Make Ahead

on July 20, 2012
in All Posts

Here’s a fun question for you:  If you’re a coffee drinker, do you prep the pot the night before?

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I make my cup of joe using a French press, but I prep the grounds and put water in the electric kettle the night before.  There is nothing like a simplified coffee process in the morning.

 

I recently switched from buying grounds to buying whole beans, which I grind up with a little grinder that I bought for $7 from a consignment store (score!).  I try to only allow myself one cup of coffee – I’m trying to prevent an intense, full-blown coffee addiction from returning – and it tastes so much better with fresh grounds.  Yum.

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Toast

Eggs

Corn

Spinach

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What I’m Listening To

 

Brendan James has a new CD!  I really love Brendan – if you like John Mayer, you’ll like Brendan – and am so excited to listen to his new material.  I have a feeling I’ll listen to this album over and over again and it end up always reminding me of this time in my life.

Time to get my work on.

{ 47 comments }

 

  • Kath July 20, 2012, 8:27 am

    BRENDAN JAMES!! Love him so much. Also, I love the smell of coffee at night – such a fun ritual!

    • Elisabeth July 20, 2012, 10:04 am

      I LOVE Brendan James! I discovered him a couple of years ago when both of you guys mentioned him on your blogs – immediately bought his first 2 CDs. I have been waiting forever for the 3rd CD to hit & I am psyched it’s finally out 🙂

  • Claire @ Live and Love to Eat July 20, 2012, 8:28 am

    I’m okay with my coffee addiction – it’s usually only one cup in the morning, and I love the ritual aspect of it. 🙂 With a Kuerig, there’s pretty much no prep needed.

  • Lee July 20, 2012, 8:33 am

    I use a Keurig, so no, I just do it in the morning. And I feel guilty about throwing those little cups away every day but it’s so much easier!

  • Faith @ For the Health of It July 20, 2012, 8:40 am

    I use the Keurig at work, so no prep-ahead for me. I really could go for a freshly brewed pot though!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat July 20, 2012, 8:43 am

    Oooh so exciting about the Brendan James album!! I love him as well. I’m not a coffee drinker now, but when I was, I would usually get home from the gym in the morning and flick the coffee maker on before jumping in the shower. By the time I was ready and dressed and looking decent, my coffee was ready too!

  • Rachel July 20, 2012, 8:49 am

    I like the idea of a Kuerig, but I really can’t justify the waste and environmental damage from all those little plastic pods. 🙁

    Pre-making coffee is just as easy, and so much less wasteful! I prep my coffee every night (Okay, that’s a lie–my man does it for me!). It makes getting up at 4:45am SO much easier.

  • Amber @ Busy, Bold, Blessed July 20, 2012, 8:59 am

    Hate my work coffee… but love that it’s free and I don’t have to make it every time 😀

  • Gabby (Quest for Delicious) July 20, 2012, 9:01 am

    I love seeing coffee made in a french press, but I don’t drink it myself. I imagine it would be nice to prep something like that ahead though!

  • Michelle @ Eat Move Balance July 20, 2012, 9:01 am

    I guess I’m spoiled . . . my husband preps the coffee every night . . . and makes it in the morning (he grinds the beans and uses a real espresso machine, and then he makes it into an Americano for me).

    But truth be told–I’m making breakfast for both of us at that time. So we are tag-teaming it! 🙂

  • Kelly July 20, 2012, 9:02 am

    Your breakfast looks delicious today! Generally breakfasts that include veggies don’t appeal to me at all, but this looks really yummy!

  • Amanda July 20, 2012, 9:06 am

    We prep our coffee the night before – excluding the coffee beans. I like to keep them all sealed up and fresh until the very moment they become coffee. I am sure it is more of a mental thing than an actual flavor thing…

    Also, I want to steal your breakfast. That looks delicious!

  • Marissa@ohhhsolovely July 20, 2012, 9:22 am

    we do not prep our coffee the night before, but i totally agree that buying beans is the way to go. there’s something to me that makes it taste fresher & more pure! right now, i’m loving the hazelnut coffee that i just bought!

