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coffee

Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

October 4, 2020 by Rachel 15 Comments

Fall is OFFICIALLY here! So are you Team Pumpkin Spice or Team Apple Cider?! I will tell you I’m 100% Team Pumpkin Spice over here. But I can throw down some mega cash to keep my Pumpkin Spice Latte addiction in check. Instead, I developed a deliciously perfect copycat Starbucks pumpkin spice latte recipe of my own!

The Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe

This recipe is equal parts easy and delicious. You can make this recipe hot or over ice and it is incredible!

Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe

What you’ll need

Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own perfect pumpkin spice latte:

  • ¾ cup milk of choice (almond milk, coconut milk, coconut milk, cows milk)
  • ½ cup of hot coffee
  • 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree
  • 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • Optional: caramel and whipped cream (I highly recommend adding on, if you so desire)

How to make this scrumptious drink!

  1. Mix your milk with pumpkin puree, spice, and brown sugar.  Heat it in a microwave for 1 minute, or over medium high heat on the stove.  When hot, stir ingredients together.
  2. Add a ½ of a cup of hot coffee.
  3. Top the delicious drink with whipped cream and caramel, if using.  Dust with another pinch of pumpkin pie spice.
Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe stirring

Guys. This recipe is amazing. It’s the absolute perfect recipe for Fall. I cannot get enough.

Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe

The perfect drink for Fall!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup milk of choice
  • ½ cup of hot coffee
  • 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree
  • 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • Optional: caramel and whipped cream

Instructions

  1. Mix milk with pumpkin puree, spice, and brown sugar.  Heat in a microwave for 1 minute, or over medium high heat.  When hot, stir ingredients together.
    Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe milk
    Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe
    Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe
    Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe stirring
  2. Add ½ cup of hot coffee.
    Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe
  3. Top with whipped cream and caramel, if using.  Dust with another pinch of pumpkin pie spice.
    Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe
    The Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe
    Perfect Pumpkin Latte Recipe
© Rachel

PIN FOR LATER

Filed Under: brews + food, coffee, easy recipes, fall, recipes Tagged With: brews + food, coffee, easy recipes, recipes

Easy Whipped Coffee

April 6, 2020 by Rachel 6 Comments

Social distancing and stay-at-home orders mean changes to all our everyday routines. But one of the things that I did, nearly everyday, was get a delicious, cold brew coffee from Starbucks. Sure, I’d make my own brewed coffee at home in the mornings. But there’s something extra yummy about coffee that you didn’t brew yourself, am I right?!

It turns out I’ve had a LOT of time on my hands to play around with different ways to make my daily coffee. I’ve done cold brew, drip brew, and making coffee over ice. And then the whipped coffee trend hit Instagram. And my life has changed forever.

PIN ME - The most perfect Whipped Coffee Recipe - Instagram-worthy Coffee!

Whipped Coffee, which is also known as Dalgona Coffee, combines instant coffee, granulated sugar, and hot water to make a delicious — and STRONG! — caffeinated treat! When I first heard about whipped coffee, I heard warnings of “Be careful, it’s very strong!” and I would scoff and think, “I can handle strong coffee.“

I’m here to say this — I was wrong. As someone who can handle strong coffee, this is whole other level of strong coffee. A friend described her post-whipped coffee, caffeine-high, as ‘being able to hear colors.’ It made me laugh, but I’m not sure I’d go that far. However, it is very, very, strong.

Easy Whipped Coffee

Missing your fancy coffee? Try this Easy Whipped Coffee at HOME!

Tips for the perfect ‘whip’

It’s rich. It’s so very rich! And I have some tips for whisking that would have been helpful for me, had I known!

Use a large bowl.

Seems like you wouldn’t need a big bowl, right? Wrong. On my first attempt, I used a small bowl. I figured it would be large enough to whip together 6 Tablespoons. But that whisk moves really fast. So use a large bowl to avoid splatter!

At first the consistency is … odd — but don’t worry!

It may seem like you are doing it wrong, but I assure you — you are doing it right! The instant coffee mixture is so dark at first. The more you whisk it, the lighter — and fluffier! — it gets. I promise it will get peak ‘peak’ness! 😉

Add ice and Ajoyo Almond Milk!

Again, I am a pro at strong coffee. I mean that! My parents raised me to drink strong, dark, black coffee. But this? This is a whole different beast! There is no “black” whipped coffee. Instead, it pairs perfectly with Ajoyo Vanilla Sweetened Almond Milk. Check out more about Ajoyo’s mission and about where you can purchase it here.

Yield: 2

Easy Whipped Coffee

whipped coffee with Ajoyo Almond Milk
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons of instant coffee
  • 2 Tablespoons of near-boiling hot water
  • 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ Cups of Ajoyo Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk 
  • ice

Instructions

      1. Heat a mug of water in either the microwave or a kettle until a near-boil.

      ​2. Add 2 tablespoons of instant coffee, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons of hot water into a medium sized bowl. 

