Hot, cold, iced, blended, creamed, instant, brewed, and/or covered in chocolate (as in chocolate covered espresso beans)? Yes, please!

Now that the weather has turned 100 degrees (no joke) a hot cup of coffee in the heat of the day is not an option so I’ve been whipping up this (approximately 100 calorie, 20 grams of protein) afternoon snack for a quick pick me up instead:

• 1 serving Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1 heaping Tablespoon Instant Coffee (I’m digging Trader Joanna’s, I mean, Trader Joe’s instant coffee–right, Monica?)
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar Free Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (optional but recommended as it acts as a thickener and sweetener all in one)
• Stevia to taste
• Ice
• Water

Blended or on the rocks. You decide while I go make myself another cup of coffee.

Now I really must go hit the gym…have a grande!

Or Dunkin’ & Spice.

Or Sutter’s Best.

OK, I haven’t quite decided on the name yet but that’s not important right now.

What is important is that by morning my store will feature coffee and by night it will be a wine bar. And there will be chocolate by morning, noon, and night.

Why coffee, wine, and chocolate? Because these are 3 of my favorite things. That, and they are all heart healthy. I would know. I just asked Dr. Web, also known as, WebMd and here’s what he said about the potential benefits:

Coffee: “Coffee may help protect your heart by warding off type 2 diabetes. Studies show that people who drink 3-4 cups a day may cut their risk by 25% — and even decaffeinated coffee works.”

Red Wine: “If you drink alcohol, a little red wine may be a heart-healthy choice. Resveratrol and catechins, two antioxidants in red wine, may protect artery walls. Alcohol can also boost HDL, the good cholesterol.”

Chocolate: “Dark chocolate and cocoa are rich in antioxidants called flavonoids. Research suggests that eating flavonoid-rich chocolate helps to keep blood vessels healthier by improving their ability to expand. One small study showed that eating high-flavonoid dark chocolate daily helped high blood pressure patients lower their blood pressure and reduce LDL.”

I don’t make this stuff up. Besides, what isn’t healthy about grapes and beans (in moderation, of course)?

And speaking of heart health, if you have a blog, I’d love for you join me and Blog Your Heart Out tomorrow, February 11th, an event to support the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Just visit www.getfitbook.com for all of the details.

Now I really must go have a glass of wine and work on the name of my shop….what do you think about a Cup of Jo(anna)’s?

Here’s how to make a Grande No Sew Coffee Coat:

• Go to your local coffee shop and snag a cardboard coffee sleeve to use as your pattern.
• On your way home stop by the craft store and pick up some faux fur, felt, or other fabulous fabric.
• Open the cardboard coffee sleeve and trace it on the back side of your chosen fabric.
• Cut the fabric. Then, using craft glue, paste the fabric directly onto the cardboard sleeve or onto a sheet of foam fabric cut to the same shape of the coffee sleeve to give it a little structure.
• Position the sleeve around a disposable coffee cup to gauge sizing, remove, and glue the ends together. You might want to allow the glue to dry by placing your masterpiece under a stack of books for a few hours.
• Optional step: Embellish with decorative ribbon or cord but don’t go overboard, because that’s just tacky.

You might be wondering…

What does this have to do with Fitness and/or Spice? Not much, but I felt this would exercise our creativity. Work with me people.

Would these make good gifts? No, they would make great gifts. Give them to the coffee or tea lover on your shopping list along with a gift card, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate mix.

Coffee Coat? That’s cute, but why didn’t you call them a Coffee Snuggie? Next question please.

How much do they cost to make? Not a latte, in fact, you’ll spend less money making these coffee sleeves than you’d spend on a cup of coffee.

Now I really must go cool down after my workout and cozy up to another cup of coffee.

No it doesn’t.

But biscotti does make me happy, especially with a hot cup of coffee. So after meeting Carrie for a cup of java yesterday I went right home, fired up the oven, and whipped up a small batch of…

Almond Butter Biscotti

• 1 cup Oat Flour (I just blended oatmeal in the blender)
• 1/2 cup Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1/2 cup Splenda (Sugar would work perfectly)
• 1/4 t Baking Powder
• Dash of salt
• 1/3 cup Egg Beaters (1 extra large egg would work, too)
• 1/4 t Vanilla or Almond Extract (or both!)
• 1/3 cup Toasted Almonds roughly chopped
• 2 T Almond Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast almonds for 5 minutes or until lightly browned and allow to cool. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and set aside. In a small bowl beat together the egg and extract and add to the dry ingredients. Fold in the almond butter and toasted almonds. On a prepared cookie sheet form the mixture into a slightly flattened, log shape and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into 1/2″ slices on the diagonal. Return to the oven with the cookies cut side down for an additional 15 minutes, flipping cookies half way. Makes about 8 cookies.

Enjoy every crispy, crunchy bite preferably with a cup of coffee.

Now I really must go clean up the kitchen and finish up my last two sets of biceps and biscotti!

PUMPkin Coffee Cake!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup vanilla protein powder
• 2 packets Starbucks VIA Ready Brew instant coffee
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup  Splenda for Baking
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an (8-inch) square baking pan with oil and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together protein powder, instant coffee, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, Splenda, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk dry mixture into pumpkin mixture until well combined then transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Set aside to let cool then cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar, if you like.

A couple of comments:

• In all honesty, you really cannot taste the pumpkin or the coffee in this cake. The pumpkin adds moisture as well as a healthy dose of fiber and Vitamin A, while the coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, a latte.
• Starbucks VIA instant coffee is microground, in my opinion, it blends better than other instant coffees for baking purposes.
• Pairing suggestions? A Whole Latte Protein

As if this chocolate cake recipe didn’t give us enough grounds to celebrate, here’s another reason…HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!