Starbucks Lite: What To Drink This Summer

It finally feels like Spring and I am so excited for this weather. Thank God I am going home for a bit this weekend so that I can grab all my sundresses and officially transition my closet to reflect the temperature. In addition to changing my closet, I will also be transitioning my go-to Starbucks drinks. Don't get me wrong, coffee is still going to be an important part of my diet, but now I will readily ask for it to be served on ice!

Starbucks has a great lineup of iced drinks, and I even tried their Sweet Tea the other day! A lot of people worry about the calories of a Starbucks iced drink, immediately associating it with a frappuccino, but the menu has much more to offer than that, and many of these other drinks won't kill your plans for a beach body!

One quick tip before we go into their drinks: Get Light Ice! Usually they put a ton of ice in a drink and quite frankly it's largely unnecessary unless you like it watered down. Personally, I love getting light ice because when I get a drink, I really want to enjoy it...all of it! haha

Iced Coffee is always a safe go-to, plus it only has a couple of calories if you get it unsweetened. They can add milk to the drink, but if you just want a tiny bit for flavor, I would recommend just going over and adding a bit at the station on the side.

I love Iced Chai and when I have a free reward, I get a skim dirty iced chai (add a shot or two of espresso)! Again, I really recommend this drink with light ice because a watery chai is no bueno! Iced Vanilla Lattes are also a good option if you get it with nonfat milk, a tall is only 120 calories!

Their iced teas (sans the Sweet Tea) have no calories. Yeah, zip, zero, nada...oh and they're delicious. I alternate between the iced green tea and passion tea all the time in the summer. The advantage of a green tea is that there is a bit of caffeine you won't find in a passion tea. Plus, this drink is wildly customizable as a base drink. You can get it mixed with lemonade (more calories, but delicious) or blended as a frappacino. Also, if you really like the taste of either of these, getting it sans water is delicious. Usually if I do that, I don't ask for light ice, but I do love the extra kick of the stronger green tea. This is a drink to mess around with until you figure out what you like, but it is always delicious and an iced tea is very cheap (for Starbucks)

None of these sound as appealing as that Frappuccino you're craving? Well, if you still want a frappuccino, just get a tall, skinny, light one...sans whipped cream!

Also, you can get a Trienta size in iced drinks, basically a supersized Starbucks!

What is your go-to Summer Drink?

xoxo,

SSP

Rough Week

"School prepares you for the real, world which also sucks."

Happy Bunny (yeah...)

Anyone remember when Happy Bunny was almost cool? I know I do. I had 2 shirts and pajamas and...I'm gonna stop embarrassing myself there.

Anyways, I am writing this post while writing a paper with a thesis I changed 14 hours before the deadline so that's exciting. I am going to be kind of MIA on this blog until Thursday and maybe even then if I decide to try to catch up on sleep. Basically, I still blog but this week (and weekend because of Parent's Formal) is just not conducive to blogging.

Have a great couple of days and I hope your week involves more sleep and less mediocre coffee than mine.

xoxo,
SSP

Thirsty Thursday: Cup O' Joe

I am a coffee addict. There is no denying it. I need my coffee in the morning, I accept my weakness and move on. Some of you say it's unhealthy...clearly this is because you haven't seen me try to function without the stuff. Sure, I try to wean myself off it a bit around finals (caffeine increases stress), but the rest of the year is all about starting the morning off with a cup of joe. 
In college, I tend to take my coffee on the go with me (sometimes it's my second cup, but who's counting). I have collected quite a few mugs over the years, though my go-to is definitely my 2013 Spring Training Tervis (or my Margaritaville one for the double-dose days). I try to avoid getting a cup at Starbucks if I can, especially for regular coffee. Plus, if you use your cup, you get a discount! So save the environment a bit and grab one of these chic mugs to tote your beverage around in.

Tervis Tumbler

These things rock. They're perfect for hot or cold beverages, come in several sizes and all sorts of patterns. I have both a regular and large Tervis and I alternate depending on what I'm drinking. Oh, and you can also get these monogrammed...double win!

Lilly Pulitzer Travel Mug

I mean, I had to include Lilly. It's cute and functional. Basically it takes all of my self-restraint not to buy one of these cute mugs. 

Magnolia Lane Mugs

You need one of these. No, I'm serious. Magnolia Lane mugs don't mess around with size, it's like drinking a fishbowl of coffee. I have a Virginia Tech one at home (I went there freshman year, don't judge) and it is my favorite mug hands down. Also, Magnolia Lane creates so many other adorable ceramic goodies, perfect for any hostess or birthday gift!

Pier 1 Imports Mugs

I love the happy and colorful mugs from Pier 1. My big gave me one of these giraffe mugs in one of my baskets during big sis week and it's my favorite at school. I sometimes race drinking my coffee down so the giraffe doesn't drown...yeah, I'm five, it's whatever.

Contigo Mugs

Back to a travel mug here with a super tightly sealed mug. Seriously, these things are amazing. I had one in High School that could easily keep my coffee hot for half the day as I sipped on it throughout the morning (you know, before I was a true addict).

What's your favorite coffee mug? Are there any other awesome travel mugs I missed?

xoxo,
SSP

Why Buy This: All Hail the Gold Card

Before I get into today's post, I just want to take a second to thank you for the kind words yesterday. I got a couple of Facebook messages, texts, and emails regarding that post and I am so glad that my message was received so well. 

Okay, on to a happier subject: Starbucks. If you follow my Instagram or have looked at my blurb, you would know that Starbucks and I have a great relationship. In the mornings, I make coffee in my Keurig, but by mid-afternoon I am in need of a caffeine boost. Since I visit Starbucks so often, I finally decided to download the iPhone app and earn my Gold Card.

Let me tell you, if you go to Starbucks, even only once every other week, you need this app. I just earned my gold card last week and I am already super excited. Plus, you can have people give you gift cards right to your phone...you can even pay with PayPal (hint: Momma). How do you get one? Just buy drinks with the same registered Starbucks gift card (iPhone app makes this super easy) and you will earn stars every time you do. Once you get 5 stars, you earn free refills on coffee and tea while in the shop and you get great discounts! 

After hitting 30 stars, you earn your GOLD CARD! Gold Card members get a free drink or food item every 12 stars, plus the benefits of the green card. Oh, and they get super cool gold card to put in their wallet so that everyone can know that they are a super cool gold card member (I'm just a little excited).

But seriously, if you like Starbucks, this is such a good deal. Why keep buying full priced Starbucks without the benefits?

Plus, it is warm enough to start ordering all those iced beverages. My favorite is a Venti Iced Green Tea, unsweetened, no water (ZERO CALORIES and Green Tea rehydrates you!) or an Iced Chai with skim and light ice. What are your summer Starbucks drinks of choice?

xoxo,

SSP