      3. Use a hand mixer with whisk attachment or immersion blender to whisk ingredients together at a medium-high speed until instant coffee mixture develops peaks. 

      4. Pour 1 ½ cups of Ajoyo Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk over ice. Spoon whipped coffee on top. Mix together before drinking. Enjoy!

So tell me — if you’ve tried it, what did you think?!

Filed Under: #MomLife, brews + food, coffee, easy recipes, recipe Tagged With: coffee, easy recipes, recipes

Why I’m Intermittent Fasting

January 30, 2020 by Rachel 36 Comments

PIN ME - Why I Chose Intermittent Fasting

I recently shared a quick Instagram Story about how I’d begun Intermittent Fasting and it spurred a lot of questions, so I wanted to elaborate on why I decided to start intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting, or as it’s commonly referred to, IF, is cycling between periods of eating and fasting (restricting food). I’ll further detail the form of IF I’m doing and why below.

What brought me to Intermittent Fasting

I wish this was an easy answer, but it isn’t. After years of near-abuse to my body by restricting calories and over-exercising, I got pregnant with my oldest child. When I returned to work full-time, I was able to semi-maintain some balance with food and exercise without going overboard. But I never got back to my pre-baby weight or jeans size.

Fast-forward to one job-loss and two additional babies later, and I have basically spent the last 4.5 years as some sort of baby incubator or feeding-machine. It took a toll on my body, physically and mentally. I tried Weight Watchers, with some success, but I was still tired of limited results and calorie-restricting.

During my time breastfeeding babies over the last few years, my husband would mention intermittent fasting. He had success doing an 16:8 fast (fasting for 16 hours and having an 8-hour eating window). I couldn’t participate because I knew that doing this was not conducive to my milk supply.

Well I am happy to say that I am completely finished breastfeeding and will not ever again be pregnant. Hooray! This whole ‘finished nursing’ thing is relatively new and came as quite a shock to me. But when I sat down and thought about it I realized that it meant I could finally get back to feeling like ME (physically, emotionally, and mentally).

WHY DOES FASTING WORK

Seeing results in-real-life

About a year ago my mom started her Intermittent Fasting journey. I’ll admit, I was an almost immediate naysayer. I told her she was starving herself and that this practice of over 18+ hours of fasting was detrimental to her health.

But I watched her flourish. She never had much (if any) weight to lose, but she did tone and seem much more full of energy than before. I watched her break her fasts and her diet (meaning food, not the typical term “diet”) seemed completely unrestricted. She navigated the holidays with ease and zero stress.

So I asked her for more information. And she invited me to join this Facebook group she belonged to. Then I was hooked.

Delay, Don’t Deny

The Facebook group “Delay, Don’t Deny: Intermittent Fasting Support,” is based on the book of the same name, by Gin Stephens. Upon approval into the group, I tried to absorb as much knowledge from the participants as possible. After a few days of reading testimonials and questions from other members, I decided to listen to the audiobook Delay, Don’t Deny. It answered every question I had about the process.

Note: Gin Stephens, whilst having her doctorate, is not a physician, nor is she a nutritionist. But she backs up her book with data from scientists and nutritionists and puts it into laymen’s terms for the rest of us. I would like to also note that I am not a physician nor a nutritionist. For questions regarding your health journey, please consult your physician.

affiliate link

The entire premise of the book is as follows: Calories in/calories out is not a successful way to maintain weight loss. Science shows that prolonged fasting will train the body to enter ketosis. Ketosis, or the metabolic process in which the body burns fat instead of glucose for energy, happens naturally and gives our bodies the training they need to develop sustainable eating habits.

ACAI BOWL

This blew my mind. The science backs it up and I immediately felt free from all of the years I obsessed over calories-in, calories-out. Additionally, the idea of working out to ‘burn calories/earn food’ is basically discredited. Working out to be healthy, build muscle, or simply, for fun, is really the idea she explains in her book.

Clean Fasting

The idea is to do a Clean Fast, meaning that during the time you are fasting you are only consuming unflavored water or black coffee. No food or sugar-free drinks are ‘allowed’ during the fast because it will trigger your glucose and prevent your body from entering ketosis.

Breaking The Fast

Breaking your fast, or what Gin refers to as “opening your eating window,” happens at a time you deem right. During your ‘open window’ you shouldn’t deny yourself certain foods. Naturally, during appetite correction, your body will crave foods that are good for you. But if you want wine and french fries? Have wine and french fries! Diets don’t work because they require restricting ‘bad foods’ for long amounts of time.

