Lavender Moon Milk

A soothing milk concoction with lavender, turmeric, and nutmeg to calm your mind, soothe your soul, and lull you into a nice deep slumber….. nighty night, sleep tight.

Have you ever had a simply exhausting day? A day where you just run from one event or task to another? Then, you finally lay your weary head down on your nice comfortable pillow and close your eyes ready for some much-needed sleep —- and then all of a sudden, your brain starts to rehearse all of the things that went on that day! Or worse yet, your brain takes this moment to start reviewing (stressing) all of the next day’s upcoming details….

Has this ever happened to you?

Insomnia is no picnic.

I have had my fair share of sleepless nights. And when my mind is racing and has so much going on inside of it, life can start to feel a bit overwhelming and stressful. This is especially true if I can’t fall asleep and get enough restful sleep each night. The next day is that much more difficult and exhausting.

This can also affect your emotional and psychological well-being. And if insomnia continues over time, your physical health can decline as well.

Lavender Moon Milk to the rescue!

Yes, there is such a thing. I didn’t make it up nor can I take credit for it. In fact, this concoction has some history in Ayurvedic tradition. Studies show that almond milk, in particular, helps you feel relaxed and sleepy because it contains tryptophan and magnesium, both of which contribute to sleepiness and improve sleep quality.

Have you ever tried moon milk? I have. In fact, this is my favorite way to enjoy it, though there are several ways to make it. Like so many recipes, it really depends on your personal preference and what you want to put in your moon milk. It can be downright vile or it can be soothing and calming. When made well, sipping on moon milk is like wrapping a nice soft blanket around your senses, albeit in the form of a warm blissful beverage.

Moon milk should be light, creamy, and slightly fragrant. It’s important that moon milk is not overly done.

Think of it this way, it’s like sipping nice hot chocolate milk before bed, but obviously with out the chocolate and with very little sugar…. Instead, this Lavender Moon Milk delights the senses with wispy notes of lavender and a hint of vanilla. These light floral scents are proven to help lull you into a nice restful slumber….

I love the floral fragrance that fresh lavender possesses. It smells lovely and helps reduce unwanted stress and anxiety. It also helps induce blissful sleep and is a natural anti-inflammatory. When we moved earlier this year, we had a lot of landscaping to do. And when I spotted two thriving lavender plants, I quickly added them to our cart.

Personally, I think they make a lovely addition to your home.

Oh, and did you know that lavender repels moths, fleas, flies, and mosquitoes? I had no idea. Supposedly, flies and other unwanted insects hate lavender. You can place tied bouquets in your home to help keep flies outside. But not everyone enjoys the scent of lavender.

Do you enjoy the refreshing fragrance of lavender? Better yet, have you ever tasted it?

Not everyone enjoys the smell or flavor. For example, my husband loves the smell of lavender; but he adamantly says it belongs in hand soap and laundry detergent, not in his food or drink. This made me laugh right out loud.

But if you’re up all night and simply can’t fall sleep, you may want to try this Lavender Moon Milk.

Stay with me… in about fifteen minutes, you can be sipping on this delightful Lavender Moon Milk for yourself. It is fragrant and oh so relaxing. And it couldn’t be more simple and soothing.

Before we get started, there are a few notes and options to consider. First, there is a huge variety of plant milk available – whether you make your own or purchase it. And I’m sure you have your favorite, as do I. For this recipe though, I’d like to recommend that you try my Oat + Nut Milk, specifically using a blend of rolled oats and almonds.

Oat + Nut Milk has a creamy consistency, healthy fats, and quality plant protein. And since there aren’t any unnecessary gums, sweeteners, or sodium, it’s ready to use in a variety of recipes like this one. Plus, the process of heating oat milk magically thickens and elevates the plant milk into a creamy smooth beverage, which is exactly what you want in moon milk. Plus, as you’ve just read, almond milk contains tryptophan and magnesium, which induce quality sleep.

Now for the fun part! You have three great options to choose from.

First, you can steep fresh or dried lavender buds by heating the buds in your milk. But like most people, I don’t want a bunch of dried flower buds floating in my tea or milk. I may enjoy texture, but not in what’s supposed to be a smooth, creamy, and relaxing beverage.

For this reason, I highly recommend straining the buds when pouring the moon milk into your tea cup or mug. Simply use a fine mesh strainer to get all those delicious but pesky buds out of your creamy Lavender Moon Milk. Then you can sprinkle your spices atop, along with some lavender shatter, as desired and enjoy!

The second option is just as effective, but more fragrant. You can mix a small portion of melted coconut oil with lavender essential oil. Simply add a little vanilla and one-half teaspoon to one teaspoon of the coconut-lavender oil blend to your hot creamy moon milk. How much you use depends on how fragrant and potent you want your Lavender Moon Milk. Once you get accustomed to the taste and flavor, you may add as much as you want. If you prefer not to use coconut oil, simply add one drop of lavender essential oil to your moon milk.

