As some of you may have noticed, there was no post last week. I should have had a post ready to go on October 23rd. I wanted to have a post ready. But it was just not in the cards. Someone (at times multiple someones) in my family has been sick at all times for the last almost 2 months. I’m fairly certain we’re recycling the same bug. My FIL refuses to go to the doctor and isn’t getting better so I’m pretty sure he is helping to perpetuate the whole thing. So I have been busy cleaning things almost nonstop; trying to stop the spread of germs, taking care of my sick and well family and my usual daily duties, all while being sick myself. Blogging just wasn’t going to happen this week. This particular bug carries with it an unpleasant, nagging cough. The kind that, once you start, it’s really hard to stop. So I’ve been making my husband, my kids, and myself this lemon honey “tea”. So long as you’re sipping on it the cough stays pretty much at bay and you can carry on with normal life. This also soothes a sore and scratchy throat which is always a nice bonus.

This “recipe” is simple enough that you could make a big batch of it for a thermos to take with you to school or work and drink it through the day so you can soldier on, or you can just make it by the cupful while you hunker down under blankets on the couch and wait it out.

This “tea” is so simple it’s almost embarrassing to post but there are a lot of people out there who don’t know about it so I’m putting it here in hopes it will help in the coming cold & flu season. You only need 3 ingredients:

Yes, I realize there are only two items pictured here. But the third ingredient is water. Do you really need a picture of water? No? Good. Moving on…

This “tea” is entirely subjective. Some people drink it with just a tiny bit of honey and a lot of lemon. I can’t stand it that way- too tart. And you don’t get the full benefits of the honey for your throat & cough. So I usually err on the side of more honey. I use 6 ounces of boiling water, 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and one tablespoon of honey. Naturally, adjust those to your liking. Just don’t skimp on the honey too much. The whole point is to soothe the throat and honey does an amazing job of that! In fact, sometimes I just tell my kids to open their mouths and tilt their heads back so I can drop about a teaspoon of honey into the back of their throat. That will calm their cough- so long as they don’t drink anything- for at least 30 minutes. Certainly as long as a conventional cough drop.

So you’ve mixed the lemon juice and honey into the boiling water. You end up with…

A beautiful amber liquid that will help ease your state of illness-induced malcontent. And as a bonus, I’m going to tell you how to use this to help you sleep. Get yourself some chamomile tea. Seriously. It’s that easy. Here’s the kind we use:

It doesn’t have to be this brand. Heck- you can use some you’ve grown yourself; it’s easy to grow indoors even. Just make sure it’s caffeine free and 100% chamomile. Steep the chamomile in the boiling water for about 3 minutes before you add the honey & lemon juice. Drink it right before bed and it should help ease you to sleep. My husband actually drinks this before bed every night, whether he’s sick or not. It’s been helping to ease his insomnia rather nicely.

So there you have it. Now you have a weapon in the fight against cold & flu season and the little germ mongers that bring it in the house (aka KIDS). And this one isn’t loaded with poisons and artificial colorings like the ones you buy from the store. A check in the plus column if ever there was one!

The Recipe:

6 Oz Boiling Water

Lemon Juice (fresh or bottled), to taste

Honey, to taste

The Method:

*Stir. Really- it’s too easy. I wasn’t even going to put the method on here this time but the page looked funny without it 😉