Mid-afternoon coffee treat

Locolady98
Locolady98 Posts: 92 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Disclaimer - this is *not* meant to be a recipe, just a great idea a friend of mine gave me!

I used to love a mid-afternoon pick-me-up of a large Starbucks vanilla latte. You know how many calories are in that? Yikes. So, there goes the healthy eating, and hello to 20 lbs sneaking on over a few months.

Then I saw a friend of mine using a blender bottle to mix a scoop of vanilla protein powder into black coffee, and I'm like... ooooohhhhh!

So, it's not quite the same as my old very un-healthy sugary latte, but it's a nice substitute. Vanilla protein shake made with black coffee instead of water. Still gives me a caffeine lift, but the sugar content is up to me, depending on what sort of vanilla protein I use. And I totally do not feel guilty about it!

Wanted to share. :smile:

Replies

  • Luna3386
    Luna3386 Posts: 888 Member
    My fave: iced americano with a premier protein shake poured in. 175 calories, 30 grams of protein!
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    Luna3386 wrote: »
    My fave: iced americano with a premier protein shake poured in. 175 calories, 30 grams of protein!

    When I do my long runs on the weekends, I will take a scoop of chocolate or vanilla whey protein powder in a baggie. I finish my run at the Starbucks about a mile from my house. I get an iced Americano, dissolve my protein powder in a bit of water and mix it in. Then I drink it as I walk home. Great post-run recovery drink and a nice treat to look forward to at the end of my run!
  • Locolady98
    Locolady98 Posts: 92 Member
    lporter229 wrote: »
    Luna3386 wrote: »
    My fave: iced americano with a premier protein shake poured in. 175 calories, 30 grams of protein!

    When I do my long runs on the weekends, I will take a scoop of chocolate or vanilla whey protein powder in a baggie. I finish my run at the Starbucks about a mile from my house. I get an iced Americano, dissolve my protein powder in a bit of water and mix it in. Then I drink it as I walk home. Great post-run recovery drink and a nice treat to look forward to at the end of my run!

    Wow, that is awesome! Great idea. You're way ahead of me!! :smile:

    Yeah - about the skinny latte option... it just doesn't do it for me - not creamy enough, and the artificial sweetener in the sugar free syrups tastes funny to me. My protein has fewer calories anyway - it's Orgain organic vanilla, 75 calories per scoop. I have sensitivities to soy, gluten, and dairy, and luckily there's a much nicer variety these days of vegan protein powders. Egg would probably be okay for me too - I remember there is an egg-based protein powder out there. But anyway. I digress...
  • mrp56839
    mrp56839 Posts: 159 Member
    I discovered this recently and I now justify my coffee addiction with "additional protein."

    PEScience white chocolate mint in coffee tastes like a mint mocha, btw. Definitely treat-like for 130 cals and 24g protein. AND, if you freeze it for an hour or so, it's somewhere between a mint frosty and a frap.

    I've also done this with generic vanilla protein with 1t cinnamon and 1t brown sugar mixed in. It tastes like a cinnamon roll.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    edited June 2017
    I used to do sugar free hazelnut iced coffee with a little soymilk at Starbucks, which was really low cal. Now that they have changed their syrups, I don't like the new sugar free vanilla (sugar free hazelnut is gone). I am ok doing half sugar free, half regular vanilla syrup with a little half and half. I don't like milk. I do blend quest protein in my coffee at home and it works really well. Bonus--protein
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    I also like one drop peppermint essential oil with a little sugar free chocolate coffee mate in hot coffee, 30 cals. Tastes like peppermint mocha.
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    edited June 2017
    I like some almond milk,coffee,unsweetened cocoa powder and a tablespoon of creamer blended with ice,yum!
  • StacywithaY
    StacywithaY Posts: 117 Member
    Dropping my morning mocha has been the saddest change :neutral:

    Have not found an adequate substitute & when I do occasionally indulge it's like crack* :smiley:

    *I assume, crack's not really my thing :smile:
  • panda4153
    panda4153 Posts: 417 Member
    StacywithaY wrote: »
    Dropping my morning mocha has been the saddest change :neutral:

    Have not found an adequate substitute & when I do occasionally indulge it's like crack* :smiley:

    *I assume, crack's not really my thing :smile:

    I sometimes mix a packet of SwissMiss Lite with a cup of coffee. It's a pretty good substitute for 25 calories
  • ashjongfit
    ashjongfit Posts: 147 Member
    I do either vanilla protein powder in cold coffee (with a few tbsp of cream sometimes) which makes it taste sort of like a melted ice capp, or I do chocolate in hot coffee which makes it taste like a mocha.

    So good.

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