Gingerbread Latte (Hot Or Iced)

This one is for my fellow coffe lovers! I love a good holiday-flavored coffee. This one can be made hot or iced, which ever your preference is (I prefer iced). You can sift out the powdered spiced with a cheese cloth, if you want. But I love the earthy taste, so I leave them in. 

Gingerbread Latte (Hot Or Iced)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups milk

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 ts. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1 shot hot espresso (can be easily made with 1 serving worth of instant coffee granules mixed with 4 tbsp hot water).

HOT:

Add spices, brown sugar, and hot espresso to your mug. Stir to blend very well. Heat milk until steaming (microwave or stove top). Pour into mug with spice mixture and stir.

ICED:

Add spices, brown sugar and hot espresso to your cup. Stir to blend very well. Fill bottom 1/3 of your cup with ice. Pour in cold milk to desired level, and stir.

10 Delicious Smoothies For Weight Loss

 I recently joined a gym, and they have a smoothie bar in the front.   Each of their freshly-made smoothies costs about $5.   They are delicious!  They do list all the ingredients on the menu, for health-conscious people and they were perfectly willing to answer calorie questions.   Their "meal replacement" smoothies are meant to keep you full and give you energy, build lean muscle, provide essential nutrients, etc.   I noticed they certainly DO keep me full for quite a while!   I like to order one right before I work out, as my "lunch".   I studied their menu and watched them being made, etc.   And I came up with home-made versions of each of their smoothies, based on the ingredients lists and the amounts I saw them using.   Great just to cool off for summer, or to lose weight!  

Fruit-Based Smoothies And Their Ingredients:
(simply place ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth-- then serve!  Frozen fruit works great, fresh also.  Most are about 250 calories, remember they are a meal replacement):

1.  Strawberry Slam—½ cup water, 1 cup strawberries (frozen or fresh), ½ cup sliced banana, ½ cup yogurt, 1 to 2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder, 4 regular-sized ice cubes. 

2.  Berry, Berry Good—½ cup water, 1 cup mixed berries (strawberries blueberries, blackberries, raspberries-- frozen or fresh), ½ cup sliced banana, ½ cup yogurt, 1 to 2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder, 4 regular-sized ice cubes. 

3.  Hawaiian Harvest—½ cup water, 1 cup total mix of crushed pineapple and coconut (fresh, sliced or shredded, sugar-free), ½ cup sliced banana, ½ cup yogurt, 1 to 2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder, 4 regular-sized ice cubes. 

4.  Mango Crusher—½ cup water, 1 cup total mix of mango and strawberries (fresh or frozen), ½ cup sliced banana, ½ cup yogurt, 1 to 2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder, 4 regular-sized ice cubes. 

5.  I Love Veggies—½ cup water, 1 cup total mix of crushed pineapple, coconut (fresh, flaked or sliced, no sugar) fresh spinach, fresh kale, and avocado.   Add ½ tsp lemon juice.  Then add ½ cup sliced banana, ½ cup yogurt, 1 to 2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder, 4 regular-sized ice cubes.

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Milk-Based Smoothies And Their Ingredients:

 (again, simply add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth-- then serve.  Most are about 450 to 500 calories, remember they are a meal replacement). 

 

1.  Peanut Butter Cup—1 cup any milk you prefer, 2 tsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp tsp natural powdered peanut butter, 40g worth of vanilla whey protein, 4 regular-sized cubes of ice. 

2.  Banana Nut Blast—1 cup any milk you prefer, 1 tbsp tsp natural powdered peanut butter, ½ cup sliced  banana blended with 40g worth of vanilla whey protein, 4 regular-sized cubes of ice. 

3.  Java Jolt—1 cup any milk you prefer, 1 tsp Columbian coffee crystals, 2 tsp cocoa powder, blended with 40g worth of vanilla whey protein, 4 regular-sized cubes of ice. 

4.  Body Builder—1 cup any milk you prefer, ½ cup sliced banana, 5g creatine and 40g worth of vanilla or chocolate whey protein, 4 regular-sized cubes of ice. 

5.  Chocolate Thinny Mint—1 cup any milk you like, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, mint leaves or mint extract to taste, 30g worth of chocolate whey protein, 4 regular-sized cubes of ice.   

  

TIPS:  
Go to a local gym and buy their protein powders, if they sell any.   Or look for a good quality whey protein powder in a local store.   Its good to have chocolate and vanilla on hand, for more variety in the kind of smoothies you can make.  Generally, the fruit-based smoothies use vanilla, and the milk-based smoothies use chocolate.   But you can mix and match.  

 

Easy Homemade Eggnog

 Ok so you have a bunch of family coming over for a holiday meal, and several of them don't think its a holiday, without eggnog. But you just swung by the grocery store and the eggnog shelf is empty! The other stores don't have it either. What do you do?  

Well, eggnog may seem like a fancy, complex beverage. But the truth is, its shockingly easy to make at home-- and with ingredients that most people already have in their kitchen. The best part is, if you know HOW to make it, you will never run out! 

At the last minute, or outside the holidays, you are far more likely to find the ingredients in any store, than you are to find the drink already prepared. This is especially true for anybody living/working in countries that don't have it available (military families, etc.) 

It does require a lot of eggs though, so I would advise you to stock up on those. But when you are finished here, you will have something better than store-bought-- and of course, bragging rights! 

This recipe makes about 4 to 5 servings, so you can double it, etc., for more people.

