Coffee and candles

  Would you like your home to smell like French Vanilla Coffee? Stick a vanilla scented candle in a clear glass container with whole bean coffee and light it up! The heat from the candle flame will deliver a wonderful scent throughout your house!

How to Make Your Favorite Coffee

  This is probably the coolest info graphic I have come across yet on Pinterest. Brought to us by Design You Trust. While there are no real measurements, the fun is in experimenting, right? Enjoy!

Half caffeine coffee. Am I nuts?

 

 I love my coffee. There is no doubt about that. But I am learning that too much caffeine is not good for people with anxiety issues. I had decaf coffee at one of my favorite breakfast places. Uhm. It was absolutely disgusting. It tasted like a strained pinto bean. But at home, I have been drinking a lite coffee put out by Kroger. I am hoping I can expand into the decaf range of the better brews. I'll have to stop back at CUPS and try their decaf blends again. For now, this will do. At least it still tastes like coffee. *sigh*

  But I really want to hear from my audience. What is your experience with decaf or half caffeine blends? And why did you try them? For health reasons? Or for other reasons? 

Oh my! Chai-der!

  As my usual Saturday activity, my mom and I went to the South County Library in Roanoke, VA, this afternoon. Since my anxiety diagnosis, I have been reducing the amount of caffeine I consume every day. But I love my coffee shops and scoped out Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea while I was there.
  They were offering something delectable, something new, something I have never had before. It was called Chai-der. It is a combination of hot spicy chai and apple cider. Their sign said tastes like apple pie. Oh no. It tastes like Fall. The ginger goodness from the chai mixed with the warmth of apple transported me into a forest of gold, yellow, red, and orange colored leaves. Ok, so I have an overactive imagination. But if you get a chance to be in a coffee shop that serves similar, try it!

Caffeine: the molecule

from coolinfographics.com

  I am taking Organic Chemistry this term which means we are exploring compounds that are carbon-based. The majority of our consumption of caffeine is derived from coffee, tea, and chocolate. As with any drug, there are positive and negative side effects. The question is, does the benefit of consuming caffeine outweigh the risks? There is no clear cut answer for that and has to be left to the individual to decide. I know when I have had enough because too much will trigger small anxiety attacks for me. Therefore, I have to limit the quantity and the times that I indulge in my favorite drinks. There is a benefit to drinking a cup or two in the morning. There is increased alertness or awareness. Find your limit that allows you to enjoy your favorite beverage without heavy risks!

From e-infopages.com

Confessions of a Caffeine Addict II

  Good morning and Happy Tuesday, y'all! So much excitement and I am still nursing the first cup! Today's blend is leftover Blonde coffee from Starbucks and Mocha Latte from Kroger. Followers of this blog know that I love my flavored coffee and detest syrups. It's been some time since I blogged, so I figured I would gently remind you of that fact. My first blog post was how I became addicted to coffee. Today, I will tell you how I prefer to drink coffee when I decide to drink it all day long. It looks like one of those days. See below.

The view of the mountains from my back porch. What mountains???

  At any rate, this is how I drink coffee all day... 

• 6 AM - 11 AM: First half pot since I am the only one who drinks in my house. Although my Mother-In-Law loves it when I make coffee in the mornings. She won't drink any but loves the aroma. I usually make a light flavor or roast. One must break themselves in for the bolder stuff. 
• 11 AM - 5 PM: This is where I dip into bolder tastes. This is the type of day that I will head to Starbucks and try something new. But I don't do Venti, only Tall. I would eventually like to get to sleep tonight. Speaking of which, I have $10 burning a hole in my Starbucks card. Hrmmmm....
• 5 PM - 9 PM: Dessert coffee. Here is a recipe from allrecipes.com I would like to try soon. However, since I am out of rum, I will have to settle for a kid-friendly recipe later. Something to do with a hot cocoa mix. 

  Now, mind you, I am not walking around all day with a cup in hand. Well... almost... 

Almond Milk in Coffee

   I have made a switch recently. Actually, I have made a similar one before but decided to take it a step further. A few summers ago, I stopped eating meat and dairy that had hormones and antibiotics in it. I also began eating whole foods and reduced the amount of items that I ate that had preservatives in them. I dropped 8 pounds in two weeks! And, I felt great! So why almond milk? Why not non-dairy creamer? Once again preservatives, plus non-dairy creamer reminds me of a Organic Chem Lab experiment. So, I have the two milks side by side this morning, two percent and almond, and this is what I see.

                               2%               Almond 

           Calories       130                   35

           Sat. Fat           3                   2.5

         Cholesterol    200                    0

           Sugars           12                    0

           Calcium         30                   45

           

Plus, Almond Milk has 50% Vitamin E, 25% Riboflavin, 50% B12, 4% Magnesium and Manganese, 10% Zinc, and 2% Copper. Very important elements for people who suffer from mild fibromyalgia. The only areas that Almond Milk falls short on is protein and potassium. Which are readily available in other sources of food. So far, it is a delightful switch for me. 

Source: The Great Awakening