The Perfect Iced Coffee

Iced coffee is truly my guilty pleasure and now that temperatures are starting to finally get warmer, I am embracing every opportunity for a refreshing and creamy iced coffee. Ahhhhh.

For some reason, retail stores think it’s OK to charge $4 for a simple iced coffee and I always cringe when buying one. This iced coffee recipe is perfection and will be sure to make your taste buds and wallet happy all through spring & summer cold coffee cravings! My personal secret is to freeze some coffee into ice cubes so your iced coffee is never watered down. You’re welcome.

You can use a Kuerig (or any other single server coffee-maker) or traditional coffee pot if you want to make more than a single serving. I use my Kuerig since I am usually making just a cup for myself. However, the wonderful thing about iced coffee is since it’s refrigerated, you can make it for the whole week without it getting stale-tasting.

Directions: Place desired amount sugar (or any sweetener you like) in cup first. This way the coffee will melt the sugar & won’t be “crunchy” when you sip (one of my pet-peeves). Brew your coffee as directed and make a little extra coffee for your “coffee ice cubes.” Once brewed, put coffee in large mason jar and let sit to cool. If you have time, refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes and if not, add cold milk or creamer and serve over the coffee ice cubes. I usually try to make a big batch of this overnight so it’s cold & ready for the morning.

Ever After,

Jamie

Low-fat Starbucks-inspired Strawberry Frappuccino

The other day I was craving a Frappuccino badly but being 8 weeks post-partum, I really am trying to watch my calories. At Starbucks, the strawberries & creme Frappuccino is 15g of fat & 54 sugars. I am all for treating myself but would rather save the calories for a glass of wine (or 2) or an icecream sundae! Then I realized, I have strawberries and a Vitamix and I conquered a low-fat Starbucks-inspired version on my own. This version is 80 calories, 8 g sugar, and 5 g fat.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic frozen strawberries (you can use fresh but I like frozen to keep smoothie cold)
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tablespoon organic palm sugar (or sugar of your choice)
• 3 ice cubes

Directions: In a blender, mix in strawberries, almond milk, ice and sugar on high speed.  Mix until creamy & smooth.  Pour in glass & top with light whipped cream.

Ever After,

Jamie