Yes, You Too Can Survive Starbucks!

I love Starbucks.  I love everything about a cold coffee drink that gives me a caffeine boost when I need it.  What I do not like about most coffee drinks is the insane amount of sugar that comes with said drink.  As with most eating out obstacles it is important to look up menus and nutritional information beforehand, OR have a very competent friend nearby that is well versed in whatever that establishment has to offer.  When asked if I wanted to meet up for some Starbucks at Barnes and Noble for a nursing study session I immediately accepted at the prospect of meeting up again with my favorite drink that I order at Starbucks.

That being said, some of "my" greatest finds are not my own, but come from advice and tips from friends.  A good friend of mine introduced me to the iced skinny mocha.  From that first sip we have been inseparable.  Don't bother ordering anything bigger than a tall.  You don't NEED it and it isn't worth it.  A tall is chocolately enough for me and gives me the needed boost I sometimes need.  So enjoy your Starbucks, people.  No need to give up something when it isn't necessary. : )  By the way, I brought along my own protein bar.  It filled me up and I wasn't tempted to indulge in those delicious looking pastries that are always featured at Starbucks.

Most important nutritional info on skinny mocha (tall):
70 Calories
7g net carbs
7 g protein

Wrestling With Ice Cream

   I have been experimenting with new healthy recipes lately that I will be sure to add to my blog.  That being said, sometimes I am just not in the mood to cook after a day of class.   The hubs and I had just finished a delicious healthy meal of grilled steaks, asparagus, veggies, and salad.  It was so easy and delicious but it left me hankering for a sweet something.  The hubs was craving a shake from McD's, so I needed to find something that would satisfy my own sweet tooth.  If you know me, you'll know that I'm big on cutting sugar and carbs from my diet.  I could go on and on about how you should be watching carbs (not sodium, not fat) but I'll save that for another post.  I decided to look on the McD website to see if I could find something that was still sweet and that wouldn't ruin my healthy meal.  A kiddie ice cream cone.  Bingo.  WHO KNEW! It only had 8 carbs and I didn't feel guilty about wanting it.  
   So off we went in search for our sweets.  The girl handed Danny his shake and then I saw it.  The huge-est (yes I just said huge-est) mound of ice cream that I have ever seen fit on a tiny ice cream cone.  I was somewhere between horror, amazement, and comedy.  I took the cone and then I sat there in the passenger seat trying to decide what to do.  Do I eat the whole thing?  This clearly did not look like a 8 carb ice cream cone anymore.  Do I throw it away?  Sigh.  So I did what any normal person would do.  I asked the hubs to pull over and with two fingers, I swiped half of the mound of ice cream off my cone and threw it in the grass outside the car window.  Dilemma solved.  I now had my 8 carb ice cream cone that I wanted and I'm sure the nearby grass got an extra dose of calcium.  Everyone won.