Years ago, I would have thought that cooking for our family meant, only that: cooking for everyone. But, I quickly learned that the best way for me to keep going, is to feel like sometimes things are just for me. I’ll be honest: this usually happens when I’m alone. It’s a rare day that I’m staring at three other people, cooking a bowl of carbonara for one.
Nope. My indulgences are sometimes because I’m alone (and I can!), sometimes because I’m a little sad that I’m alone (I deserve it!) and sometimes in spite of the fact that I’m alone (ugh, the dishes.)
Case in point: I have been making this Coconut Oil Blended Coffee for months. When I was working full-time, I craved a day at home for many reasons. But, near the top of my list: drinking coffee out of an honest to goodness mug, not a travel mug. It just tastes better, right? But then, after months of maternity leave, I grew slightly bored of responsible, brewed at home coffee.
I started playing around, and found this combination, which feels like an indulgence, but doesn’t carry a lot of guilt. You see, for years, I’ve heard about bulletproof coffee – I’ve tried it, I didn’t get it. It was slick and edgy in a way that I don’t need in my morning. But I love coconut oil and one day realized that it’s my coffee – there are not rules. Just because those who follow a Paleo diet use butter, coconut oil and that’s it, doesn’t mean that that’s what I have to do. I’m not Paleo. Why did I think other people could decide what I drink?
So, I added coconut milk, and just a small drip of maple syrup. And, you know what? I loved it. It was slightly thick and frothy on top, not really sweet, but not at all bitter. The whole mug felt like a treat – something that I was giving myself, because I was about to spend an entire day dealing with a potentially cranky baby.
My coffee was not a secret. Not really. But, after months of drinking it, I made this batch, to take these pictures. It wasn’t until Larry walked in and stared at the blender that I realized that I had never told him about my mornings.
-Didn’t you notice the blender always in the dishwasher?
-I was supposed to think you were blending your coffee? I thought you were making smoothies.
That, right there is the irony. When I blend my coffee, I’m actively deciding that I’m skipping my morning smoothie. I’ll treat myself – and I’ll use and wash the blender – but, probably not twice in one day.
As for the maple syrup - I drink freshly-brewed coffee, sweetener-free. If you typically sweeten your coffee, you may want more syrup. This is just enough to take the edge off the mixture.
Finally, you know the thing about blending hot liquids, right? About how if it's really hot and if you're not holding down the lid, it can pop off and splatter hot liquid everywhere? Right. So please, give it a few minutes and make sure you hold that lid down tightly with a dishtowel in place, before starting the blender.
- ¾ cup coconut milk or almondmilk
- 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 4 cups hot brewed coffee
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- In blender, add milk and maple syrup. Pour in coffee and and add coconut oil. Let sit for a couple minutes to let it slightly cool down (see note, above). I like to take this time to clean the coffee pot. Cover blender. Use a dishtowel to firmly hold down the blender lid; blend 10 seconds or until combined. The mixture will create a natural frothy top. Pour into your favorite mug (really, it makes it taste better).
- Sometimes, depending on how long I've let the mixture sit before blending, I need to pop the mug into the microwave for 30 seconds before drinking.
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