I like coffee. A lot. This is no secret if you follow me on Twitter, where I always feel compelled to tweet out my love for the taste, smell, and (of course) effects of coffee.
I have kind of gone back and forth about my coffee addiction. I mean, adoration. In the past, I occasionally felt *too* dependent on caffeine and tried hard to whittle myself down to a few-times-a-week drinker v. an every day drinker. When I got pregnant, I pretty much gave up coffee completely. And then I had a newborn and – WHAM! – I was back to my old ways. Hello, caffeine. I love you so hard. I need you in my life.
(Here’s my #1 trick for iced coffee – coffee cubes!)
Right now, my perfect coffee is made with an Green Mountain Dark Magic k-cup (not going to lie, Keurig changed my life), a few drops of vanilla stevia, and a hefty pour of So Delicious French Vanilla creamer, which is a coconut milk-based creamer.
The other morning, I was curious of what my ‘hefty pour’ of creamer actually measured out to be, so I got out my tablespoon. I looked at the back of the carton and saw that there were apparently THIRTY TWO servings in a small carton. Immediately, I was all like, “Oh damnnnnnnnnnnn†because I go through a carton in a week. I poured in one tablespoon and peered into my coffee. Hmmm. It was still rather dark. Not very creamy. So I poured into another tablespoon, and it barely made a dent. I could’ve kept adding tablespoons until I got to my normal creaminess, but truthfully, at that point, I decided that I didn’t want to know!
The part of my creamer that I was concerned about was the sugar content. I’ve been trying to control my sugar consumption so that the bulk of it does not occur in the morning. I’ve observed that I feel much better if I eat sweet things later in the day. I’m savory for breakfast – all the way. Also, when I think about it, I would much rather EAT added sugar in the form of baked goods or pancakes or chocolate than drink it. Anyway – a tablespoon of my coffee creamer contains 4 grams of sugar. With all the tablespoons that I’ve been putting in… well, I don’t even want to think about my grand total. 
So, although I really love the taste of my creamer, I’ve been exploring other options.
I’ve had some success with making my own coconut milk creamer.
I buy a full-fat can of coconut milk and then thoroughly mix it up (the fat and liquid separates in the can). Then I add about five drops of my stevia.
I store it in a glass jar in the fridge (it keeps for about a week – I drink it pretty fast anyway). It gets thick and firm in the fridge but melts when added to hot coffee. It does start to separate once in the coffee for a while, but that’s more of a visual issue than a taste one.
Of course, this very basic recipe is hardly unique. Once I found success with the concept of make-your-own creamer, I did some Googling and came across this blog, which had suggestions for Almond Joy, Cinnamon Streusel, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, and Pumpkin Spice creamers. The flavor ideas are great! I need to try adding flavors.
Speaking of measuring out foods, check out this post on what five ounces of wine actually looks like in a glass. Measuring out my wine just ONCE saved me from many hangovers.
Have you ever measured a food or drink and were surprised to see how much (or how little) you were actually consuming?
I am the same way with coffee creamer. I tell myself I use a tablespoon but I KNOW I use more. I just don’t want to know how much more. 😉