So I have had to experiment with my coffee...bye bye cream and sugar, hello vanilla protein shake.

But making a pot of coffee and adding protein shake waters it down. I have found that adding a Starbucks Via packet to a protein shake is much better! Better coffee flavor, not watered down and if I add a bit of boiling water it's nice and warm too ????☕️

My surgeon is fine with caffeine but wanted me to hold it down right after surgery to no more than a cup a day. I actually him told giving up caffeine it might be a deal breaker before surgery. Now it is all good but I usually stick to no more than 2 cups per day.

My coffee routine is to make a latte at home. I make a double espresso and add it to 10 oz. of frothed FairLife Skim milk (80 cal/cup). I make it in a grande size paper cup with lid and off to work I go.... Love it and I am saving a TON by skipping going to Starbucks! I even add hazelnut SF syrup to make it as much like SBs as I can. Also, since it is FairLife I get the extra Protein without the extra calories so I count it as my Protein Drink in the mornings. Side note: The extra protein in the FairLife makes it really frothy so using skim isn't a problem!

Interesting note on the Fairlife skim milk: I can only find it at Wal-Mart. Everywhere else it is just the 2% version which is higher calories.

The Italian cream comes in sugar free????

The Italian cream comes in sugar free????

LOVE the SF Italian creme!!!

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Here's my easy coffee recipe: leave work and drive to starbucks, order a grande americano (it's espresso with added hot water), pay with app, sit and drink and let go of my daily worries for 20 minutes.

Mine is similar, but requires a little more work.

Take out a Keurig adapter.

Fill with my own ground coffee I buy from a warehouse club ($16 for 40 oz for Starbucks, or less for other brands).

Brew it into my own coffee mug.

Add a little milk and artificial sweetener.

Take $2 out of my wallet.

Wave it in the direction of Starbucks Headquarters in Seattle, Washington and taunt them.

Put the $2 back in my wallet.

Drink the coffee while relaxing and realizing how much better that coffee tastes when sitting on 2 comfortable $1 bills.

I have a Keurig too... only problem is it is located in a home with 4 children, so my steps would look something like this:

1. Dig coffee mugs out of backyard where the 6 year old buried them while playing pirates

2. Wash coffee mug

3. Stop to help 13 year old with algebra homework she just remembered she had

4. Put K-Cup in machine

5. Brew cup of coffee

6. Take a sip

7. Dart up the stars to investigate the loud thud noise that is obviously the 12 year old showing his 7 year old the finer points of a WWE style drop kick.

8. Re-heat now cold cup of coffee in the microwave

9. Gulp it down in 30 seconds so that kids are not late to school

10. Look into wallet to find that the two dollar bills (plus 10 of their friends) that I thought I saved by not going to starbucks was taken from my wallet the day before and spent on the ice cream truck.

So you can see, the 20 minutes of "me" time I spend at Starbucks is well worth the $2.50.

Before it was cold I made iced coffee, with Trader Joe's Cold brew, ice and unflavored protein powder. It was the perfect breakfast, or mid afternoon snack.

8oz of Fairlife skim milk (13 g of protein) with 4oz of Trader Joes Cold Brew concentrate over ice with a little stevia!

My surgeon is fine with caffeine but wanted me to hold it down right after surgery to no more than a cup a day. I actually him told giving up caffeine it might be a deal breaker before surgery. Now it is all good but I usually stick to no more than 2 cups per day.

My coffee routine is to make a latte at home. I make a double espresso and add it to 10 oz. of frothed FairLife Skim milk (80 cal/cup). I make it in a grande size paper cup with lid and off to work I go.... Love it and I am saving a TON by skipping going to Starbucks! I even add hazelnut SF syrup to make it as much like SBs as I can. Also, since it is FairLife I get the extra Protein without the extra calories so I count it as my Protein Drink in the mornings. Side note: The extra protein in the FairLife makes it really frothy so using skim isn't a problem!

Interesting note on the Fairlife skim milk: I can only find it at Wal-Mart. Everywhere else it is just the 2% version which is higher calories.

This is exactly what I do at home. A double espresso with SF hazelnut syrup and skim milk frothed.

I have not seen the fairlife milk. Is it here on the west coast? Or is there an alternative?

@BigViffer I have never heard that about Vitamin D and my D levels are always seriously low. How come doctors don't mention this to patients if they know we drink coffee and cokes! YIKES I am now off cokes so my D may be higher already.

As for coffee, we use a Kuerig at home and I have been trying to get ready for the caffeine cut off and tried the DONUT SHOP CAFFIENE FREE. It isn't bad but then I am still using Italian Cream too

My surgeon is the one who told me about this. I also told him that it just isn't possible for me to give up coffee, I love it too much. I had to do without it for two months and then slowly introduced it again.

I don't have anything else caffeinated except an occasional iced tea. No coke nor any soda pop. Actually he said anything with bubbles, so that includes beer and champagne. The beer will be difficult because I like to enjoy one around my birthday.

Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

Before it was cold I made iced coffee, with Trader Joe's Cold brew, ice and unflavored protein powder. It was the perfect breakfast, or mid afternoon snack.

That sounds fabulous!!!

Beer would be a deal breaker for my hubby, thankfully that's one vice I have avoided!

@@BigViffer I have never heard that about Vitamin D and my D levels are always seriously low. How come doctors don't mention this to patients if they know we drink coffee and cokes! YIKES I am now off cokes so my D may be higher already.

As for coffee, we use a Kuerig at home and I have been trying to get ready for the caffeine cut off and tried the DONUT SHOP CAFFIENE FREE. It isn't bad but then I am still using Italian Cream too

My surgeon is the one who told me about this. I also told him that it just isn't possible for me to give up coffee, I love it too much. I had to do without it for two months and then slowly introduced it again.

I don't have anything else caffeinated except an occasional iced tea. No coke nor any soda pop. Actually he said anything with bubbles, so that includes beer and champagne. The beer will be difficult because I like to enjoy one around my birthday.

Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

@@IrishGermanRN I am assuming you can find it in Wal-Mart even on the West Coast. It is with the specialty milks. (I think...)

I get my Fairlife Skim at Target (I am jn Florida though).

My doctor old caffeine too- I was given green light when discharged from hospital on Day 3.

I drink coffee just like I always have. Coffee, one pack of Splenda and powdered creamer. I'm alive and doing just fine.