Silky Delicious French Vanilla Coffee, aka, Beverage of my Dreams!

I think dream about this all night.

Then I wake up, throw ingredients in the blender with my eyes still half closed, pour into whatever beverage holding device is closest, spilling half onto the floor, and drink. Piping hot, creamy (minus the cream) silky smooth and delicious.

Ahhh

Now I’m ready.

(That’s mostly a lie, I’m actually a morning person and don’t need my coffee to feel wide awake….. but for those of you that aren’t, ^^ that may sound familiar… This one’s for you!  😉

Ever had a Tim Horton’s French Vanilla Cappuccino? (For my American friends, I’m not sure what the American equivalent would be, I’m sure starbucks has a vanilla cappuccino too, but I don’t know if it tastes the same. Let’s pretend it does, capiche?)

Well this is better, there is no milk, it’s packed with healthy fats and can be made with zero added sugars. zip, zilch, nada.

Winning!

You may not have known that if you whip coconut oil into submission it takes on a silky smooth texture reminiscent of a greek goddess. True story.

Without further adieu: My Homemade Dairy Free Vanilla Coffee  (it can’t really be a cappuccino without some kind of milk… right?)

Homemade ‘Better than Tim’s’ Vanilla Coffee

1 mug piping hot coffee (the size of your choice)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons Vanilla Protein Powder *

Throw all these ingredients into your blender and BLEND! POUR! DRINK!

delicious right?

*note :I always use a Vanilla Whey protein, but I know some people with strong allergies and still intolerant to this. Any protein powder can be used, just keep in mind that the outcome will be slightly different. Example: casein protein doesn’t blend incredibly well and most vegan powders are chalky. I have heard marvellous things about SunWarrior being very blend-able, but have not tried it for myself. Also, pay attention to what your powders are sweetened with. Stevia-sweetened ones are always a good option 😉

Or if you’d prefer to NOT get all fancy dancy with protein powders and measuring spoons before you’re even “awake”:

Protein Free Vanilla Coffee

1 mug coffee (size of your choice)
1 great big dash of Vanilla extract (I like it veeerrryy Vanilla-y)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (roughly, noneed to measure 😉

1/2 packet powdered stevia, or 3 drops liquid (can substitute 1 tablespoon of sugar of choice if you don’t care so much about it being sugar free)

Pour all ingredients into your blender and BLEND! POUR! DRINK!

Yum right?

Yum.

What’s your favourite way to have your morning coffee?? Are you a plain Jane kinda person, or do you like to get a little crazy with it like I Do?

Hugs Kisses and Cookies

Kaycee

Veg-ify your Day, and Good Morning Sunshine Juice!

Morning Friends!

I’ve been seeing all sorts of posts lately about ways to increase your veggie intake throughout the day… and I love it. Seriously! It’s something I struggle with sometimes. If I don’t have my salads pre-made and my veg pre-chopped, I generally don’t get them into my body, (whether it’s from lack of time, or motivation. Both have been known to happen).

So I’m going to join the veggie party and share a few of my favourite ways to get ’em in!

(Source)

-Start in the morning! My favourite way to get my veggies in the morning is with a juice. I have no strict recipes I use, I simply grab whatever I have in the fridge, throw it all into the juicer willy nilly and hope for the best. Sometimes, what comes out really IS the best 😉 (recipe at the bottom!)

-Add a handful of spinach and some chopped peppers to your breakfast omelette, or heck, why not throw your omelette on top of a big bowl of broccoli or cauliflower? (Another fav.)

-Try a savory oatmeal bowl with spinach cooked in, topped with 2 eggs and some hot sauce. mmm mm. now we’re talkin 😉

-FOOD PREP! Choose one day a week, set aside an hour or two and just wash, slice, chop, repeat.

-Pre make a few salads to have in the fridge, so when you have a super busy day, you need something immediately before you run out the door, it’s there! No need to grab that sugar-laden calorie bomb “granola bar” (<- most of which are the LEAST bit healthy. fyi.)

-If for some reason you DO have extra time in your day to make yourself a decent lunch, throw it onto a bed of greens! (or, you could just have a side salad, but since my lunches are typically just leftover meat/grain, it works to just toss it on top of my leafy’s)

–Secret green smoothies! ❤ Some of us are accustomed to having our smoothies made with just veggies and a bit of fruit to sweeten it up, but hey, not everyone has the taste buds for that yet. That’s okay, hide it! Add a handful of spinach to any of your basic smoothie recipes and I promise, you won’t taste a lick of green in there.

Don’t ever let that good container of lettuce go bad in the fridge, there’s no reason for it 😉

As Promised:

Good Morning Sunshine Juice

1/2 lemon or a whole lime
1 inch piece of ginger
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 cucumber
1/2 kiwi
2 cups spinach
1 tsp olive or flax oil* optional

Juice first 6 ingredients, add your oil, and drink!

*I add a little bit of oil to all my juices to help my body absorb the fat soluble vitamins.

I would suggest drinking this right after you wake up, BEFORE your morning coffee (or tea) since caffeine can hinder the absorption of some vitamins and minerals.

I like to get a little crazy sometimes, I juice the first 4 ingredients, pour that juice into my blender and add the spinach and kiwi. Mainly because my juicer is not of the highest quality and does not do a great job of juicing leafy greens. Besides, spinach blends up so well I barely even taste any difference!  If your juicer is a beast and can handle the greeny leafy’s… be my guest 😉

What’s your favourite way to make sure you eat your veggies?

What’s your favourite juice recipe?  The beet, carrot, apple combo gets me every time.

Hugs Kisses and Cookies

Kaycee