  • Jordan @ Bake Write Sleep July 20, 2012, 9:27 am

    I have never heard of him, but I love JM, so I’ll have to listen – Thanks! =]

  • Jodi @ Jodi, Fat or Not July 20, 2012, 9:28 am

    My automatic timer on my coffeepot is like my alarm clock. As soon as I hear it trickling away I’m ready to get out of bed.

  • Carrie @ Fitness and Frozen Grapes July 20, 2012, 9:28 am

    The first thing I do when I wake up is turn on the coffee maker–I have to prep it the night before!

  • Kris July 20, 2012, 9:34 am

    DH preps the night before, except not on the weekends. I guess he figures that’s my duty? I only drink one cup, and DH takes a commuter mug to work. I like the idea of a Keurig and each of us making our own, but I’m so big on recycling so don’t want to add to environmental waste.

  • Kelly July 20, 2012, 9:35 am

    I buy whole beans in bulk and then grind them in large quantities at home. I usually prep my coffee the night before with the timer set to start while I am at the gym. Then when I get home I have hot coffee waiting!!!

  • Courtney @ Brussel Sprouts and Beer July 20, 2012, 9:36 am

    Yes, I always prep my coffee pot the night before and just love how the sound and smell of the coffee wakes me up in the morning!

  • Lauren July 20, 2012, 9:36 am

    You should check out Eric Hutchinson. He’s like a mix of John Mayer and Jason Mraz. Pretty great though.
    And I always prep coffee in the morning but I really need to start doing it at night!

  • Katie @ Talk Less, Say More July 20, 2012, 9:37 am

    I am absolutely a prep the night before kind of girl with my coffee! It’s so much easier to do at night as in the morning I’m so tired and I don’t want to use the coffee grinder if my roommate is still sleeping. I’ll be afraid I’ll wake her up. that and just “pressing the button” is probably about all I can handle that early. 😉

  • Cate July 20, 2012, 10:06 am

    When you mentioned Brendan James last year sometime I fell in love – he is definitely a favorite artist of mine now! Thanks for recommendation and sharing the new song. 🙂

  • heidi July 20, 2012, 10:13 am

    Cold brew all the way! You can heat it or drink it over ice, but it’s just so smooth and tastey since the process doesn’t create as much acidity as brewing with hot water. You could even cold brew in your french press the night before. It does take more grounds than regular coffee, though.

  • Irina @ Chocolatea Time July 20, 2012, 10:32 am

    I definitely prep my coffee pot the night before! Such a time saver. About a year or two ago I started buying high-quality organic coffee beans (a splurge..I know) and will never go back. The taste is unreal.

  • Annette@FitnessPerks July 20, 2012, 10:34 am

    I love eggs and spinach. YUMM!

    I don’t drink coffee, so no prepping happening over here 😉

  • Emily July 20, 2012, 11:03 am

    Hopefully Brendan James isn’t as big a jerk as John Mayer… I used to like him, but now every time I hear Mayer’s voice I just think about what a giant word-I-shouldn’t-write he is. Brendan James seems like a better alternative. 🙂

  • Reenie July 20, 2012, 11:09 am

    I grind my coffee too….and prep the nite before ~ my coffee maker has a timer on it. Love that it’s done when I get up =)

  • Beks July 20, 2012, 11:28 am

    I don’t normally prep my coffee the night before, but I did on Wednesday night because I knew I had an early start yesterday, and I also wanted iced coffee (Been too hot for regular coffee!), but super-watery iced coffee isn’t the way to go, so I took advice from Tina at carrotsncake.com and made it the night before, put it in the fridge, and then actually made a mocha protein shake with it the next morning. It wasn’t bad, but it was a green monster, so something was a little off. Still drank it all though. 🙂 And I was super alert all day, so win-win.

  • Bula July 20, 2012, 12:13 pm

    The smell of coffee stimulates my brain so much- there’s no way I can grind my beans the night before.

    I use an Aeropress (http://www.aeropress.com) to make our coffee- I love this little device. It’s so easy plus I can bring it when we travel, all we need is boiling water.

    I love ground beans!

