I've found a PERFECT lower calorie Frappucino/Latte alternative!!
I love Starbucks. Now... I say that... but I only go there and get something once or twice a month.
BUT... when I do... I usually end up with a giant Venti Caramel Frappe with extra whip. Yeah... not exactly "calorie counter" friendly.
BUT... today I decided to mix it up... and get an Iced Chai Latte with Soy milk. WOW. Chai packs QUITE a punch. It's amazingly good... but definitely something to sip on all day because it's so strong in taste. Which is better for me than something I finish in five minutes... with at least twice as many calories.
So yeah... anyone else have little revelations like that? Of something that is somewhat healthier for you... that you realize you love SO much more than the unhealthier thing you used to love?
Yes! This is more along the lines of coffee and less about calories, but still health related!
I am an avid coffee drinker/severe addict. I'm used to drinking coffee with cream and a LOT of it all day long. A few years ago I spent a summer in Florence and fell in love with espresso... just plain, black, zero calories espresso with nothing added! Now I switch my coffee consumption between higher calorie creamy things and straight black espresso or french press coffee (which is calorie free and espresso has less caffeine than normal coffee!).
Sort of a random/subtle switch, but it cuts out some calories AND caffeine which I definitely get too much of.
There is a drink not on the menu called an Espresso frappucino. I believe it is coffee frap mix with an extra shot of espresso. A Venti Espresso Light Frappucino is 110 calories. For some reason when they updated the Starbucks nutrition site, they didnt update that particular drinks calorie count. It is possible they changed the formula, but as of 2008 (when I discovered the beverage randomly on the site and tried it) it was 110 calories. I get them when I find myself at starbucks these days, and still count it as 110 til I am told otherwise.
Awesome you found this! I used to work at Starbucks when I was a lowly unpaid intern just out of college. What most people don't realize is you can customize ANYTHING there. (except for the ingredients which rotate in seasonally, like the pumpkin spice and ginger spice). The items they place on the menu are just arbitrary ones which are seem to rate highly in market testing and focus groups. When business was slow we would experiment with making new and different drinks- every employee had their random concoction they created one afternoon.
The good news is this means once you realize what the low-cal and high-fat items are you can mix and match to create your own personal delicious and not-too-fattening drink. Like PinknPurple said, even though the esperesso frappucino may not be on the menu, Starbucks still sells both the lite coffee frap mix and espresso, so you can order it. Just ask the barista to make a lite frap with a shot of espresso.
Soy in latte is decent, but I agree with the OP, soy in chai is delicious!!! Soy in the pumpkin spice latte is amazing too. (So, by the way, is asking for a Pumpkin Spice Chai latte, or just asking the barista to put a pump or two of pumpkin spice mix into your chai. This has tons of sugar but it's so yummy!)
I just recently started making my own lower calorie iced coffee drinks. I really like the starbuck ones that come in bottles, but they are pretty expensive. I just mix canned fat free evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk!), strong fresh brewed coffee, and splenda to taste. Mix, still in chillbox to cold (I just make mine the day before), and enjoy.
By my calculations, this has even fewer calories than the lite iced coffee drinks they sell. And costs about a fourth of what they charge. Best of all is it tastes every bit as good to me.
i soy milk everything at starbucks because i think i am lactose intolerant. but my favorite is soy gingerbread latte (which they only have during christmas time ) and it is DEELLICCIOUSS!!! i ask for half sweet to limit some of the sugar from the syrup and the nutty taste from the soy milk and the ginger bread syrup is amazing! i am drooling as i type!
I also like a soy matcha latte when i try to avoid caffeine.
My go-to order is an iced tall double skinny vanilla latte, just 60 calories (or so they claim). I get the double shot of espresso to tone down the sweetness. Sometimes I don't get the double shot and I have to specifically ask that they put in less of the sugar-free syrup.
For those of you who are looking to reduce the amount of syrup they put in the drinks, it may be helpful to specify specifically how many pumps of syrup you want in it. The standard Starbucks drink has:
Tall: 3 pumps
Grande: 4 pumps
Venti: 5 pumps
Those are for hot drinks. I can't remember how many it is for cold drinks, admittedly! Anyway it usually helps the barista to specify exactly how many pumps you want instead of just saying "less syrup." More importantly, it helps YOU know exactly how much syrup is in your drink! Baristas often just say "oh they want less syrup, so instead of 5 pumps I'll just do 4" when really you can get by with 2 or 3. There are a ton of cals in the syrup so the more control you have over how many pumps the better
Both are EXCELLENT over ice with some soy or almond milk, and much cheaper than buying at Starbucks (and lower calorie - half a cup of the Oregon sugar free and half a cup of unsweetened almond milk is 25 calories). Plus you can satisfy the craving anytime. My local Target store has both in stock.
Starbucks also sells their Chai concentrate, so if you like theirs (it's spicier than the Oregon Chai, IMO), you can get that to mix up at home as well. Not sure if they have a reduced sugar or sugar free version, though.
...EXCELLENT over ice with some soy or almond milk, and much cheaper than buying at Starbucks...
THIS. (Sorry for the edit/butcher, mandalinn, but I kept the meaning of your post wholly intact).
We use Oregon Chai mix and Silk Soymilk (sometimes vanilla!), plus add our own seasonings to make it spicier...it is delicious and, if unopened, shelf stable (important for rural/boonie folks).
We're actually going to put together our own chai concentrate, one of these days...we make liqueurs, so the ultimate goal is a delicious chai vodka that doesn't taste watery...
I have been drinking Soy Slender Cappuccino soymilk (about 5 calories a tbsp) in my coffee lately. Also for a treat i have been putting half a pack of Nestle fat free hot cocoa mix in (20 calories in a pack) to make a mocha coffee.
I've been drining Starbucks Non Fat Tall Cappuchino (60 calories per cup.) I'm also part of a program--Medical weight loss clinic that provides the yummy hot drinks that I desire. Mint Hot chocolate (70 calories a cup) & then sometimes I make my own cappuchino at home.
I used to be addicted to ordering Grande Carmel Macchiato's & Carmel Apple Ciders which are basically meals within themselves lol
[QUOTE=indiblue;3783869]For those of you who are looking to reduce the amount of syrup they put in the drinks, it may be helpful to specify specifically how many pumps of syrup you want in it. The standard Starbucks drink has:
Tall: 3 pumps
Grande: 4 pumps
Venti: 5 pumps
i always ask for 'half sweet'. that way you still get SOME of the taste in there!
and i believe on most of their boards, they have options of sugar free syrups ( but mainly for their popular ones!)
I've found a PERFECT lower calorie Frappucino/Latte alternative!!
Yeah... not exactly "calorie counter" friendly.
) and it is DEELLICCIOUSS!!! i ask for half sweet to limit some of the sugar from the syrup and the nutty taste from the soy milk and the ginger bread syrup is amazing! i am drooling as i type!