Ingredients     

6 egg yolks    

1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)

1/4 teaspoons salt   

2 cups whole milk (480ml)

1 cup heavy cream (240ml)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon  

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg  

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract    

(this is a kid-friendly recipe, but you can add some bourbon to taste, for the adults if they like it)

** If you don't want to use cream, you can substitute the cream for more milk. 

 

Instructions 

1) In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until well blended. 

2) In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cream, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer, but do not boil.

3) Tempur the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, by slowly drizzling the milk into the yolks, whisking the yolks quickly to avoid clumps. Transfer milk/yolk mixture back to sauce pan. 

4) Cook on low, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It will thicken more as it cools.

5) Pour custard through a fine mesh wire  strainer, into a large bowl. This will take out any small lumps for a smoother drink. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours, longer if you are increasing the recipe. You may need to stir before serving, as the spices tend to settle at the bottom. Serve chilled, with or without ice.

TIPS:  You can serve with extra whipped cream on top and a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg.  Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.   

Want a great holiday dessert?  Simply skip the eggs and boiling, use heavy cream in place of milk, double the sugar and vanilla-- then place this mixture (with spices mixed in) into an ice cream maker.   Ta-da!   Eggnog ice cream!   Yes, you can still use the original mixture with the eggs if you like the color (after boiling).  It will be a thicker, richer ice cream.  But I still advise you to half-and-half the milk with cream at least, and bump up the sugar and vanilla.   You're welcome :)

Coffee Shop Latte Recipe (Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts)

This is another recipe I got from a friend who worked at Starbucks.   So many people wonder what is the big secret to making Starbucks (or Dunkin' Donuts) style lattes at home (iced or hot).   Well…   Their big secret is, they DON’T use regular coffee,  OR water, in a latte!  Nope.   That waters the drink down too much.  The idea is FLAVOR, and you don’t get flavor when the bulk of your drink is WATER.   Coffee shops want return business, and they stick to pure flavor— so lattes are made from a shot of espresso, some milk and flavored syrups.  That’s it.  No water added (except ice).   No espresso on hand?   No problem!  You can mimic a shot of espresso by mixing a single serving packet of instant coffee with hot water.   So here is a basic recipe of pretty much most coffee shop lattes, which you can make at home and save tons of money, but still get that great taste you love.     

Coffee Shop Latte Recipe (Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts)

Ingredients:

1 Starbucks iced coffee single serving packet, or any single serving packet of instant coffee  (sweetened or unsweetened), 
 OR use 1-2 shots espresso

2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute (leave this out if using pre-sweetened packets)

3 tablespoon HOT water (leave this out if you’re using espresso)

2 cups milk (hot for a hot drink, cold for an iced drink)

Coffee flavor syrup of your choice, such as chocolate, vanilla, hazel nut, etc.   You can also use those little Coffeemate single serving creamer cups, they have fantastic flavors available!

Directions:

1.       In a large glass, mix together the coffee packet with the hot water (or the espresso), sugar (only if coffee packet is unsweetened) and hot water.  Then add your flavor syrup (or flavored creamer).  Blend very well, until completely smooth. Heating the water up in the microwave for 20 seconds before adding it, makes the mixture even smoother. 

2.      Then pour 2 cups of milk into the ice/coffee mixture and blend well.  If making an iced drink, add ice to the mixture BEFORE adding the milk.  If making a hot drink, microwave or boil the milk until it reaches desired temperature.

3.      If desired, top with whipped cream and an extra drizzle of your flavor syrup over the top for garnish.

Tropical Storm Smoothie

You have all kinds of “tropical” going on in this smoothie.  Coconut, banana, pineapple, mango… And for those who like an alcohol kick, you can give this refreshing drink a nice “jazzed up pino colata” flavor with 1/4 cup of white rum!  Otherwise, you can just have it as a non-alcoholic chilled drink whenever the mood suits you. Wonderful on a hot day!

Tropical Storm Smoothie

(serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

1 banana, cut in ½ inch slices

½ cup coconut milk

½ cup pineapple juice

½ cup diced fresh mango (or mango juice)

½ cup Yogurt

½ cup Milk

6 to 8 Ice cubes (or as many as you like)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together in a blender.  Blend on highest (or liquefy) speed, until smooth.  Pour into glasses (preferably chilled) and serve. 

"Starbucks" Pumpkin Spice Latte

I got this recipe from a friend (can't say who).  But I just HAD to have it because I am hopelessly addicted to the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.  I prefer the iced version, but you can also make it hot.  It is deliciously blissful on a fall or winter day, especially with pumpkin bread muffins!  (See my pumpkin bread recipe).   Its just so lovely to know that I can now make it at home, whenever I want. 

Ingredients:

1 to 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin (or 1 tsp pumpkin spice syrup)

1 Starbucks iced coffee single serving packet (sweetened or unsweetened), 
     OR 1-2 shots espresso

2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute (leave this out if using pre-sweetened Starbucks packets)

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon water (leave this out if you’re using espresso)

2 cups milk (hot for a hot drink, cold for an iced drink)

Extra pumpkin pie spice and/or whipped cream for garnish

Directions:

1.       In a large glass, mix together the canned pumpkin, iced coffee packet (or 1 shot espresso), sugar (only if coffee packet is unsweetened), vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and water. Blend very well, until completely smooth. Heating in the microwave for 20 seconds makes the mixture even smoother. 

2.      Pour 2 cups of milk into coffee mixture and blend well.  If making an iced drink, add ice to the mixture.  If making a hot drink, microwave or boil the milk until it reaches desired temperature.

3.      If desired, top with whipped cream and a light extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice for garnish.