My Skinny Starbucks $ecret

Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte. Several years ago it was my old standby. The constant in my whirlwind of a life. Sometimes the only thing that I could look forward to and appreciate on a day I knew I would not find a lot to be happy or thankful for. The sun in my cloudy day. Because it said skinny, I thought I was doing myself a favor. But as I became more educated about sugar  and sugar-free and the impact they have on your hormones, cravings, weight gain and energy level, it became apparent to me that there really was nothing skinny about my go-to drink. Sigh.  I should also mention my husband's dislike of the reload feature on my gold Starbucks card. I could do a lot more with $25 a week than support my snobbish coffee needs. And for that I felt a lot of guilt. So I decided to get creative. I knew cutting down on the circle of life we call the Starbucks drive-thru was going to have to happen. I devoted myself to twice a week, tops. That way I don't have to suffer through a break up and it will function as the special treat it really should be. Now to figure out a TRUE SKINNY VERSION that will be acceptable to my healthy living standards. Since there is no reason to opt for sugar-free over the regular stuff in my book, I knew cutting down on the standard 4 pumps of syrup in a Grande (4 pumps = 19g of sugar)  would be the way to go. Comparison: Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte - 16g of sugar (skim milk replaces fat with sugar and this doesn't take into account all of the sugar-free syrup revving up your cravings as I type) Grande Vanilla Latte - 35g of sugar (ugh) Super Smart $kinny Latte - <5g of sugar (when ordered as a Grande Americano with one pump of syrup and room for cream and you top it off with half & half) Yes, it's still decadent . And I am thrilled my one vice can still be tolerated in a lifestyle that is focused on minimal refined sugar. Can I also get a Hell Yeah for cutting the price in half? xo, Lonni photocredit: fanpop caffeine informer