Being on vacation I allow myself to enjoy coffee house beverages daily. Iced coffee, chai lattes, and flavored teas…oh my! However, I don’t keep up my coffee shop habit on a daily basis when I’m not on vacay. But I do really love fun drinks {obviously}.
What I don’t love is that most drinks are packed with unnecessary calories and ingredients. I am not interested in drinking a 12 ounce beverage and taking in 300+ calories! This is unfortunately the case in so many instances.
Oh and then there’s the fact that I have Lactose Intolerance– regular milk doesn’t always work for me. I can do yogurt. I can do cheese. But too much milk or ice cream, and I get a bit of a stomach ache.
Enter lactose free milk. It’s just like regular milk – with all essential nutrients and protein, but it has the lactase enzyme added. It’s the same milk you love with all the nutrients and protein you expect; it’s just easier to digest.
After detoxing from my coffee overload, I came up with a healthier version of my favorite icy pick-me-up. Warning… these things are freakin’ fantastic, y’all!
I seriously couldn’t stop drinking them. I mean, I polished off the entire recipe in less than 2 days. But I didn’t even remotely feel bad about that because there is one tablespoon of added honey, and that’s it. Everything else is spices, milk, or tea. Oh and many of those spices give a sweet taste so you don’t really need much added sugar.
How exciting is that?! Ok, maybe exciting isn’t the best word for a normal person. But I’m a dietitian and things without added sugar or with very little added sugar bring me great pleasure. And with that, I give you my new favorite beverage: Iced Chai Lattes – Enjoy!
Iced Chai Latte
Ingredients (Makes 8 cups)
- 4 cups water
- 25 whole cloves (or to taste)
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 TBSP black tea
- 4 cups reduced-fat milk
- 1 TBSP honey
Instructions
Add water, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger slices to a 3 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer; stir occasionally. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Bring back to a boil and add tea. Turn heat to low and let tea infuse for 10 minutes.
Stir in the milk and honey {if using}. Remove from heat and let sit for 15-20 minutes or until cooled.
Line a strainer with a coffee filter and strain the mixture into a container. Store in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, just pour over ice and add any additional sweetener if desired. You can also sprinkle with a little ground cinnamon for some extra yummy flavor.
Nutrition Facts per 12 oz. serving:
99 calories, 3.3g fat (2g saturated), 12.2g carbohydrates, 5.4g protein
Nutrition Facts per 8 oz. (1 cup) serving:
75 calories, 2.5g fat (1.5g saturated), 9.2g carbohydrates, 4g protein
Guest post by Meme Inge, RD, LD.
Meme is a Registered Dietitian living in New Orleans, LA notably referred as the Big Easy. She is the founder of Living Well Kitchen, a post busting with recipes, practical nutrition advice, local restaurant reviews, fitness fun, and other ramblings she may have. She shares Julia Child’s motto, “Everything in moderation, including moderation.”