Hold My Coffee

Some days...I need the Trenta size coffee from Starbucks.  They really should rename them Mommy Sized. 

We were walking around Best Buy the other day so that we could get a TIVO.  We're getting rid of cable and we can't just get an antenna, we have to have ELECTRONICS.

Anyway, I asked Alex to hold my coffee for a minute and you'd have thought I'd asked him to hold a snake!

You can just see the terror on his face! 

Vacation Food

For our trip to Orlando, I brought several food items to eat for snacks and breakfast.

We liked eating something in our room to start off the day and then we'd eat an early lunch and beat the crowds.  Not that there were many crowds because the first week of November is considered off-season.

I brought cereal bars, granola bars and nuts.  Each night, we'd stop in the little store at the hotel and purchase milk for the next morning.  

While shopping for this trip, I came across some fun meal replacements at Target.  We tried the Hummus and Salami one and we loved them both.  They are $3.99 but I got them on sale for $3.50 which is a bargain compared to what the theme parks charge for breakfast!

If you're looking for a gluten-free meal, the Hummus and Crackers is the one for you.  It was also very filling.

Another thing that saved me on this trip was bringing little half and half cups for my coffee.  I can not stand the powdered chemical packets that are supposed to pass for creamer.  Having these in the hotel room made starting my day so much easier. 

I Love AeroPress Coffee

My birthday was a few weeks ago and my five year old daughter decided that she was going to plan my party.  She enlisted my husband to help her but it was less about his abilities and more about the fact that he had money to make her plans a reality.

I'm not sure that she'll ever hire him again because he totally dropped the ball a cake she had wanted made.

Her theme was based on something that I love and talk about all the time.

Coffee.

My little Rookie Foodie had my husband take her to Sur La Table and talked him into a number of lovely gifts to make all of my coffee dreams come true!

 One of my favorite gifts is the AeroPress Espresso Maker.  It's like a french press but it uses air pressure and the grounds are totally saturated in the water.  It makes for an incredibly smooth cup of coffee or espresso.

I'm mostly using it on the weekends when I have more time to boil water (note to self: get a kettle). 

Disclaimer:  I have not been paid to talk about the AeroPress or Sur La Table. 

K Cup Review: Barista Prima Italian Roast

I recently signed up for Green Mountains Cafe Express Coffee Club so that I never run out of K Cups again.  I found their prices to be comparable to the cups I buy at Target and I'm hoping this will save me money in the long run because I won't run to Target for a $12 box of coffee and then spend $100.

I know this happens to people other than me.  Target is a money suck!

I was really excited to see what all of the buzz was about with this new line of K Cups called Barista Prima.  They are a little bit more expensive than my old standby but I don't mind for paying more for a really great cup of coffee.  This will be my weekend coffee.  Because I deserve it.

The website describes the Italian Roast as robust, heavy-bodies and very dark.   The first thing that I noticed was that it is very smooth and even though I did add a little bit of half and half....it was really creamy.  It makes me want to sit in front of a fireplace with a book.   I'm telling you....it instantly gave me a homey feeling.

Coffee should make you feel good.  I believe this is THE perfect cup of coffee.

**disclosure: Green Mountain and Barista Prima didn't pay me for this review.  I just love coffee and sharing my finds with my friends and readers.

Starbucks Has K Cups!

I am so freakin excited about this!

Caffeine Crawl

I need to go to the Caffeine Crawl.  

It's in my DNA! (that's how much I drink)

photo credit

Who wants to go with me?

Coffee Talk: The Press Coffee Company

My little boy doesn't like the Library so we like to go on adventure walks.  We've recently become addicted to letterboxing so a nice hot chocolate and a coffee are a welcome treat.  Unfortunately...on this day, it was only 50 degrees in Colorado and our walk ended early so we headed over to Belmar Shopping Center to The Press Coffee Company.

On the menu:

• Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Hot Chocolate with Whip Cream
• Drip Coffee

The cookie was a hit and the Hot Chocolate was delicious!  The Press is one of my favorite places to get coffee because it is always good and piping hot.  Plus there is a lovely seating area and nice music playing.

Coffee Talk: Whole Foods

I have a passion for coffee. I like Starbucks but I also like to check out Non-Starbucks coffee shops because there is so much great coffee out there in the world. I've been visiting some local shops so I thought I'd document them here.

Good Cookie

Every week I take one of my kids on a date.   The one who is not on a date goes to spend two hours with Nana.  We've been doing it for several weeks and once the temperatures got cooler...it started to include a stop at a local coffee shop.

On this outing with my daughter we had been to the Library and then we went to Whole Foods for a few groceries.  What a bonus that they have a coffee shop located right next to the bakery!

On the menu:

•  Blueberry Fritter
•  Chocolate Chip Cookie
•  Hot Chocolate with Whip Cream
• Allegro Coffee

I selected the fritter because Mallory wanted a doughnut and this was the closest thing they had to one.  Imagine that!  No doughnuts at Whole Foods.  I was skeptical about it but it was great!  In fact...Mallory took a bite and let me eat the rest.  She was very happy with the cookie.  Mallory gave the Hot Chocolate 2 out of 5 stars.