Make a Latte at Home for Less Than $1 and Under 50 Calories

The addiction to Starbucks lattes is an addiction that is difficult to overcome. I myself am an "addict". Everyday I would go Starbucks and order a Venti Caramel Macchiato and shell out $4.33 per cup. Each cup contains about 280 calories, and that's with me ordering the healthiest version of the drink. Being that I live in New York City, I have immediate access to Starbucks at the turn of every corner, so often I would end up buying three of these Venti Caramel Macchiatos per day. Anyone that knows me well knows that I cannot survive a day without a latte, but this Caramel Macchiato addiction was becoming burning a pretty deep hole in my wallet and if I kept up this habit I would gain weight. I would rather be able to fit into my clothes and spend the money I save on lattes on shoes or makeup. Therefore, I decided I would experiment on how to make my own lattes at home that would save me money and would deliver an equally delicious taste without all of the calories.

I went to my local supermarket and I started stuffing my basket with ingredients I would be able to use to come up with the perfect latte. However, as any New Yorker I have certain requirements that must be met before I even think of putting a latte to my lips. My lattes have to be low fat, sweetened with Splenda not sugar and contain Soy Milk because I refuse to drink real milk. I am not lactose intolerant, just super picky. I know you may probably think I am a priss now because of how picky I am about my lattes. But I am far from a priss; I am just selective of what I put into my body. Once I got home I played with my recipe quite a bit and finally came up with this delicious, low calorie and most importantly, inexpensive latte recipe.

Here is what I used....

Splenda Artificial Sweetener

Splenda Flavors for Coffee (French Vanilla)

Maxwell House Instant Coffee

Pacific Organic Vanilla Soy Milk

Large Jar with Lid (1 quart)

Water

Two Ice Cubes

Instructions

1. Open your jar and fill it a little less than halfway with cold water.
2. Drop the two Ice cubes into the jar.
3. Add one heaping tablespoon of Maxwell House instant coffee (depending on how large your jar is)
4. Add 12 packets of Splenda. It may sound like a lot but remember you are making four cups so it averages out to three packets per cup, which is not too bad. However, if you are like me and REALLY like your Splenda, add about 20 packets. After all, each packet contains zero calories so it doesn't affect your calorie intake.
5. Add four packets of Splenda Flavors for Coffee
6. Add about half a cup of soymilk to your jar.
7. Tightly twist the lid onto the jar and shake the mixture vigorously for a minute and a half (or until you see froth on the top of the jar, and the coffee grounds have mixed in well and not just sitting at the bottom of the jar.)
8. Pour into a coffee cup and enjoy J

Total Calories...

Calories in one jar (4 cups) = 40 calories

Calories per serving (8 oz cup) = 10 calories.

Splenda - 0 calories

Splenda Flavors for Coffee - 0 calories

Maxwell House Instant Coffee - 0 calories

Pacific Organic Vanilla Soy Milk - 40 calories

• Each latte used to contain 280 calories, my new and improved version only contains 40 calories. I saved 240 calories by making my own version at home.

Money Saved...

Old Cost Per Latte- $4.33

New cost Per Latte- Less than $1.00 (My latte supplies lasts me about 10 days)