Mornings are hard enough, and although I love drinking my coffee from my extra large Wonder Woman cup, sometimes I need something with a little more substance. Let’s get this cook caffeinated!

Overnight oats are lazy people’s oatmeal. You put some oats in a jar with some liquid and leave them overnight in the fridge and that’s how you get overnight oats! Another great thing about overnight oats is that they are delicious and crazy simple. Add whatever you like to your oats, chocolate chips, chia seeds, shredded carrots, cherries, or anything you desire! You can make a few a head of time and keep them around for a week’s worth of breakfasts!

Traveling is a breeze and with no cooking, you don’t have to worry about anything with your overnight oats! This has been my favorite recipe since I’ve been bitten by the overnight oats bug because of the Black Ice Brew I get to use!

I was inspired by this delightful recipe I found by Melissa King‘s blog, My Whole Food Life who has a ton of healthy recipes! Check her out when you have a chance!

I have changed it a little to fit my desires and what I had in my kitchen at the time (you know how it is):

Cold Brew Overnight Oats

1/2 cup gluten free steel cut oats or rolled oats
1/4 cup soy milk (or milk of choice)
1/4 cup Black Ice Brew cold brew coffee
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 a scoop of chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp of Mapel syrup
1 tbsp Chocolate chips (for toppings)
1 tbsp Unsweetened shredded coconut

Put all ingredients into a jar (I like to use Mason jars) Add the chocolate chips and coconut on top or mix it as you go.

Notes
Some chocolate protein powder has a tendency to get thick so if you would like to add a little bit more milk to the mixture in the morning.

What’s a cold fashioned, you say?

It's the perfect coffee-based mocktail for when you want something refreshing, a little sweet and slightly different. Perfect for a family-friendly picnic or summertime event. 

Cold Fashioned

6 oz Black Ice Brew cold brew concentrate
2 T grenadine
4 dashes angostura (orange) bitter
1 Maraschino cherry, for garnish
Orange peel, to garnish
Ice

Combine grenadine syrup and angostura bitters in a glass and pour in cold brew concentrate. Stir well to incorporate. Wipe the rim of the glass with the orange peel then drop in the glass. Add the ice and top with a cherry.

Enjoy!

It’s Fall ya’ll! Anytime this time of year rolls around everyone starts putting pumpkin in everything and I love it. However, they are craaaaaaazy sugary or either too “spicy.” So I went on ever trusty Pinterest and found a winner that inspired me to make my own pumpkin spice latte and was way healthier.

The blog I found this on is from Dr Axe Food is Medicine called The No. 1 Pumpkin Spiced Latte Ingredient to Avoid This Fall. So in turn for cutting out the sugar and other additives, I get my Fall in a cup without the gross stuff.

When I decided to make this latte recipe I needed to get a milk frother because, why not? I have always loved trying new techniques for cooking and baking. Today seemed like a good enough day to get one after multiple times of wanting one. I got a $7 milk frother at Target and couldn’t wait to put it to the test at home.

When I arrived home, I got to work! This recipe is so easy and cozy, it was ready in five minutes and gone in two minutes. Reading over the recipes I made a few changes to meet the needs and things I had in the kitchen.

What You Are Going To Need:

1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp cooked pumpkin
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee or espresso

How to Make:

1. Combine the almond milk, pumpkin, dark brown sugar maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla in a small pan over medium heat until the milk is hot.
2. Take the milk frother and pulse through the mixture for 30 seconds or more depending on how much you like milk froth.
3. Pour the coffee into a large mug and add the coconut milk mixture. You may either put whipped cream on top of the mug or the milk froth. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the drink and enjoy!

What’s better than bacon? Candied bacon with rich, earthy flavors of coffee, sweet maple syrup, caramelized sugar and spicy black pepper.

This recipe is dangerously easy to make, with only a few ingredients: bacon, freshly roasted coffee (I like using a full-bodied, dark roast such as the Sumatra Aceh), sugar, maple syrup and a touch of black pepper. Word of advice? Make this in small batches – or at least have friends over to share the results with. Otherwise before you know it, you’ll have consumed a shameful amount of bacon all by yourself. (Yup, I’m speaking from personal experience.)

Coffee-Maple Candied Bacon
Slightly adapted from Chomp and Thrive

12 oz. sliced, uncooked bacon (preferably thick-cut)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp finely ground coffee (such as our Sumatra Aceh)
1 tbsp maple syrup
Black pepper (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Lay the bacon slices out on the baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, coffee and maple syrup.

3. Spread the coffee and sugar mixture on the slices of bacon, flipping to coat both sides.

4. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the sugars caramelize and the bacon gets crisp. Sprinkle on a bit of black pepper to taste. Allow the bacon to cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!