Lower Cal/Fat S-Bucks type drinks at home?

NikkisNewStart

I gave up coffee, cold turkey, 4 days ago. I've been on this healthy lifestyle journey since August 2010 and have been in maintenance for 2 months. My problem is not with coffee, per se, but with the 350 calories of nonsense I was dumping in my coffee on a daily basis.

So here is my dilemma. I really enjoy coffee. I miss it. I have been racking my brain, thinking of coffee, nonstop for the last 4 days. I have come to the conclusion that instead of drinking 6+ cups of drip coffee w/ added junk a day- I should just invest in an espresso machine and treat myself to ONE Starbucks type of cappuccino a day.

Does anyone currently do this? If so- how do you make them better for you? I have thought of possibly getting flavored coffee beans and grinding them myself and possibly using an unsweetened almond milk... I don't know- but would be open for suggestions on how you make your perfect, at home, cappuccino or latte.

Thanks!

RobertaG

http://www.hungry-girl.com/biteout/show/1936
& I love using unsweetened vanilla almond breeze in coffee/frap recipes.

scarletleavy

I have an automatic espresso machine at home and I can't live without it. You can definitely make your own coffee drinks that are pretty low in calories. Make sure to get one with a milk frother though.

I put light soy milk or almond milk in my milk frother and my cappuccinos come out to 15-30 calories (without sugar). Sometimes I add a splash of vanilla extract in as well. I also make frozen coffee drinks too. Definitely an excellent investment.

mrstyler

It definitely depends on your criteria for a drink. If you really like foam, you can buy an espresso machine with one or buy a separate frother. If you need sweetener than purchasing Starbucks' sugar free syrups or using Splenda is an option. Do you need espresso shots or just coffee dressed up?

I personally like to drink grande cappucinos with extra foam, half sugar free/half regular vanilla syrup with 2% milk if I am getting one when out. Its tasty enough that I enjoy it but not too bad calorie wise.

NikkisNewStart

I like all sorts of coffee... I'm truly an addict... lol. I thought I would be saving myself some cals, etc. by just making the usual drip coffee at home and throwing in a little half and half with splenda. This worked for me for a while and then I started wanting something different so I ventured to the processed creamers that have 'palm oil' as an ingredient... shudder. Then it was all downhill from there. I have a starbucks tumbler and I make 3 cups at a time to fill that big boy up... lol

So I'm thinking with just a small espresso machine- it will essentially 'force' me to make 1 cup at a time just to get my fix instead of having this huge mug of coffee I am sipping on constantly. I highly doubt I'm going to keep going through the motions to make more and more cappuccinos back to back as I cannot afford one of those huge machines and what I can afford (probably the $40 walmart cheapy) will give me just enough of a shot to get my fix.

I've gone on some other boards and some are saying that Pacific Foods (love their low sodium chicken broth by the way- like 70mg per serving which is the lowest sodium, by far, I have ever found for chicken broth) has a soy blenders 'barista grade' soy milk that froths up nicely.

Essentially I'm trying to get a flavored cappuccino- tall size in Sbucks talk- for as little calorie buck as possible. Would probably have 2 a day (geez, I really am addicted but you guys literally have no idea the torture I have put myself through these last 4 days detoxing)... lol

NikkisNewStart

http://www.hungry-girl.com/biteout/show/1936
& I love using unsweetened vanilla almond breeze in coffee/frap recipes.

Thank you for this!!! I will be trying out some of these alternatives before diving into a machine purchase!

CassandraD82

I gave up coffee (buying it out that is) a few years back to save money. Fortunately I was able to pick up a great commercial-style espresso machine from a friend's workplace - they had to replace it because it was on its last legs and would have only lasted a week or so in a busy office kitchen.

I found the exact beans that I love (after trying about 10) but, honestly, it was the fact that my machine consistently made better coffee than I was used to or could make by myself, that won me over.

1 cup freshly brewed coffee + a dash of 2% milk made me very happy and comes in at 40 calories. You could swap to a sweetener I suppose if you like your coffees sweet.

I also adore mochas but when you buy them out they are often loaded with calories (perhaps from syrups?). To make my homemade mocha I just add 1 teaspoon of good cocoa powder to the bottom of the cup before hitting the espresso button.

If you can't get a good espresso machine I would get a bean grinder, a plunger and see what you can achieve. Oh and if you're really trying to recreate the experience you could buy some paper coffee cups to make it seem like take out at home.