Add a little spice to your coffee.

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

Don”t you hate how whenever you make coffee at home it can never live up to what they serve in those recyclable cups with the green woman on it? (You know who I”m talking about.) Well not sure about you, but I”m tired of it. Making coffee at home is so much cheaper, but it”s only worth it if it tastes like the real deal. Therefore, it”s time to get down to business. Here are some tricks you can do at home to make your morning (or afternoon, or mid-afternoon, or evening pick-me-up) brew taste like utter happiness. Let the spices ensue! Grab these on the next trip the grocery store:

ALLSPICE

Add a little allspice to your coffee grounds before brewing! Mmm spicy delight.

CARDAMOM

Many people like to add a dash of cardamom to their grounds before brewing. Yum!

CINNAMON

Add a bit of cinnamon to your coffee grounds before brewing. You can even throw a stick in there, or add a stick to your bag of coffee beans to give them a hint of flavor before grinding.

SALT

Many people add a pinch of salt to their coffee grounds before brewing because it”s supposed to take out the bitterness of the coffee and boost up the flavor. Apparently many restaurants do this to their generic, bland coffee. Worth a try!

NUTMEG

Add some nutmeg to your coffee grounds before brewing for a Fall/Winter flavor.

VANILLA BEANS

Vanilla beans! Yum. Grind these with your coffee beans. You can also try making vanilla sugar — take 2 vanilla bean pods, put in an 8oz jar, fill the jar to within an inch from the top with sugar, close up and shake. Let stand for about a day or two, turning jar several times throughout. And voila, vanilla sugar! Try not to eat it before it makes it into your coffee cup.

CLOVES

Pop a few of these babies on top of your coffee grounds before brewing, or sprinkle the already ground stuff. I love cloves in cookies, so I can only imagine it would be delicious in coffee as well.

PUMPKIN PIE SPICE

Also, we love Pumpkin Pie Spice. But if you already have the ingredients at home, why not save your $$ and make it yourself? Joy the Baker teaches us how. Sprinkle this on top of your coffee grounds, or even after your coffee is made! Maybe on top of some whipped cream? Delicious!

How do you prepare your coffee at home?

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Art in My Coffee Cup

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

Now I love food art but let me tell you — LATTE ART is one of the coolest things ever. What better thing to spruce up your morning than a cute bear in your coffee cup? Or a pretty flower? Leaf? I haven”t seen many of these in person, but baristas everywhere should start practicing their skills! From now on I demand a cupful of ART each morning. Much like these:

“ON THE GRASS”

I love the shape of leaves like this found in latte art. They”re goregous!

“CAPPUCCINO AND A COOKIE”

Nothing like a heart to start the day or to warm up your night, right?

“MOKA TULIP”

The colors in this cup are awesome, not to mention the design itself!

“A CUP OF FIRE-BREATHING DRAGON”

This dragon took some serious skill and it”s SO spot on! Fantastic work.

See more on “Latte Art: 40 Very Delicious Examples“

Impressed? Unimpressed? Share your thoughts.

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Feeling less than energetic?

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

Are you familiar with this scene? I would be lying if I said I didn”t feel like this practically everyday. I”ve never been the best sleeper — but it”s the worst when you actually do get a full night”s sleep and you still feel like a dead weight. All. Day. And as much as I love my coffee, I can”t drink it all day, every day. I mean, as delicious as an all-coffee diet sounds, that whole “UNHEALTHY” neon sign is blinking in my brain. Nice thought, though.

The problem is that while we may get enough sleep at night (or not), we still have to take care of ourselves during the day. This means eating right and not skipping meals. I”m not sure about you, but it”s unlikely that I ever take the time to actually eat breakfast each day — more than likely I”m running out the door or I”m just too exhausted (see above) to even move, let alone make a meal.

To get your body started off on the right track, start your day off with a quick breakfast — like a whole-grain cereal with milk or a low fat yogurt with fresh fruit. Eating as you start off the day helps boost your metabolism (common sense, right?), so try not to skip it, if possible. Apples or grapes are a great on-the-go breakfast if you don”t have time to sit down and enjoy. In addition, if you can go without it, try to switch out your AM coffee for green tea, instead. If you can”t imagine giving up the java altogether (I”m not strong enough, either) maybe switch out your second and third cups for green tea, instead.

