BrittanyWard
02-19-2012, 04:29 PM
Hey Guys :hi:
I worked at Starbucks for over 2 years. Even though I quit to become a full-time student, it probably goes without saying that I'm used to lots of coffee and drinkable sweet treats, which is miserable for a recently diagnosed ICer! I'm always tempted when I visit my boyfriend (who works there) and it's SO not fun when everyone around me has a yummy drink and I've got to be content with just having some ice water!
But the bf and I have been doing a bit of brainstorming and come up with some experimental drink ideas! Check some of these out and tell me what you think:
(Disclaimer: I'm still new to the IC diet and don't know all my triggers/just sometimes plain forget about some no-no foods. My IC is also fairly mild. So please use discretion!)
HERBAL TEAS:
Passion (passionflower herb)
Calm (Chamomile)
Refresh (Mint)
Vanilla Rooibos (Red)
You can try any of these ICED or HOT. And you don't have to be limited to the tea and water. Here are some ideas:
Passion Apple Iced Tea--ask for a Passion Tea Lemonade, but with apple juice subbed for the lemonade. (Can be a trigger for some--note, however, the apple juice is organic, and less than half of your drink's ingredients)
Passion Appleberry Iced Tea--Passion tea, sub applejuice, sub classic sweetener for raspberry! (I'm guessing this is getting in the danger zone. I use half the pumps and more tea than juice for this one)
Iced or Hot Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte--Made with milk, water, and classic. You can hold the classic and add honey or real sugar. (The iced version is hardly ever ordered, but customers are always pleasantly surprised when they try it! And it's good for you!)
Hot Calm Tea--Steep calm tea, add honey, top off with milk or creamer!
BLENDED DRINKS:
Starbucks is famous for its frappuccinos, but there's not too much we ICers can have. Yet if you're feeling brave, here are some ideas:
Strawberry Vivanno--This is made from strawberry puree, milk, ice, protein powder, and a banana. Ask for no banana and extra milk (to make a little runnier, and account for the lost banana space)or ice (to make thicker). If you think you can handle it, you can even have them add mango!
Vanilla Bean Frappuccino--Milk, ice, vanilla bean powder, and a sugary base to help blend. Try it without the base and, if you're going to miss it, make up for the lost sweetness by telling the barista to add honey or sugar in the raw before blending. If you're feeing brave, you can also add caramel or cinnamon dolce flavoring!
Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino--Strawberry puree, ice, milk, surgary base. Again, try an alternative sweetener.
Caramel Apple Milkshake--My boyfriend's brainchild: Apple juice and milk, ice, caramel and caramel drizzle. A little strange, but yummy!
OTHER HOT DRINK IDEAS:
Caramel Apple Spice--Steamed apple juice + Cinnamon Dolce Syrup + Caramel and Whip topping
Vanilla Steamer--Hot milk + Vanilla
Caramel Steamer--Hot milk + Caramel Syrup
Cinnamon Dolce Steamer--Hot milk + Cinnamon Dolce
French Vanilla Steamer--Hot milk + Vanilla + Hazlenut
White Hot Chocolate--Hot milk + White Chocolate (add peppermint!)
[Seasonal Flavoring] Steamer--Hot milk + Pumpkin Spice/Caramel Brulee/etc
OTHER COLD DRINKS IDEAS:
Cold Milk
Apple Juice
Chocolate Milk (sub white chocolate)
Organic Vanilla Milk
Filtered Ice Water with cold-steeped herbal teabag of choice for just a hint of flavor.
The Starbucks menu is incredibly customizable. These are just a few I thought up while sitting down at my computer. You can add or leave out just about anything in your drink that you think might trigger you. It's very easy for the barista to do nit-picky things like add 3 ice cubes, add half a packet of splenda or 2.5 pumps of syrup, or make your drink upside down (yes, that is actually a modifier for a drink!:lmao:). So don't worry about getting picky, but do know the ingredients of your drink--a few of these I've told you about aren't even on the menu, so if you ask for a Passion Appleberry Iced Tea, they are going to need you to help them out!
Have fun experimenting and let me know if you think up of any others!
