Cat Cora's Whipped Coffee ****

Now that I'm working from home for the quarantine, I'm cooking a lot more. Sadly, that apparently pertains to sweets as well. A friend posted this on Facebook a couple of days ago, and I instantly knew that I needed it in my life. I made two servings today, and I let the kids have them. I had a healthy taste test of each of theirs, though. THIS IS SO GOOD. I honestly didn't know for certain that I'd like it, just because I'm not generally a fan of cold or iced coffee. But I am seriously in love. We all are. Aside from the hubs, who wasn't around to try it. He's not a coffee drinker anyway, though. I served the kids' with a pretty decent amount of milk and some white chocolate sauce on top. Definitely a winner in our little world.

*You can check out the YouTube video as well. It shows how quick and simple this really is!

CAT CORA'S WHIPPED COFFEE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ CatCora.com)

8 tablespoons instant coffee
8 tablespoons granulated sugar you can use
8 tablespoons boiling water
4 cups milk of choice
4 cups ice

Optional: 1/4 teaspoon or to taste of cinnamon, cocoa or vanilla

Optional toppings:
caramel, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, sprinkles

In a bowl, add instant coffee, sugar, & hot water. You can add optional flavoring. 
Hand whisk or use an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. (About 5 minutes.)
Fill a glass with ice and milk of your choice.
Spoon the whipped coffee on top.
Add optional toppings.
Serves 4

Crockpot Hot Chocolate ***

I made a big crockpot of this for our annual trip to see the lights.  We always take hot chocolate and popcorn.  It's a tradition for us.  I normally do instant hot chocolate, but I've seen so many crockpot hot chocolates on Pinterest that I just couldn't resist trying one.  This seemed to have the least sugar in it, while still maintaining the sweetness for the chocolate.  I also loved the idea of getting the sweet flavor from sweetened condensed milk.  I just adore that stuff.  I didn't have any marshmallows on hand, but it was good without them.  Next time, though, I think I would use half water and half milk (or possibly all milk), to make it creamier.  That was really the only change I'd make.  It was nothing spectacular by any means, but it hit the spot.  The kids loved it!

CROCKPOT HOT CHOCOLATE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ CreatingThroughLife)

1/2 cup dry baking cocoa
12 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Marshmallows, as many as you want

1. In crockpot, combine milk, water, and vanilla.
2. Add dry cocoa and salt; stir until smooth.
3. Cover and cook on high 2 hours or on low for 4 hrs (or until very hot).
4. Top each serving with marshmallows. Can also do whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon
Tips:
To speed things up, heat the water before adding it to the chocolate mixture.
Add a mocha flavor by stirring in instant coffee in step 2.
Add a cinnamon stick for a delicious twist.
If the edges burn, you might want to cook it at a lower temperature next time. The hot chocolate isn't ruined; you just don't want to hit the sides when stirring and serving so that the little bits won't float in your drink.

Sassy Water ***

I was pretty skeptical about this one, since I'm definitely not a fan of cucumbers.  I actually really like it, though.  The water tastes so refreshing, and the mint covers up some of the cucumber taste.  I can't say how it works as far as weight loss, but for taste and meeting your daily water requirements, it's definitely a winner.

Photo courtesy of Carolina Charm

SASSY WATER
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via Carolina Charm)

8 ½ cups water
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 medium cucumber, sliced thin
1 large lemon, sliced thin
12 mint leaves

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, strain and drink all 8 ½ cups throughout the day.
Repeat for 4 days in a row...trying your best avoid any other beverages (coffee, soda, alcohol, etc.)

Peachy Yogurt Smoothie ***

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Recipezaar)

4 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and quartered (I used frozen)
1 cup vanilla yogurt (I used strawberry)
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed (I used Splenda brown sugar)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in blender.
Blend until smooth and serve.
** Amy's notes: If using frozen peaches, you'll need to add extra milk. I ended up using a total of about a cup and a half.

Apple Pie Smoothie **

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Recipezaar)

1 cup apple juice
½ cup vanilla yogurt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in blender.
Blend until smooth and serve.

Banana Mocha Smoothie ***

(luckymommyto2boys ~ inspired by Recipezaar)

2 medium frozen bananas
1 ½ cups skim milk
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tsp instant coffee
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp Splenda
2 tsp cocoa powder

Combine all ingredients in blender.
Blend until smooth.
Serve and enjoy!