Hello again collegiettes™!
So here’s the thing… I love Starbucks! I’ve been a barista at Starbucks for almost four years and I’m just beginning to choose the “healthier” items on the menu. A few months ago when I decided to get pretty serious about my health, one day at work I looked at the nutrition pamphlets with the calories of the drinks and the pastries. Oh my! I have learned that there are some simple changes you can make to create a lighter drink. I’m not a fan of nonfat milk, but I’ve switched my Frappuccinos and lattes to nonfat milk. I also don’t get whipped cream. One of the hardest toppings to get rid of is the caramel drizzle. I still ask for a little every now and then depending on what I order. When Starbucks initially started their “skinny” lattes, I wasn’t a fan of that either. The sugar free syrup didn’t taste as good to me, but I recently decided to make the change.
I guess I’m writing this entire post to say, you can still enjoy Starbucks. While browsing through food options on the SELF Jumpstart Diet, I was surprised to see Starbucks options! For breakfast Jillian recommended the “Coffee Shop Special” which is Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal With Nut Medley Topping, and a 120z nonfat latte! That’s perfect for me! If you’re a coffee/tea junkie like me and the baristas know your daily order, it might be hard to change it, but it’s worth it. For example: My old favorite drinks were the Caramel Macchiato, Caramel Frappucino, Toffee Nut Latte with whipped cream and caramel drizzle, Toffee Nut Cream Frappucino with one shot of espresso with whipped cream and caramel drizzle, Passion Tea Lemonade with extra pumps of Classic syrup. Now, working at Starbucks has given a little inside bit about what exactly goes into each drink and luckily I’ve been able to cater my drinks to my liking without losing all the flavor! My new favorite drinks are the Caramel Frappucino Light, Nonfat Latte with one pump of Toffee Nut syrup, Toffee Nut Coffee Frappucino Light, and Unsweetened Passion Tea (I add my own Splenda!). Toffee Nut is clearly my favorite flavor and since I always get a Tall size or Grande size beverage, I cut the pumps of syrup down from three/four to one. It’s not as sweet, but the hint of Toffee Nut is just right.
Feel free to say hello and tell me your Starbucks favorites! I’ll probably write about the pastries another day. ;)
You can also follow me on Twitter: @so_kambitious!
always love,
Kamaria