Brittany:D
**NOTE from Diet Forum Moderator, Kadi: Just a note to try these suggestions only when not flaring and you're willing to experiment. Strawberries and apple juice can be triggers for many IC-ers. Also the flavored syrups that Starbucks uses generally contain citric acid, which is a problem for many of us...**
I worked at Starbucks for over 2 years. Even though I quit to become a full-time student, it probably goes without saying that I'm used to lots of coffee and drinkable sweet treats, which is miserable for a recently diagnosed ICer! I'm always tempted when I visit my boyfriend (who works there) and it's SO not fun when everyone around me has a yummy drink and I've got to be content with just having some ice water!
But the bf and I have been doing a bit of brainstorming and come up with some experimental drink ideas! Check some of these out and tell me what you think:
(Disclaimer: I'm still new to the IC diet and don't know all my triggers/just sometimes plain forget about some no-no foods. My IC is also fairly mild. So please use discretion!)
HERBAL TEAS:
Passion (passionflower herb)
Calm (Chamomile)
Refresh (Mint)
Vanilla Rooibos (Red)
You can try any of these ICED or HOT. And you don't have to be limited to the tea and water. Here are some ideas:
Passion Apple Iced Tea--ask for a Passion Tea Lemonade, but with apple juice subbed for the lemonade. (Can be a trigger for some--note, however, the apple juice is organic, and less than half of your drink's ingredients)
Passion Appleberry Iced Tea--Passion tea, sub applejuice, sub classic sweetener for raspberry! (I'm guessing this is getting in the danger zone. I use half the pumps and more tea than juice for this one)
Iced or Hot Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte--Made with milk, water, and classic. You can hold the classic and add honey or real sugar. (The iced version is hardly ever ordered, but customers are always pleasantly surprised when they try it! And it's good for you!)
Hot Calm Tea--Steep calm tea, add honey, top off with milk or creamer!
BLENDED DRINKS:
Starbucks is famous for its frappuccinos, but there's not too much we ICers can have. Yet if you're feeling brave, here are some ideas:
Strawberry Vivanno--This is made from strawberry puree, milk, ice, protein powder, and a banana. Ask for no banana and extra milk (to make a little runnier, and account for the lost banana space)or ice (to make thicker). If you think you can handle it, you can even have them add mango!
Vanilla Bean Frappuccino--Milk, ice, vanilla bean powder, and a sugary base to help blend. Try it without the base and, if you're going to miss it, make up for the lost sweetness by telling the barista to add honey or sugar in the raw before blending. If you're feeing brave, you can also add caramel or cinnamon dolce flavoring!
Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino--Strawberry puree, ice, milk, surgary base. Again, try an alternative sweetener.
Caramel Apple Milkshake--My boyfriend's brainchild: Apple juice and milk, ice, caramel and caramel drizzle. A little strange, but yummy!
OTHER HOT DRINK IDEAS:
Caramel Apple Spice--Steamed apple juice + Cinnamon Dolce Syrup + Caramel and Whip topping
Vanilla Steamer--Hot milk + Vanilla
Caramel Steamer--Hot milk + Caramel Syrup
Cinnamon Dolce Steamer--Hot milk + Cinnamon Dolce
French Vanilla Steamer--Hot milk + Vanilla + Hazlenut
White Hot Chocolate--Hot milk + White Chocolate (add peppermint!)
[Seasonal Flavoring] Steamer--Hot milk + Pumpkin Spice/Caramel Brulee/etc
OTHER COLD DRINKS IDEAS:
Cold Milk
Apple Juice
Chocolate Milk (sub white chocolate)
Organic Vanilla Milk
Filtered Ice Water with cold-steeped herbal teabag of choice for just a hint of flavor.
The Starbucks menu is incredibly customizable. These are just a few I thought up while sitting down at my computer. You can add or leave out just about anything in your drink that you think might trigger you. It's very easy for the barista to do nit-picky things like add 3 ice cubes, add half a packet of splenda or 2.5 pumps of syrup, or make your drink upside down (yes, that is actually a modifier for a drink!:lmao:). So don't worry about getting picky, but do know the ingredients of your drink--a few of these I've told you about aren't even on the menu, so if you ask for a Passion Appleberry Iced Tea, they are going to need you to help them out!
Have fun experimenting and let me know if you think up of any others!
Brittany:D
**NOTE from Diet Forum Moderator, Kadi: Just a note to try these suggestions only when not flaring and you're willing to experiment. Strawberries and apple juice can be triggers for many IC-ers. Also the flavored syrups that Starbucks uses generally contain citric acid, which is a problem for many of us...**