Cool Product Alert: Herbal Coffee

Had to share this new find: Teeccino Herbal Coffee.

I was at a local store (Baron's Marketplace for my local pals) yesterday where they were sampling this. "Oooh coffee" I said out loud and the sample lady quickly corrected me... "it's not coffee it's herbal coffee."

What the heck is herbal coffee?!

According to the brochure it's "a delicious blend of herbs, grains, fruits and nuts that are roasted and ground to brew and taste just like coffee. Just like there is no milk in soy milk, no tea in herbal tea, there's no coffee in herbal coffee."

Verdict: It is delicious. In the store I tried the Chocolaté Maya Dark Roast. Soooo good. My favorite thus far. I brought home 4 packets. Vanilla Nut (is also yummy, but I prefer a darker roast) I am ordering more of that Chocolaté for sure. Now... I won't be giving up my coffee (you know how I love it so) but this makes a very nice change, an especially great evening, caffeine free option. My fellow 3 AM Twitter pals know I need to curb the caffeine at night.

I wanted to share the find with you guys because I know some post weight loss surgery are told no caffeine or worse no coffee at all from your nutritionists and/or bariatric surgeons. This would be a great alternative. Besides being caffeine free, it's free of acidity, gluten, and sugar. So for those of your denied caffeine or coffee and jonesing for your morning cup o' Joe I'd print out the info and share it with your medical posse to see if you get the green light.

The product comes in ground form for use in regular coffee pots and these super convenient "Tee-bags." You make it like tea... boiling water (I just used hot water from my Keurig), steep 3-5 minutes, dunk the bag a few times to get the good stuff out, add milk and sugar free sweetener, if desired.

It comes in a ton of flavors.

Mediterranean flavors: Almond Amaretto, Vanilla Nut, Hazelnut, Java, Original, Mocha, and Chocolate Mint.

Maya flavors: Caffé / French Roast, Chocolaté (my favorite so far), and Chai.

Boutique flavors: French Vanilla, Pumpkin Spice, Caramel Nut, Chocolate Raspberry, and Southern Pecan.

Looks like you can get a sampler pack of the "Tee Bags" from their website. I'm excited to try them all.

Where to find locally? Here's a store locator. Type in your zip code to find stores near you.

Happy National Cherry Dessert Day!

In honor of National Cherry Dessert Day. Seriously, it is... Google it ;) I made Cherry Crumble for dessert.


Shelly's Cherry Crumble

1 cup Cherries, fresh or frozen, defrosted are fine
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (any flavor, I used SF Vanilla)
Optional: 1 teaspoon Jello Instant Pudding Mix, dry

Mix together and divide equally into ramekins like this or into a small Pyrex dish for a large one. I prefer portioning them. If you want you can sprinkle a little dry SF Jello pudding mix on the fruit to make a thicker sauce from the juices that expel during cooking.

Topping
1/3 cup Quick Oats, dry
1/8 cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Erythritol
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (any flavor, I used SF Almond)
1 Tablespoon Butter

Using a fork (or fingers) work the mixture till it resembles crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit mixture. Bake 30 minutes at 350. Cool and refrigerate.

You can eat them warm or cold topped with Sugar Free Whipped Cream, Sweetened Ricotta or Greek Yogurt (makes a great breakfast and boosts the protein content), or topped with Protein Ice Cream (Mmmm Black Cherry Protein Ice Cream would be yum on this). I sat on the patio and ate mine chilled with Sugar Free Whipped Cream on top.

I changed up the topping a bit from my normal topping because I wanted to use a bag of Erythritol I had on hand and I was missing a few of my normal ingredients. Erythritol is a sugar substitute but unlike a lot of the other sugar substitutes it doesn't normally cause the gastric effects that some other sugar subs are known to. It resembles sugar in consistency and taste but has a caloric value near zero, it's derived from corn. It doesn't brown or caramelize like sugar but it seems like a neat baking ingredient. I'll mess with it some more and let you know my final verdict but so far, so good. I could barely lift my fork to eat it though. I used this pruning tool doohickey today to cut down palm tree fronds. My arms feel like a wobbly bowl of my Fluff Stuff which, by the way, would have been another yummy dessert to celebrate National Cherry Dessert Day.

Pay it forward

I've mentioned the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) before on the blog. Well... the OAC needs your help! They are participating in a Facebook contest for non-profit organizations (sponsored by Vivint) the grand prize, going to the non-profit who receives the most overall votes is $250,000!




Phase 1 of the contest is taking place right now till June 11. At that time, the top 20 nonprofits from each region (there are 5 different regions, the OAC is part of the Eastern region) will advance to Phase 2. The top 20 non-profits from each region will be announced on June 14 and then voting will resume. As of today, the OAC is close but not yet in the top 20 :(

I'm hoping WE CAN CHANGE THAT...

VOTE for the Obesity Action Coalition by clicking HERE.

You basically you need to LIKE the Vivint (sponsoring the contest) page then endorse the Obesity Action Coalition for their chance at the dough.

You can vote for one charity, once a day, every day. Doesn't cost a thing, just a moment of your time.

Then you can choose to let your pals know to vote for it too which I hope you'll do. More people voting is a good thing.

I'm assuming if you are reading my blog you or someone you love is affected by obesity. The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) does GOOD THINGS for our community (education, nationwide advocacy, support group information, helping people who have been denied surgery, etc.) They are the good guys, fighting the good fight for us and those we ❤

Please give them your vote in this contest and please consider becoming a member of the OAC.

Here's the 411 on that (doing good and you get a great magazine too) You can make a difference in the cause of obesity. The greater our membership, the stronger our voice!

Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. ~African Proverb

Added: As someone who won a social media based contest FOREVER THANKFUL for that memory I can tell you I felt the power of this community when it works for a common cause. Please consider helping the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) win this. Vote each day (easy & free) We can make a difference.

Proof it's working: From the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) facebook page: "We went from #26 yesterday to #16 today! We couldn't have done this without your help! Don't forget voting continues until June 11 and you can vote daily!" YOU GUYS ROCK!

Healthy Desserts: Red White and Blue Strawberry Cannoli

My Red, White & Blue Strawberry Cannoli will be on the menu this Memorial Day weekend. I've got to pick up some big strawberries and a basket of blueberries from the Farmer's Market this Saturday.

The plan is to BBQ (still deciding between shrimp packets or some steak (pending supermarket sale papers), sit outside and enjoy the weeds garden, and eat these yummy cannoli...


Shelly's Red, White & Blue Strawberry Cannoli

12 Large Red Ripe Strawberries, washed & cored
12 Blueberries
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Vanilla)
dash of Cinnamon

Optional toppings (for days other than Memorial Day or the 4th of July)
Toasted or untoasted Unsweetened Coconut
Grated Sugar Free Chocolate
Chopped Nuts (Chopped Pistachios, Pecans, or Hazelnuts are great)
Protein Powder (Coffee is great for this)
Non Fat Dry Milk
Powdered Peanut Butter

Wash and core strawberries. Leaving a hollow in the berry. Set aside.

Mix ricotta, SF syrup and cinnamon together till well combined. Spoon mixture into a snack size Ziploc bag. Seal.

Cut end off and pipe mixture into hollowed strawberries. Place a fresh blueberry on each end.

Post-ops beware... you better hide a few of these suckers or make a double (or triple) batch because they will get gobbled up by non-ops before you can get to the dish.


Whatcha got planned for the weekend?