This is a lifestyle change, not a diet

Another quick note regarding diets — If someone recommends a program you have to pay for (Keto Coffee, Faster Way To Fat Loss, Beachbody Shakes, or Herbalife Shakes), it is a gimmick. You don’t need any paid program to take control of your health and your eating.

After reading Gin’s book and fasting for two weeks now, I can say I’m committed to this lifestyle change. I haven’t had to give up the foods I love and I’m still getting almost immediate results. The scale is slowly moving in the direction I want it to, but I’m also experiencing increased mental clarity, clearer skin, and more restful sleep!

PIZZA WITH SALAD

I know you may be saying “but it’s only been two weeks,” and you’re right. But for the first time in my adult life, I feel FREE. Free from diet culture, free from restrictive eating, and free from anxiety regarding health and weight loss. Everyday I witness the transformations of people in this Facebook group and it encourages me that I am on the right path.

I realize that this can seem completely foreign for many people. Heck, it was to me for a very long time! But I am so excited to continue this lifestyle. I promise to keep you updated!

Do you have any questions for me?! Want to know what my typical fast looks like?!

PIN ME: Delay Don't Deny: Intermittent Fasting for the busy mom

Filed Under: #GetFit, #MomLife, brews + food, coffee, fitness, health, Intermittent Fasting, live happy, mental health, mommyhood, parenthood, wellness, workout Tagged With: #GetFit, #MomLife, brews + food, Delay Don't Deny, fitness, health, Intermittent Fasting, mental health, OMAD, wellness, workout

Grape Falls + Craft Brews

August 8, 2019 by Rachel 11 Comments

When I started my job at the Akron YMCA nearly 4 years ago, I was unaware of how much it would change me. I’ve always had a heart for my community, but I was never quite sure how to channel that energy into real change. To my surprise and excitement, I found a way to make a difference with the Riverfront YMCA.

In fact, my absolute favorite part of being involved with the YMCA is the outpouring of love, support, and funding for (and from) the local community through programs like our annual campaign.

Did you know that the YMCA offers income-based scholarships for any family, adult, or senior that wishes to participate in their programs? That’s right — you will not be turned away, regardless of your ability to pay the fee in question.

The biggest fundraiser that our Riverfront Family YMCA branch hosts each year to support this cause is Grape Falls + Craft Brews.

…

Read More

Filed Under: Akron, brews + food, charity, cleveland, coffee, Cuyahoga Falls, date night, explore locally, Explore Ohio, NEO, restaurants + bars, shop local Tagged With: akron, brews + food, charity & fundraisers, cleveland, coffee, Cuyahoga Falls, date night ideas, explore locally, explore Ohio, NEO, restaurants + bars, shop local

Five Friday Favorites

February 22, 2019 by Rachel 12 Comments

Things have been so busy around here, but I wanted to share a glimpse of 5 things I’m absolutely loving as of late.

1. Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite fiction writers. When she first released Big Little Lies (which, it should be noted, is much better than the HBO adaptation) I was hooked on her suspenseful style of writing. This more recent novel is filled with the usual suspense and drama with a parental twist. I highly recommend reading it, especially if you’re already a fan of her work.

 

2. If I’m Being Honest with Katie Crenshaw

This podcast has been a refreshing take on taboo subjects. Each episode is an interview-style talk with someone with a story to tell, whether it be about a dad in prison for crimes against a minor, or being a psychic medium. Basically, super interesting subjects that are rarely discussed. Basically, I’m addicted.

 

3. Ninja Coffee Bar Single-Serve System

Y’all, despite my best efforts, I’ve never been one to brew coffee at home. I’ve had a Keurig, I’ve had a Starbucks Verismo and a traditional coffee maker with a pot. But none of those really did it for me. I was drinking too much coffee to justify the pods of the Keurig and Verismo, but not enough back-to-back coffee to justify the pot (and I despise reheated coffee!).

Last Fall I snagged one of these Ninja Coffee Bar Single-Serve Makers and I fell in love with brewing my coffee at home! It uses just regular ground coffee with a reusable filter. It has an option for different sizes, bold brewing, and iced coffee brewing! Complete with a milk frother. Best invention ever!

 

4. Russian Doll on Netflix

I binge-watched the first season in 24-hours. And I want more! Natasha Lyonne is incredible in everything, but she really knocks this role out of the park.

Stuck in a ‘groundhog-day’ type scenario, she continues to relive (and die) repeatedly on her 35th birthday. She goes on a mission to figure out why and how to stop it while encountering another person going through the same thing.

It’s not as twisted as it sounds, but it’s certainly super interesting. I am already very excited about season 2.

 

5. Weight Watchers

For those of you who have been here a while, you might remember I did WW after Remy was born and had a decent amount of success. Truthfully, the only thing that thwarted my success was getting pregnant again, this time with Mila. So now that I’m 8 months postpartum, I’m finally ready to really step up my game. My body is regulating itself hormonally, Meebs is sleeping a decent amount, and our lives are adjusting as well as is possible.

