Coffee lovers rejoice!! and an Update

Summer has hit in Abu Dhabi and temps have soared to 47 degrees C (that's 116.6 degrees for all you US readers).  Add these temps and my love for coffee together and what do you get??  A major craving for a frozen coffee drink Starbucks style.  All you loyal readers know, though, that frappes are completely off limits for me right now due to Whole 30 (update on that later).  Even if I wasn't strict Paleo right now, a regular frappe at any coffee joint probably eeks over the "not allowed" line even for 80/20 er's due to the unknown content of the syrups they add. 

So I what did I do about my craving?  Well lets just say Frappe challenge accepted.

And guess what?  I so totally owned that challenge.  And it was frickin dddeeelliicccious. 

Now, did it taste like Starbucks? That is a big no.  But who wants that overly sweet, leaves a funky film on your teeth and a bloated stomach behind drink from Starbucks when you can have my Paleo masterpiece?? 

So here it is. 

My frappe recipe..
(Sorry no pics today as I have been craving this for 3 days and drank this before I thought of pics.  But I promise this will be made again later this week and I will get pics then and update here)

10 ice cubes
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Coconut cream

•  refrigerate your coconut milk for 1 hour then only use the thick cream on top.  Be careful not to shake the can to much when removing and opening or you will mix the cream and water back together

2 medjool dates

• soak these in warm water for about 30 minutes before using to soften

1/2 cup of cold coffee or 1 shot of espresso

Put all ingredients in your blender and blend until you reach the desired consistency.  Pour into a cup and enjoy your frothy, icy, coffee deliciousness.

UPDATE:  I had Stefan give this receipe a try and he said it was pretty bland (he is a coffee snobe though).  So if you are like him and like your coffee drinks strong I would definatly suggest using 1-2 shots of expresso instead of just plain coffee.

UPDATE ON WHOLE30

And for those of you who were wondering how my whole30 was going, I must say that I am totally proud of myself.  I am now on day 6 and I have been perfect.  No extra sugars or anything that doesn't come from a fruit, veggie or meat.  I even managed to go out to eat with friends at a French place with lots of yummy smelling bread and have a get together with friends and drinking and food and not cheat once.  Instead of alcohol, I had myself a virgin pina colada made with coconut cream, pineapple and ice.  It was amazing.  And for the food I just made sure I had a piece of meat and some roasted sweet potatoes to indulge in.  Get together made easy. 

I feel fantastic, have more energy and no longer find myself constantly craving sugary substances.  Its amazing to finally have some control of my taste buds. 

There is a downside to this however.  I get HUNGRY more often than I used to.  I get hungry like every 2 hours.  Its crazy.  And, I feel like I am eating a lot more than I used to, but my clothes are definitely getting looser.  Guess we will see what the scale says at the end of the month.

Oh, did I mention that?  I am not weighing nor am I looking at myself in a mirror (naked of course... doesn't that give you nice mental pics?) until I am done with the program.  It's a requirement of the program, but it was something I would have done any way because sometimes seeing the number on the scale can be disappointing and can lead to failure if you aren't where you think you should be.

So, so far so good.  I only have another 25 days to go.  Stay tuned to see the updates on the rest of my journey.