  • Wendy July 20, 2012, 12:22 pm

    Aeropress (http://www.aeropress.com) definitely makes the best tasting coffee in my opinion! My sweet hubby “presses” coffee every morning for me! We both have expresso machine at work. So one cup before heading out is all I need to make it to my desk haha 😛 I’ve also started cold-brewing (per pioneerwomen’s website) So convenient and yummy! I mix that up with soymilk and sometimes use that as an add-in for my smoothie! Instant poorman’s Mocha 😀

  • laura July 20, 2012, 12:22 pm

    whatta timely post! i was planning on stopping into target today to pick up a coffee bean grinder. ive always heard its best to grind beans right before you use them for the best taste, so ive been meaning to pick up a grinder!

  • mary @ what's cookin with mary July 20, 2012, 12:27 pm

    We’re huge french pressers. I always prep everything the night before. I’m so not a morning person… the less things to think about, the better.

  • Sarah S. July 20, 2012, 12:30 pm

    I remember Brendan James from when I was in school at UNC. He was in the male a capella group, the Clef Hangers. Glad to hear he’s still making music. He has such a great voice.

  • Jen July 20, 2012, 12:52 pm

    Wow, I didn’t know Brandon James is actually famous, lol. My husband is friends with his brother.

  • Christina @ thebeautifulbalance July 20, 2012, 12:52 pm

    I have never been a coffee drinker, buti admit, I love flavored coffee. Not the sickeningly sweet kind, but gingerbread, caramel, coconu, or peppermint, yumm! However, I found that even if I had a cup of coffee every once in a while, sure enough, a day or so later I would suffer from the worst headache ever!

  • Jessica @ New Girl, New City July 20, 2012, 12:58 pm

    I have a Keurig so no prep required! I do miss, however, waking up to the smell of coffee brewing <- one of the best smells in the world!

  • Amanda July 20, 2012, 1:16 pm

    I buy coffee from Trader Joe’s, so I ground the beans at the store and use them for the week. We registered for a new coffee maker that grounds the beans right before brewing though … pretty excited! Also, I prep the night before and once I get back from the gym in the morning, I turn it on. Once I’m out of the shower, my coffee is ready! I drink one cup each morning 🙂

  • Lexi @ You, Me, & A World to See July 20, 2012, 1:31 pm

    Scrambles are the best. Easy peasy!

  • Lauren July 20, 2012, 1:36 pm

    THANK YOU for posting about the new Brendan James! I LOVE him and I hadn’t heard about the new album yet! I love it already!

  • Melissa July 20, 2012, 2:15 pm

    I love my morning coffee and when I was on mat leave I ran into a danger zone of drinking WAY too much- partly out of exhaustion and partly because I was home all day and like drinking coffee. I solved the problem by brewing pots of half decaf.

  • Dee July 20, 2012, 3:57 pm

    Oh, I love Brendan James! Thanks for the heads up! 🙂

  • Michelle July 20, 2012, 5:45 pm

    Love the bangs, they look great! I always struggle with bangs because I like them shorter, but then I can’t pull them back when I work out. Sigh. And your hair is so shiny, lookin’ good, mama!

  • Kate S. July 20, 2012, 6:53 pm

    We buy whole beans from Trader Joe’s, and have been drinking mostly cold brew, so I grind beans fresh, put them in my giant Bodum cold press, add water, let it sit overnight, then when I wake up I have coffee concentrate all ready to go and all I have to do is add water and ice. I love having it all ready when I get out of bed.

    Bangs look gorgeous and sassy!

  • Sharon July 20, 2012, 7:42 pm

    For everybody who likes the Keurig but doesn’t want to throw away all of the little cups, you can actually buy a little single filter cup that you put your own coffee in that fits in the Keurig so no more waste. I love my Keurig b/c I’m the only coffee drinker in the house and I only drink one cup. It’s so quick and convenient.

  • Jen July 21, 2012, 1:06 am

    I am totally a “make ahead” kind of girl…on the rare occasion that I forget, it totally throws me off! I need ALL THE HELP I can get in the a.m. 🙂

  • Carin July 21, 2012, 2:36 am

    Glad to see that you’re diluting the Celine Dion/ Whitney/ Genesis with some cool music… baby brain does funny things to you! I wasn’t familiar with Mr James but love his sound – thanks for the pointer 🙂

  • Julia H. @ Going Gulia July 23, 2012, 9:30 am

    Corn in eggs…I’ve never thought to do that, but I LOVE corn–I should try it! I’m one of those weirdos who would eat corn straight out of a can. Yum.

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