My fave homemade coffee drink: low-or-no sugar peppermint-chocolate latte
I'm gonna say it: I NEED MY COFFEE. I have 1-2 per day, usually at home. I love coffee, and I'm somewhat of a coffee snob (sorry Tim Horton's, you are a non-starter in my books). So with that said, I do like a little variety in my coffee once in a while, I created this low sugar, low-fat coffee drink from deep inside my caffeine fueled brain. I love this hot or iced, and you don't even need fancy equipment, just the right ingredients.
Just a note
For all of you mommas-to-be and nursing moms, caffeine is a touchy subject. According to Health Canada, women of reproductive age should limit caffeine intake to 300 mg max per day. To find out more information and what 300 mg actually means, here is the link to the page: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-gs/know-savoir/caffeine-eng.php
Of course, new research is always being done, so perhaps this limit will change over time, but this is the guideline for now. If you are not comfortable having caffeine, decaffeinated products are a great alternative.
When you are nursing, sometimes caffeine can have non-dangerous effects on the baby - irritability, difficulty sleeping etc... so alter your intake if you notice your baby is caffeine-sensitive.
Peppermint-chocolate latte (light)
Ingredients:
1. Flavoured coffee beans - I use chocolate cake flavoured beans. I go to the coffee shop and get it ground to my coffee maker's specifications. You can also get ground beans at the grocery store or at Winners. Make yourself your regular coffee (drip, espresso etc...) with these beans and it will have the aroma of the flavour without any sugar added.
2. Add 1-2 drops of pure mint extract. Be careful, it's verrrrry strong. Add more or less to taste.
3. Froth your milk. I love my Nespresso Aeroccino frother because it does hot or cold frothing, but you can do it at home without any fancy equpiment.
Put milk into a mason jar. For hot milk, warm it up in the microwave (no lid) to your liking, then put the lid on the jar and shake for 30 seconds. - instant hot frothed milk. For cold frothed milk, just shake it in the mason jar for 30 seconds.
Add the milk.
You can obviously add some sugar if you need some sweetness, but with the flavoured beans, I find it's not necessary. If you still find it too bitter - here's a secret: add a small pinch or salt to the coffee (before adding the milk). This drink can always be made with decaf beans as well, or other flavours.
And voila! A 6$ drink for pennies at home - with little sugar, no aspartame-filled syrups and no hidden ingredients. Enjoy!
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