cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

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Coffee Frozen Kefir (or Coffee Frozen Yogurt)

Today, I finally got out to the farmer’s market.  I was kind of sad to see that there wasn’t anything overly exciting (that’s Buffalo in June for you), but I did splurge on some fresh strawberries.  AND I got some hard cider for the weekend – they sell wine now at the farmer’s market (!!) – since my sisters are coming to visit.  It was hot and sticky today while I was out; it started to rain almost as soon as I got inside.  Since I kept feeling hot and sticky, I decided to make something to cool me down.

Coffee flavored frozen kefir!  Kefir is cultured milk.  Think liquid yogurt with more probiotics.  Kefir is one of my favorite things to drink right after a workout – quick shot of protein and carbs.  It makes my belly happy, too.  Just like with yogurt, kefir is something that Mr. Bear (the kitty, Tesla) also enjoys with me.  Since he had some issues with the bacteria in his gut as a kitten, I like to think that I’m helping him out by giving him some extra probiotics every day.  🙂

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DIY Iced Coffee (Coffee Concentrate)

Since I’m the only one in the apartment the drinks coffee in the mornings, now (Alex makes his at work), I’ve been looking for different methods of making my cup in the morning, instead of making an entire 8-cup French press for myself.  As the weather gets hotter and hotter, I’ve also wanted my regular cup of hot, black coffee less and less.  Not being able to actually pass up the caffeine, I decided to give iced coffee a try.

Other than my short stint working at Dunkin’ Donuts for a summer where we got unlimited drinks, I never really got into drinking iced coffee, for no other reason than I don’t often actually buy my coffee. After seeing countless tutorials for making iced coffee by the cold brew method, I decided I’d finally give it a shot.  I’m really, really glad I did.  I forgot how much I loved iced coffee!  I started by making some coffee ice cubes with my leftover coffee in my French press (you can also use the coffee concentrate, diluting it 1:1 with water).

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Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free)

Back in the kitchen after my week down in Pittsburgh.  I called it an early night last night and slept in slightly today to recover from my weekend celebrating my best friend’s 21st – there was dancing, lots of wine and fruity drinks, and the most terrifying cab ride.  The kitties are definitely glad to have me home – they haven’t let me out of their sight at all, following me around everywhere I go.  Tesla sure was happy to be back on his spot atop the fridge to watch me in the kitchen!

We started out with some cookies.  Cherry chocolate chip cookies.  Healthy cookies.  Cookies that we’ll definitely be having for breakfast.  They’re crisp and slightly chewy, with a sweet and sour thing going on with the chocolate and cherries.  Because a week away from my oven obviously means I forget how uneven the heat can sometimes be, I made mine a little extra crisp.  Hey, it happens.  They still taste fantastic!

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