And the third option is just a combination of the first two methods. So, there you have it! You can steep authentic lavender buds in your moon milk, use a lavender-coconut oil blend, or a combination of these two methods for a more indulgent and flavorful moon milk. As always, the choice is yours.

If you have just mixed your nut milk in the blender or Almond Cow, you can top your Lavender Moon Milk with a bit of bubbly froth. If you have a frother, you can obviously use that, too. Oh, and I like topping mine with a sprinkle of lavender shatter (tiny bits of lavender), turmeric, and nutmeg. Combining the lavender, along with these spices induce sleep and improve sleep quality. (Healthline). I think it looks pretty, too.

I hope you enjoy this Lavender Moon Milk as much as I do.  

I’m just starting out and would love to see your results. Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!   

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Lavender-Coconut Oil Ingredients

• 2-5 drops lavender essential oil
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Lavender Moon Milk Ingredients

• 8-10 ounces Oat + Nut Milk*
• 1-2 Tbsp pure maple syrup or sugar** (optional)
• ½ tsp lavender buds or shatter*** (optional)
• ½ tsp lavender-coconut oil (recipe above)
• ¼ tsp vanilla (optional)
• dash of turmeric (optional)
• dash of nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

1. In a small lidded bowl or jar, stir together the lavender essential oil and coconut oil.****  see note below regarding potency and your first cup. Set aside.
2. Bring the Oat + Nut Milk, maple syrup, and lavender buds (if using) to a low simmer over medium heat. If using the Oat + Nut Milk, the milk will thicken slightly.  Remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly, to preferred temperature.
3. Gently stir in the vanilla and Lavender-Coconut Oil blend; stir gently.  Taste and add more, if desired.

1. Pour the milk mixture (through a sieve or strainer if using lavender buds) into a mug or tea cup. 
2. Top with turmeric, nutmeg, and lavender shatter, as desired.  Feel free to omit any or include all of them.
3. Drink and drift off to sweet slumber…….

Notes

* I use Oat + Nut Milk because the oats and nuts create a silky-smooth plant milk that thickens slightly to the ideal consistency when heated.  The recipe explains that you can use any kind of raw nut, but I encourage you to use raw almonds since they contain tryptophan and magnesium. Both of these contribute to sleepiness and improve

** I like adding just a touch of pure maple syrup, though you can use any sugar, sweetener, or sugar substitute you have.  Start with a little since you can always add more.

*** If you have lavender buds, they are divine when steeped in this lavender moon milk.  But you’ll want to strain the buds out if you don’t like the texture of flowers in your moon milk.  I’ve tried using a tea holder and tea bags but the essence just isn’t captured well in this milk. Lavender shatter is the tiny bits that don’t impact the texture much but look really pretty atop your moon milk.

**** Store the Lavender-Coconut Oil blend in a lidded bowl or jar and in a cool dry place.  Start by adding 2-3 drops lavender essential oil to the coconut oil, then add one-half teaspoon of the lavender-coconut oil blend to create your moon milk.  Add more of the oil blend if you enjoy the flavor.  Increase the drops of lavender essential oil as you develop a taste for it.  Alternatively, you can add one drop of lavender essential oil in your moon milk directly without using any coconut oil, once you are accustomed to the flavor. One drop is ideal..  This results in a slightly more potent cup of lavender moon milk, but it is delicious and relaxing.

If you have an Almond Cow, the Oat + Nut Milk comes out super frothy. So I like to just make a batch of milk right when I want frothy cup of moon milk. If you don’t care about the froth, enjoy the moon milk as is. If you’d like some froth, simply spoon some of the froth on top of your moon milk just before serving, then top desired spices.

I use Doterra essential oils because they are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade making them extremely versatile – plus, some essential oils, like lavender, can be ingested. You can use any high quality essential oil – just be sure to do some research until you trust the source of your oil.

I am not a health professional and speak only for my own personal use and what works for me.

If you are plagued with insomnia, you may want to consider applying Doterra’s Serenity blend to the soles of your feet. This blend is pretty amazing since Lavender is the first ingredient. Because of the other oils, it should not be ingested. But you can put a drop in your hands and inhale it to help you relax. This blend contains Lavender Flower, Cedarwood, Ho Wood Leaf, Ylang Ylang Flower, Marjoram Leaf, Roman Chamomile Flower, Vetiver Root, Vanilla Bean Absolute, Hawaiian Sandalwood. Doterra says it “has a calming and relaxing aroma …. is a perfectly balanced, tranquil blend …. creating a restful environment at bedtime.”