Last week was my first week of sticking to Weight Watchers and I lost 5.8 pounds! That’s the biggest loss I’ve ever had on the program! Many credits are due to the program, but I also worked my butt off at the gym earning ‘fitness points’ and tracked my ‘food points’ religiously.

I love this program so much because — 1. It doesn’t require weighing in every day, just once a week! and 2. I’m able to still enjoy life and be social! During the last week, I had a glass of wine at night a couple of times, which made it feel like ‘normal’ versus a ‘diet.’

 

Okay, technically this is number 6 and she’s all mine, but I’m definitely loving this kid a lot lately.

Mila has been so fun lately and I just can’t stop staring at her in amazement. She’s nearly crawling, always smiling, and loves to laugh at her brother. She’s such a wonderful addition to our family and I couldn’t be happier to be her Mama. ♥ ♥

What

are you

loving lately!?

Filed Under: #GetFit, #MomLife, #SweatPink, Akron, books, brews + food, children, coffee, fitness, life, lists, live happy, love list, mommyhood, Oh baby!, parenthood Tagged With: #GetFit, #MomLife, #SweatPink, akron, books, brews + food, children, coffee, fitness, life, love list, mommyhood, oh baby, parenthood

Favorite Fall Activities

October 8, 2018 by Rachel 15 Comments

Fall is my most favorite time of the year — it always has been. Not only is it the season of my birthday, but it’s the season of my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! The weather gets cooler, the leaves change, and pumpkin spice is readily available! Ha! 🙂

Our Fall has already been off to a great start! Here’s what we’ve been up to and loving lately!

Hayrides!

We went to a local Fall festival and the kids were super excited about the hayride through the apple orchard! Remy had never experienced a hayride and the last time Ari was on one was several years ago, so it was excitement across the board.

Remy laughed and smiled the whole time. Everything — the apple trees, the birds, even the far-off sound of a ‘choo choo’ — is more fun when you’re on a hayride.

Ahh, to be a kid again! ♥ ♥

Going to the pumpkin patch!

This is one of the things I love doing the most in the Fall and I’m happy to share my passion with my kids. Thus far, they seem all about it. I mean, who doesn’t love pumpkins!?

Ari has already mastered the fine art of picking his own pumpkin. The biggest pumpkin is the best, of course. Ha!

Swim Lessons at Goldfish Swim School.

Outdoor swimming may be over for this year, but a change in season is no reason to stop learning to swim! Remy is in the middle of her Mini 3 lessons at Goldfish Swim School in Hudson and we’ve seen huge progress with her abilities already.

The small class sizes of just 3-4 kids per instructor along with a fun curriculum has helped her love of swimming grow by leaps and bounds! Even during the one lesson where she cried and cried (for zero reasons), the teachers were so gentle and loving — they even had her smiling and laughing by the end of class!

Goldfish Swim School offers a state-of-the-art facility featuring hairy drying stations, swimsuit dryers, private bungalow-style changing rooms, a glass-walled viewing area, and 90-degree water for the kiddos. Teachers offer weekly feedback and help closely monitor the development of each child to maximize their swimming success.

Remy is so proud of what she’s learning —  flutter kicks, wall holds, and even holding her breath underwater. But most of all she’s having fun and keeping her Summer skills active year-round!

Fall Food + Beer.

One of the best parts of this season, at least for me, is all of the delicious food and drinks. Apple pie, pumpkin spice lattés, apple butter, pumpkin ales… the list goes on and on.

Basically, if it has apples or pumpkins in it, I’m here for it!

I mean, have you ever had an apple cider donut!? They’re delicious.

And we’re nowhere even close to Thanksgiving yet. So basically the best is yet to come!

And, of course, Halloween Parties!

I know it’s still a bit early in the ‘season’, but we’ve already been to one big Halloween party and look forward to at least two more!

My little Ninja, Skye from Paw Patrol, and little unicorn (held by Tigger) loved dressing up and playing games. Ari was especially into it. Like, extra. Ha.

He can be seen here eating all of the sugary goodies off the candy apple bar and then followed it up with an enthusiasm for apple-bobbing that I’ve never seen in another human before in my life!!

This kid, man. Freaking hilarious! I think he’s found his passion. And his passion is 1000% Halloween.

What are some

of your favorite

Fall activities !?

 

 

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, brews + food, busy mom, children, cleveland, coffee, explore locally, fall, family, favorites, fun, holidays, life with a toddler, live happy, mommyhood, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, review, sponsor Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, celebration, children, cleveland, explore locally, family, food, foodie, life, life with a toddler, Live Happy, local, mommyhood, motherhood, ohio, parenthood, sponsor

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