WHAT. A. WASTE.
With summer just around the corner.. what's that? You say you haven't even seen spring yet? Well, never mind. With spring AND summer just around the corner, it's time to use up that cold coffee.
Like everyone else, I fell in love with the cool coffee drinks at Starbuck's and Panera. Then McDonald's came out with their version of iced coffee drinks. Once I tried McDonald's iced coffee, I decided I liked their coffee best due to its simplicity. Not too sweet, and it satisfied my thirst. Not to mention it was a LITTLE bit cheaper than Starbuck's or Panera.
So one day last summer, it was inevitable that I would try to recreate my own iced coffee at home. The best part about this is that I am using coffee that would be thrown out anyway! It's really quite simple, and how much you add to your iced coffee depends on your sweet tooth. Or not. I don't have much of a sweet tooth (I prefer potato chips to chocolate anyday!), so I like my iced coffee with few ingredients. This is not only more economical, but it also keeps the calories and fat grams DOWN.
Soooo, here it is. Pour some cold coffee over ice cubes, about half glass full. (I like using leftover vanilla or hazelnut coffee.) Add about 1/3 lowfat or fat-free milk, or half-n-half if you prefer afatty rich flavor, then add about a teaspoon or more of any flavored syrup. I like hazelnut or french vanilla syrup. You can get the syrups in the grocery store near the coffee aisle (usually). The syrups are not cheap, usually close to $5 a bottle, but one bottle will last most of a season. You KNOW it's going to be cheaper than buying an iced coffee at Starbuck's or McDonald's even a few times a week!
ok, so I added whip cream for visual interest
(now I have to drink it... darn)
You can play around with the amount of coffee vs the amount of milk. Everyone's preference will vary. You can get fancier with your iced coffee too, if you like - add Hershey's chocolate syrup or whipped cream on top. I'll bet you could even mix it all up in the blender with ice cream and it would be heavenly. Just remember you're increasing the calories and fat grams!! I add whip cream only once in awhile, for a special treat.
I really love these in the summertime. In fact, it was so hot yesterday afternoon, I began craving one and when I went to pour some cold coffee, I discovered that hubby had drank every last drop of coffee yesterday morning! He rarely does that, so I was quite disappointed. And of course I wasn't going to make a new pot of coffee just for iced coffee. That would totally defeat my "WASTE NOT" philosophy!
Oh, and one more thing... don't forget to throw the coffee grounds in the compost pile! :-)
Smart Mouth Broad hosts "Money in the Bank", a collection of
money saving ideas from bloggers far and near. I'm going to link
my WASTE NOTes to her MIB posts. Check out HER blog
for even more links to money saving ideas to help you
save $$ in our crappy economy!
What could be better when you get home from work
than an iced coffee??!
than an iced coffee??!
Like everyone else, I fell in love with the cool coffee drinks at Starbuck's and Panera. Then McDonald's came out with their version of iced coffee drinks. Once I tried McDonald's iced coffee, I decided I liked their coffee best due to its simplicity. Not too sweet, and it satisfied my thirst. Not to mention it was a LITTLE bit cheaper than Starbuck's or Panera.
So one day last summer, it was inevitable that I would try to recreate my own iced coffee at home. The best part about this is that I am using coffee that would be thrown out anyway! It's really quite simple, and how much you add to your iced coffee depends on your sweet tooth. Or not. I don't have much of a sweet tooth (I prefer potato chips to chocolate anyday!), so I like my iced coffee with few ingredients. This is not only more economical, but it also keeps the calories and fat grams DOWN.
Soooo, here it is. Pour some cold coffee over ice cubes, about half glass full. (I like using leftover vanilla or hazelnut coffee.) Add about 1/3 lowfat or fat-free milk, or half-n-half if you prefer a
ok, so I added whip cream for visual interest
(now I have to drink it... darn)
You can play around with the amount of coffee vs the amount of milk. Everyone's preference will vary. You can get fancier with your iced coffee too, if you like - add Hershey's chocolate syrup or whipped cream on top. I'll bet you could even mix it all up in the blender with ice cream and it would be heavenly. Just remember you're increasing the calories and fat grams!! I add whip cream only once in awhile, for a special treat.
