Joan’s Boomer Blog

Creative Commons License photo credit: greenplasticamy

In between baking cookies and cleaning the house for company and Christmas dinners, I wanted to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas!

This has been a terrific year for my family and your comments have greatly added to my pleasure in writing this blog. I’ve also enjoyed discovering and reading the blogs of many of you out there too!

I know from watching the news or reading the newspaper, that this has been a hard year for many but remember that true happiness does not depend on outward circumstances. There is always something to be grateful for.

Keep reading in the coming year for more healthy aging tips, book reviews, and info on how to get the most out of your boomer years.

Here’s to health, wealth and happiness in the new year!

Healthy Drinks - Delicious Tea Recipes

The Health Benefits of Green Tea are very well known, but you can also get health benefits from Black tea as well. (Read more about the health benefits of Green Tea here.) For baby boomers interested in health, drinking as little as 3-4 cups of tea daily can reduce the risk of strokes, boost metabolism, help protect you from cancer and much more.

The benefits of green tea include healthy aging, especially if you replace more sugary drinks like soda, with tea.

Some people don’t care much for the taste of green tea so in these recipes, you can substitute black tea also. However, give green tea a try. With these delicious additions to your cup of hot tea or iced tea, you won’t even notice it’s good for you too!

Ginger Orange Tea

Ginger is a great antioxidant, metabolism booster and stomach soother. It’s also great for colds. The tart taste of orange makes this a delightful summer drink recipe.

Ingredients

2 quarts of water

3 one inch pieces of fresh ginger root, sliced thin

1 Tbs honey

1 orange, sliced

Directions for Tea

Put water and ginger root into a medium sized sauce pan. Bring water to a boil, then turn to simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to stand and cool for another 30 minutes.

Add honey and orange one hour before serving.

Strain and serve over ice. You can also reheat and serve hot.

Mint Tea Recipe

Mint is energizing and refreshing and sprigs of fresh mint can be added to any tea you have sitting in the frig. To make mint tea, try this slow cooker recipe.

Ingredients

2 quarts hot water

honey or stevia to taste

8 tea bags (green or black)

2 drops mint extract

Directions

Put water and sweetener into crock pot. Add tea bags and mint extract and cook on low for 2 hours.

Makes 8 servings and can be served hot or over ice.

You can create variations of the above tea by adding other ingredients:

1 tsp almond extract or other flavor of extract you might prefer

2/3 cup lemon juice

1 orange sliced

1 cup cranberry or other fruit juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon (good for lowering cholesterol!)

Other tasty tea recipes, which would make deliciously refreshing drinks for your next get-together

Discover Cooking with Green Tea for added health benefits and great taste too.

50 Hot and Cold Tea Recipes in Green Tea: 50 Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers, and Sweet and Savory Treats

Read what Dr. Mercola has to say about the many benefits of drinking green tea.

Over Age 55 Discounts for Valentine’s Day or any Special Day

Those over 55 can get great Valentine’s Discounts on flowers, candy, Valentine cards and more.Check out some of these great age 55 discounts, not just for Valentine’s Day, but every day of the year.

Factory Card & Party Outlets Those over 55 enjoy discounts of 10% off most party items purchased in the store. Planning a retirement party or anniversary party for someone over age 55? Check with individual stores to find those who participate in the senior discount program.

Many Hallmark Hallmark stores offer senior discounts and you can buy all your cards here at a 10% discount. Plus Hallmark also offers lots of gift items. Check with each individual Hallmark store near you to see what sort of senior discount, if any, that they offer.

Rite Aid is a large drugstore chain with stores in almost every state. Ask about their free Living More program. As a senior, you can enroll for senior discounts such as 20% off your entire purchase on the first Tuesday of each month and 10% off Rite Aid brand products any other day.

Need a Discount on Flowers this Valentines Day? Check with local flower stores and florists and ask about senior discounts.

1800FLOWERS offers a 15% senior discount to those over age 50 by putting in the word SENIOR into the promo code spot when ordering, either online or by phone. When ordering by telephone, mention the word SENIOR to the operator.

Check with your favorite florist to see if they offer a senior discount.

Many stores offering gift baskets also offer over 55 discounts. Most Mrs. Fields Cookies stores offer 10% senior discounts to those over age . You can get gift baskets here, as well as other sweets and gifts.Check your local Mrs. Fields for age requirements.

Would you like to take your sweetie out to dinner for Valentines? Here’s a listing of restaurants offering senior discounts on About.com. One other money saving tip for eating out - sign up for the membership offer on your favorite restaurant’s website. You usually get discount email coupons for $5 off an entree, a free appetizer or a free dinner on your birthday.

You can also go to a website like RetailMeNot.com and do a search for your favorite restaurant coupons. That way, if they don’t have a senior discount, per se, you can still get a deal on dinner.

Try this great book, available on Amazon.com for more senior discount info and ideas:

Unbelievably Good Deals and Great Adventures that You Absolutely Can’t Get Unless You’re Over 50, 2009-2010

Many department stores, like Kohls, offers senior discounts, so check with them for age requirements and the specific days for shopping. The Kohl’s in my area offers a senior discount to over age 60.

Some jewelry stores, like Zales, offer online coupons if you’re in the mood to get your Valentine some jewelry for the holiday. Check with other coupon sites as well. These aren’t strictly for over age 55 but you can still get a good deal.

I used to love the Donna Reed show. Shelly Fabres was about 4 years older than I was and I wanted to be just like her. When she sang Johnny Angel, it was one of my favorite episodes. Since it’s the holiday season and nostalgic TV shows are on every list, I wanted to give you this link to The Donna Reed Christmas Show from 1960. You can watch this episode free on Retrovision.tv.

In this episode, Donna is tired of her family caring more for presents than the spirit of Christmas. We like to think things were different in “the old days” but were they really? I remember a similar old TV show from Father Knows Best in the 1950’s which dealt with the same Christmas theme.

Another nostalgic Christmas episode from an old TV show now on Retrovision is the Bewitched episode “A Vision of Sugar Plums” from 1962. This was the show’s first Christmas episode and stars Billy Mummy, along with Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York.

I love watching these old Christmas episodes at this time of year and make it one of my holiday traditions.