If you start to feel tired before lunchtime, have a snack! It is recommended that we snack between meals — this doesn”t mean having 5 meals a day, but keeping your body fueled and energized. Great between-meal snacks are things like almonds, fresh fruit, salsa and chips, cottage cheese and whole-grain crackers, celery with peanut butter, etc. Also, don”t forget to stay hydrated! Water is your best friend. Literally.

By eating a great breakfast and fueling up between mealtimes, our body should get that extra boost it needs — without the need for excessive energy (such as coffee, energy drinks). This way, your body can energize itself naturally without the caffeine crash, which means a happier you and less headache. Sign me up!

What”s your favorite energizing breakfast? Share with us:

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A day dedicated to coffee!

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

Happy National Coffee Day!

We hope you had your cup of joe this morning in celebration. Whether you”re an espresso, iced, cream no sugar, or even blended (Frappuccino or Coolatta, anyone?) type of person, we wish you a very happy and caffeine-induced National Coffee Day.

And while you sip your java, feel good about it. Why? There have been researches that show coffee drinkers are less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson”s disease and dementia. In addition, they have fewer cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems and strokes. (WebMD)

This doesn”t mean to load up on the extra cream and sugar, however. And don”t start yourself on an all-coffee diet, either. While your average cup of to-go 16 fl oz coffee is only 14 calories, add half & half and sugar to that and you”re consuming a whopping 125 calories — just for your morning cup, alone. More of a latte person? 143 calories for your 14 fl oz cup. Adding sugar and whipped cream? We”re up to 382 calories. YOWZA. (myfoodapedia.gov)

Basically, don”t drink the extras everyday. As a treat every now and then, go ahead — order that Frappuccino and feel GOOD about it. Just don”t do it on the daily. Opt for your favorite coffee flavor and some light creamer instead. Hey, even add some sugar while you”re at it — 44 calories for the whole shebang (myfoodapedia.gov). With calorie numbers that low, we think you could even drink two cups. Caffeine up!

What”s your favorite way to drink your morning java?

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Delicious coffee shop muffins — are they worth the cost?

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

As delicious and convenient as coffee shop treats are — are they worth the cost to your wallet and to your health? We”ll let you be the judge.

Now don”t get us wrong — we love a good muffin or donut. WHO DOESN”T? The problem is that these pastries taste so good because they”re loaded with things such as sodium, sugar and CARBS, sweet, sweet, carbs. And not good carbs either, but evil carbs that attack you in all the wrong places. You know what we”re talking about.

The solution? Bake at home! There are thousands of recipes at your fingertips (literally — it”s called the Internet). The best thing about baking yourself is that you know exactly what”s going into your food. When you bake at home, you make the decision whether to use whole milk or skim, how much butter to use, etc. Not to mention you can use FRESH ingredients – and who doesn”t love that?

If you”re still not convinced, let”s get down to the nitty gritty.

Say you”re a lover of Starbucks (as most of us are). You”re in line for your morning Iced Caffè Americano and those delicious blueberry muffins with sugar on top are literally staring you down from the pastry case:

You cave in. You feel totally satisfied for about 10 minutes, feeling great about life. Then your stomach starts to rumble, and not in a good way. You wonder why? Here”s what was in that muffin you just demolished –

Pretty scary, right? Now had you taken the time to bake at home the night before, using low fat milk and fresh blueberries, here”s what you would have consumed:

Holy crap, look at those fresh berries! One looks like it”s about ready to explode in your mouth and fill it with blueberry goodness. Now THAT is what we”re talking about. Here”s how much this muffin is going to cost your health in comparison with the evil monster you bought:

The nutrition facts speak for themselves. Less than half of the carbs, fat, calories — are we sensing a pattern, here? This is just one of the few examples to help you realize that conveniences like buying a muffin on the go isn”t always such a “convenience” — for your wallet or your health.

What sort of things do you make at home as opposed to buying? Share with us on SocialGrocery.com and our Facebook page, or start a conversation with us on Twitter. We love being social!

Fridge Notes

Tag Archives: coffee