I really love these in the summertime. In fact, it was so hot yesterday afternoon, I began craving one and when I went to pour some cold coffee, I discovered that hubby had drank every last drop of coffee yesterday morning! He rarely does that, so I was quite disappointed. And of course I wasn't going to make a new pot of coffee just for iced coffee. That would totally defeat my "WASTE NOT" philosophy!
Oh, and one more thing... don't forget to throw the coffee grounds in the compost pile! :-)
Smart Mouth Broad hosts "Money in the Bank", a collection ofmoney saving ideas from bloggers far and near. I'm going to link
my WASTE NOTes to her MIB posts. Check out HER blog
for even more links to money saving ideas to help you
save $$ in our crappy economy!
Hey, I've already had iced coffee this week ~ leftover from a morning pot of coffee! I pour it over crushed ice, add some sugar and half & half! No whipped cream for me, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'll be trying this tomorrow - thanks for helping me to save java money! :)
ReplyDeleteI do this too. In fact, now I have to go have one. Yum. Maybe it will improve my mood. Thanks for reminding me. I'll link this one too. I'm planning a Monday MITB post. SO will link both of your money saving ideas there.
ReplyDeleteThat looks so good. Wish I liked coffee!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea!! Thanks so much for sharing!! :)
ReplyDeleteI do this too! I think it was last year when I discovered the bottled Starbucks coffee, but as much as I loved it, it was way too expensive - and that's the cheap version compared to the fancy coffee drinks! I just prepare the leftover coffee like I drink it in the morning, throw it in the fridge at work and put it over ice for a late morning pick me up - no waste, yummy, and saves me the cost for going out to buy it which can really add up!
ReplyDeleteI always drink my leftover coffee but never cold. I just reheat it the next day. Maybe I should try iced coffee so I don't have to keep reheating my coffee all morning.
ReplyDeleteAnother use for those coffee grinds.....rub them on your thighs. It works! LOL
I always have leftover coffee, but I've never had iced coffee. Thanks for the suggestion - it looks so good!
ReplyDeleteSounds delicious! Have you tried Land O Lakes fat-free half & half with raw turbinado sugar? Delicious! Also good in hot coffee...
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe I did not discover your blog sooner. I love your header, read your story on how you ended up in Kansas, and today you are writing about one of my favorite things in the world. Coffee.
ReplyDeleteI had a couple horses grwoing up. We boarded them though. I grew up in the suburbs of LA. I really thoguth I'd end up on a ranch with a bunch of horses, a pack of dogs, and a totally country life. Funny how things don't turn out how you think, but here is pretty nice.
I will definately start following you and enjoy the country life via your blog.
For the past two summers I've made my own iced coffee to sip during the day. I don't really like hot coffee, so I'd make a pot of coffee and just add ice and milk. I don't much care for the syrups. They're too sweet for me. I don't even like sugar in hot coffee if I have any.
ReplyDeleteWhen I've bought the iced coffees from McD's I always found the flavored iced coffees too syrupy sweet, so I just asked for milk and ice instead. Yummy and very refreshing...and super low cal, too.
Enjoy!
~Lisa
Great idea. My hubby and I finish the first pot but never the second. I am going to do this now. I had a friend and her son come from Texas (my home) and stay with us they lived with us for 3 years. I really had a shock when I learned that she reused the grounds the next day!! yuk,yuk. That was awful tasting coffee. So please don't get any ideas about saving and reusing the grounds cause you will regret it!!
ReplyDeleteThat looks fantastic and refreshing. Now what I truly wish is that you and I could sit on my front porch or the deck by the pool and have one of these treats together. Sounds like it might be interesting with a little Amaretto or Kalhua splashed in there as well...........
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite drinks for sure. Your picture was wonderful!!
ReplyDelete