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Why kombucha corporate team building workshops are totally a “thing”

1/20/2020

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The top four reasons kombucha brewing is an excellent team building activity for your company.

Imagine your team is sitting around a table and each person is curiously examining a jar full of liquid with a jellyfish-like organism floating in it. You might be wondering what fermentation has to do with team building, but from years of experience, I can guarantee that it is a recipe for community and connection.
People gathered around table for a corporate kombucha class
After an engaging hour-long session of sampling home-brewed kombucha, discussing the benefits of probiotics, walking through the brewing process step by step and munching on some snacks made with kombucha, your teammates are ready to brew their very own kombucha. Your office is filled with excited chatter about what people are naming their SCOBYs (kombucha brewing organisms) and unique flavors they are dreaming up

​After teaching over 100 kombucha brewing workshops since 2012, I have found that the process of brewing this delicious and slightly strange beverage makes a perfect team building activity. I have worked with companies like Google, AirBnB, Indiegogo and Atlassian to bring people together over their curiosity about the popular probiotic beverage, kombucha.
The top four reasons kombucha brewing is an excellent team building activity for your company: ​
Teammates smiling and holding up kombucha SCOBYs after corporate team building event
1.Levels the playing field. It doesn’t matter if you are an executive or in an entry level position, learning a totally new skill helps to lower your ego and connects you with your colleagues in a new way. Learning how to brew kombucha is not difficult, but it does require special steps and makes you relate to your food in a totally new way.
2. Creates accountability. Making kombucha is like taking care of a plant, except that plant gives you a delicious probiotic beverage. Some people are not very good at taking care of plants or completing tasks on time... Brewing kombucha with your teammates helps strengthen the “follow-through” muscle and helps people have fun by being accountable taking care of their new “food pet”.
Person holding kombucha scoby in jar
Person holding kombucha scoby in jar
3. Builds community around health. The office gossip could be about who got the most hammered at happy hour last week or it could be about how folks are excited to share the new kombucha flavors they made over the weekend. By choosing a team activity that is focused on creating a new healthy habit, you are supporting your employees in taking care of themselves. People who feel good in their bodies will undoubtedly perform better, collaborate well and be happy!
​

4. It's fun! One of the most important things about a successful team building event is that people have a good time. Learning how to make kombucha takes something that everyone can relate to and enjoys - food - and teaches them the secrets behind how to make it at home. Kombucha also has a delightful novelty about it because it uses a mat of cells (known as a SCOBY- symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) that everyone loves to feel weird about. This collective new experience creates lasting connection and community.
Group of people holding kombucha scoby in jars attending a corporate kombucha class
It's time to move away from the “happy-hour” social crutch and rethink your team building activities to intentionally create a collaborative, unique and healthy company culture. 

If you are ready to host your very own kombucha brewing workshop contact Lila here.  ​
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Amaranth Breakfast Bowl

1/12/2020

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Ingredients (2-3 Servings)
-1⁄2 cup amaranth
-1⁄4 cup buckwheat groats
-2 tablespoons roughly chopped almonds -11⁄4 cups water, plus more to soak the amaranth
-2⁄3 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of your choice
-1 tablespoon nut/seed butter
-1 tsp cinnamon
-Pinch of salt
-1 tablespoon honey (maple syrup or date syrup work too)
-Fresh fruit
​-Optional: Add 1 scoop of protein powder of your choice.
amaranth breakfast bowl with bananas and blueberries
Directions
1.In a small bowl, combine the amaranth, buckwheat groats, and cover with cold water by at least 2 inches. Refrigerate, uncovered or covered, 8 to 24 hours.

2.Drain and rinse the amaranth mixture. Pour into a small saucepan, along with the water, almond milk, cinnamon and pinch of salt.

3.Bring to a boil over medium- high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Divide the amaranth porridge between two serving bowls. Option to add protein powder.

4.Drizzle the nut/seed butter and honey over the top . Sprinkle with with almonds and fruit pieces, and serve.

Makes 21⁄2 cups of amaranth porridge.

Recipe adapted from tastingtable.com
Nutritional Highlights

Amaranth is a gluten-free ancient grain that has been used in Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations.
This grain has fiber and B vitamins like most grains, but it also stands out from the other grains as a great source of manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. Amaranth also contains 9g of protein per one-cup serving which is much higher than other grains.

Buckwheat is another gluten-free ancient grain that contains 5.7g of protein per cup. It has a nice nutty flavor and is rich in fiber, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.

Cinnamon is know for its beneficial anti-inflammatory, circulatory, and digestive qualities. It is a great addition to sweet foods because it helps your balance blood sugar by slowing the rate at which your stomach empties.

Almonds are high in mono-saturated fats that are associated with reducing the risk of heart disease. Those mono-saturated fats lower LDL cholesterol. The antioxidant properties of vitamin E in almonds also make these nuts super heart healthy. ​

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DIY Ginger Turmeric Shot

1/8/2020

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anti-inflammatory turmeric ginger shot in jar among plants
hand holding anti-inflammatory ginger turmeric shot
Ingredients
4-inch piece of ginger
2-inch piece of turmeric 

3 tbsp water (add more as needed to blend thoroughly)
3 Tbs lemon juice

Directions
Makes 2-3 servings
  1. Wash ginger and turmeric thoroughly. (I use a vegetable brush. You can also peel them if you desire.)
  2. Place ginger, turmeric and water in a high-speed blender and blend until ginger and turmeric  is completely pulverized.
  3. Strain liquid into a jar and add lemon juice*
  4. Pour 1-2 oz into a cup and take a shot! I also enjoy mixing this with hot water, bubbly water or regular water. Apple cider vinegar and honey are also nice additions to the beverage version of this!
  5. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. *The lemon juice helps this mixture stay better for longer.
Nutritional Highlights:
​
Ginger, turmeric
and lemon are powerhouse foods that support digestion, the immune system and your body’s natural detoxification pathways. 

Nutritional Highlights:
Turmeric is well known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. This root is an excellent source of iron, manganese, B6, copper and potassium. 

Ginger
 contains gingerols which are the pungent  compound of the ginger rhizomes. This food is known for its anti-inflammatory, immune boosting and digestive qualities. Ginger is a warming root that makes you sweat, which is a great way to detox a little bit everyday.

Lemons
 are a rockin' source of vitamin C, B6, potassium, folic acid and flavonoids. Limonene in lemons elevate your liver enzymes and help with the liver’s detoxification process.

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