Caffeine caffeine caffeine!

Here is some stuff I've been drinking lately...

I got a stovetop espresso maker from IKEA, it's the 3-cup Radig and it cost $14.99. I don't own a coffee maker and I wanted to start making drinks at home to save money from starbucks. Since I usually get a Misto w/ 2% milk at Starbucks, which is like a cafe con leche.. I decided to go with an espresso maker. This stovetop one is really easy to use and works fine on my electric stove; it just takes a while to brew the expresson, about 10-15 minutes. The key is to leave it on medium-low heat because if you get impatient and turn the heat up too high, you'll get some grounds in your espresso and no one likes that!

Pilon espresso is what I am currently drinking - it is cuban espresso and very finely ground (which is a must for stovetop espresso makers! This espresso is really rich and I absolutely love it. Another type of cuban espresso that is good is by Cafe Bustelo (they serve that at my school). I just brew the espresso which usually fills half of my mug, and then I fill the rest with 2% milk. I store it in the freezer for maximum freshness!

I got some instant coffee as well, for those mornings that I don't have 15 minutes to spend brewing espresso.. I had a coupon (got it for $4.50) for these Starbucks Via ones so that is what I got! This actually tastes pretty good, you can barely tell that it is instant coffee.

I am also trying to cut back on my coffee intake (don't want to become dependent on it) so if it's later at night and I am losing focus, I turn to tea. Usually I drink green tea that my mom got from China, but I found this Blueberry Black Tea ($3.99 per bag) at the IKEA food store so I've been drinking that. This tea really has a wonderful blueberry flavor to it and I like to add pomegranate juice to it. It is great hot or iced. It's a loose tea so I usually brew a pot of it and the leftovers I stick in the fridge so I have iced tea for school the next day.

And.. for those nights when I need to sleep but am too stressed, this is what I drink. Kava tea is made from the kava plant, which has properties to slow your body down and relax you without compromising mental function. Alone, it tastes pretty nasty (like muddy water), but in this tea they added cinnamon, sarsaparilla, ginger, cardamom, stevia leaf and carob pod so it tastes really good. I don't add any honey or sugar to it and it tastes awesome.

Here are some new snacks I stumbled upon at the grocery store:

2 flavors of Nature Valley Granola Bars I never knew existed! I love these both SO much, they are so addicting. The chocolate is great when you have a sweet craving and the almond has a marzipan taste to it. YUM.

...Can you tell that I really love almonds? I saw this new ice cream flavor by Haagen Dazs, and just had to try it. This ice cream is really really really delicious - it is amaretto flavored ice cream with pieces of crunchy & chewy almond brittle in it. Truly heavenly. I enjoy it alone or in between 2 waffles (Ice cream waffle sandwiches are the BEST!).

-J