or your jar, mix in around 250ml of milk, 2 tbsps of desiccated coconut and 2 tbsps of chia seeds. Either leave overnight in the fridge for overnight oats or heat in a pan for toasty morning porridge.
CBD Avocado on Toast
Avocado on toast has become a breakfast staple over the last few years and we can make it even better by adding in some of our CBD oil. When you’re smashing your avocado, add in some CBD oil and mix it thoroughly. You can then spread the avocado on your favourite toast and enjoy a relaxing morning meal.
Each recipe requires the dosage of CBD oil that you currently take regularly, if you’re new to CBD oil, we suggest starting with a low dosage and working your way up according to your needs. For more information on the best CBD dosage for you, check out our blog about finding the perfect dose.
If you’re new to CBD and you’re looking for a product that’s perfect and pure to add to your recipes, we suggest you try our lightest blend – take a look at our 5% oil here.
Food & Drink
High cuisine – JuicyFields launches cannabis gastronomy cookbook
A new cookbook combines high-end cuisine from across the globe, with the health benefits of cannabis.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
A new cookbook, from JuicyFields, combines high-end cuisine from across the globe, with the health benefits of cannabis.
The recipe book, High Cuisine brings haute cuisine style cooking to a whole new level by infusing exquisite dishes with cannabis, a superfood with highly valuable health benefits and umami flavours.
The creative chef behind the book, Andre Schneider, has dedicated a big part of his career to explore cooking with cannabis.
He has specialised in cooking with cannabis in any form and is co writer for the leading “Hanf Magazin” published in Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
For the past two years, Andre has been developing the most delicious cannabis dishes especially for Juicy Fields. From traditional dishes like a Spanish “Roscón de Reyes” to delicious and authentic desserts, Andre knows just how to tempt his audience’s senses with the most spectacular recipes – all of which are cannabis infused. No wonder he is often referred to as the ‘genius of cannabis high cuisine’.
With roots in East Westphalia, Germany, Andre has travelled the world and seen many different kinds of cuisines. On his journeys, he found that each region has its own unique style of cooking, using varieties of spices, herbs and other ingredients that express the local flavour.
No surprise his book is divided into those regions of the world he travelled to himself, collecting inspiration for new gastronomic creations. There is also a whole chapter of authentic traditional recipes, with a twist of cannabis of course.
In cannabis Andre discovered a variety of nutritious ingredients that not only have a spectacular look and taste, they are highly beneficial for both your mind and your body. High Cuisine includes 100 stylishly illustrated recipes that will make you want to get (re)creative in your own kitchen.
The ‘high’ in the book title gives a wink to the mind altering effect cannabis is well known for. Depending on the recipe, Andre chooses the type of cannabis variety that will enhance the culinary experience in a soothing, relaxing way.
So will all Andre’s recipes get you high?
Not by definition, as Andre works with different kinds of compounds and only a few of them trigger a psychoactive effect. However, you will get high with amazement from all the culinary possibilities cannabis has to offer.
The cannabis chef will show and teach you, there are many more parts of the plant you can use. Demystifying its consumption, makes cannabis more accessible as an ingredient in every kitchen. In this sense, High Cuisine is so much more than yet another cooking book. You are invited to take on this incredible culinary adventure.
Andre commented: “This book was basically the result of my passions: cooking, travelling and cannabis. Cannabis is associated with culture everywhere in one way or another, and probably only disappeared from most diets with prohibition, yet this plant offers so much.
“It was important for me to show how much potential there is in cannabis and that it very well deserves its place in the middle and on society’s plates.”
To get your copy, please click here
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