Christmas-y Coffee (without the calories)!

        One of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season is go to Starbucks with friends to spend time with great company, enjoy Starbucks's seasonal Christmas drinks and listen to music. Now, we all love their Peppermint Hot Chocolate and their Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha, but those are loaded with tons of fat, sugar, and calories (up to 500 calories for a Grande with whipped cream)! To avoid ending up like Santa at the end of the holiday season, I have found sneaky ways to enjoy holiday drinks without the calories :)

1. Starbucks Christmas Blend with Steamed Soy Topper and Sugar-Free Peppermint Syrup

        Yes, this is a mouthful to say, but its the easiest and lowest-calorie way to fake a peppermint latte. With only about 30 calories in a Grande, you still get everyone's favorite foamy bubbles from the steamed soy milk without the heavy fat of half-and-half or 2% milk. The sugar-free peppermint syrup adds the perfect amount of "Christmas" that blends nicely with their Christmas Blend coffee. Depending on how sweet you like your coffee (I definitely like mine sweet!), you can also add some Splenda or Truvia sweetener.

2. Starbucks Skinny Peppermint Mocha 

        This is also a great choice - it's the "healthy option" that they advertise for the Christmas season. With espresso, steamed non-fat milk, sugar free mocha syrup, and sugar free peppermint syrup. Plus, it only has 130 calories in a Grande. It has more milk in it than the drink I listed above, hence the larger amount of calories. However, it's still a great option for those who are watching their calories and it has a great authentic taste!

And for when you make coffee at home....

Grocery Stores - $3-4 for 32 oz. (about 63 servings)

        When I saw this in the grocery store, I got so excited! As much as I love Starbucks coffee, it can get really expensive to make into a habit. Every morning, I use CoffeeMate's Sugar Free Peppermint Mocha creamer in my coffee. Each serving (which is 1 tbsp - I usually use a little more because I like my coffee to be creamy), has no sugar (duh), 15 calories, and only 1 gram of fat. The verdict on the taste? Well, it's not amazing, but it leaves my coffee with at least a little hint of peppermint and for such low calories (and fat and sugar), I don't mind at all. I usually add a little Truvia to sweeten it up a bit.

Enjoy the wonderful season with family and friends :) Happy Holidays!