Frugal Foodie Mama: Don't Toss That! Freeze It! ~ Coffee Cubes

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Don't Toss That! Freeze It! ~ Coffee Cubes

Meet my newest obsession...
This is a little something that I like to call Coffee Cubes. ;)
You know that little bit of coffee that you almost always have leftover in your pot every morning and usually just dump down the kitchen drain?
Yeah, don't do that anymore.  Just pour whatever is leftover into an ice cube tray.  After a few days of doing this, you should have a full tray of them. :) 

Crack out the coffee cubes and store them in a labeled and dated quart sized freezer bag. 
Okay, you say- now what?
Well, the simplest thing that you can do with these coffee cubes is plop a few of them into a cold glass of milk (or almond or coconut milk) in the afternoon, letting them melt slightly.  Voila!  An iced latte!
But there is so much more that you can do with them... 
Like, make a copycat Starbucks Chocolate Banana Vivanno smoothie!  This recipe I concocted is beyond amazing, and tastes so much like the original you may never order one from that coffee shop again. ;)

What you will need:
1 whole banana, frozen & chopped
3 coffee cubes, crushed
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp of vanilla yogurt
1 cup of milk (can be coconut, almond, or soy too)
* I keep a few bananas in my freezer at all times.  Just unpeel your banana, wrap it in aluminum foil, and put it in your freezer!

Throw everything into your blender, and blend away.

That's it!  Enjoy your knock-off Vivanno! :)

Of course, I had to do something a little more adult with my coffee cubes as well. ;)
This is my own version of a truly decadent Mudslide Milkshake...
In a blender, combine:
2 scoops of chocolate ice-cream
1 shot of whipped cream vodka
1 shot of coffee flavored liqueur 
2-3 coffee cubes, crushed
Milk to your desired consistency- I like my milkshakes a little thick, so I use a small amount of milk.

Just blend this all together, and then top with whip cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. :)
I can't even tell you how amazing this drink is.  Really. You have to try it for yourself.