Espresso Maker

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How has Thursday been for you?  Mine’s been really good because I went shopping!  I’ll fill you in on my finds in just a hot second, but before I get to that, I am sooo glad you enjoyed & appreciated the Readers’ Recipes Tribute Post!

Finished Kale Chips layered on top of one another

Spoonful of chia seed pudding
 

I’ve been wanting an Espresso maker for years.  Recently Miss Meals-n-Moves Janetha had her shiny espresso maker in a post and that kinda sealed the deal that I just had to do it.  So, I did.

I went to Bed Bath & Beyond with my trusty stash of 20% off Coupons that I hoard, and had my heart all set on a Breville until the sales guy and I were talking.  The Breville Espresso makers are semi-automatic.  Meaning you have to “tamp” your beans, and basically pretend like you work at Starbucks in your own kitchen.  I didn’t really want to do that.  I also didn’t want to pay thousands of dollars for a Fully Automatic Espresso Maker.

Well, apparently the Coffee Gods were smiling down on me because there was a massive markdown on this Krups Fully Automatic Espresso Maker, and with my 20% off Coupon, it brought this machine and me into perfect reality & harmony.

Krups Compact Automatic Espresso Maker in box
Back of Espresso Maker box

Let’s just say when I got it home, I felt a bit like a scientist.  There was a pH strip to test your water’s hardness to tell the machine how much filtration to do.

pH Test strips for Espresso Maker in package
Hand holding pH test strip out of package

There’s also a removeable water tank.

Hand holding removable water tank full of water
Water take for espresso maker attached to machine

There’s a computer that tells you everything you possibly need to know.  This machine is idiot-proof.

Front of Espresso Maker on countertopLED display showing time and different strengths of espresso or coffee you can make

That’s the compartment for the beans.

Coffee Beans in compartment of Espresso Maker

So what have I been making in it?

And it makes coffee by the cup and I love doing that and adding foam from steamed lowfat vanilla almond milk.

Brewed Coffee in mug topped with almond milk and almond milk container in background
Overhead of steamed almond milk in mug

And lattes with steamed lowfat vanilla almond milk.

One empty mug and one mug with steamed milk latte
Steamed almond milk latte in mug

And I have been playing barista after all and making:

Vegan Carmel Macchiatos
Coat your cup with Carmel Sauce

Mug drizzled with caramel sauce

Pour Two Shots of Espresso and Steam some Lowfat Vanilla Almond Milk

Mug with steamed almond milk and mug in machine brewing espresso

Combine the shots & steamed milk, and drizzle Carmel Sauce on top.  Savor every last HFCS drop.  But it’s vegan.  haha!

Combined steamed milk and espresso shots in mug drizzled with caramel

Carmel Macchiatos are also really good with these Nutridel CookiesI received.

Two Nutridel cookies one almond one pecan flavor

I got the Almond and the Pecan Flavors to Try.  Here’s the Nutrition Info:

Nutritional Facts on back of Almond Cookie package
Nutritional Facts on back of Pecan Cookie package

The cookies are crunchy, crispy, light, sweet.  The perfect vegan cookie! 
From their site: Our products are 100% natural, contain no additives, preservatives, artificial colorings, flavorings or sweeteners of any kind. They are loaded with seeds, grains, nuts, fiber and sweetened with a touch of molasses.
Two thumbs up and can’t wait to buy some of these for myself.  Thanks, Nutridel!

But it hasn’t been all coffee & cookies ’round here, I did make a great salad with greens, cukes, carrots, tomatoes, yellow peppers, and dressed it with balsalmic, EVOO, & cracked black.

Green salad with mixed vegetables and homemade dressing

Also made myself a kale salad with cauli, brock, asparagus, tomatoes, and dressed that one with my homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing.

Kale salad with mixed vegetables and homemade dressing

And for dessert, I may have sampled a Raw Vegan Chocolate Turtle

Raw Vegan Chocolate Turtle on parchment paper

And maybe also indulged in a Raw Vegan Peanut Butter CupAhhhh.

 Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cup split in half on paper liner

And I ate my desserts on Skylar’s plates she painted at our Mommy & Me Pottery Painting event we had last week.   Picasso, no doubt.  I did write her name on the one plate, but everything else is her handywork.  Let’s call Sotheby’s right now!

Painted plate made by child
Up close of painted plate made by child

Yoga Today is Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana (One-Legged Upward Facing Bow, or One-Legged Backbend)

Woman doing Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana yoga pose

Tip of the Day: Have an open mind.  Just because you previously thought that something will be perfect or will never work, the situation may surprise you.  For example, I went to BB &B thinking I was going to get X espresso maker and ended up with Y, and am thrilled with it.  Or, with the holidays coming up, don’t automatically assume that your family will drive you nuts or that they will pick on your diet/lifestyle/choices that are different from theirs, or that there will be drama in some capactity.  There may very will be all of those things, but try going into the situation with an open heart and you may just be surprised that when you’re putting out different energy, you receive different energy back.

What’s your stay sane trick as we’re approaching the holidays?  Mine is not getting caught up in the gift-giving or gift-receiving craziness.  If I want something in July, I buy it.  If I see a cute something for my sister in April, I buy it and send it to her then.  If I am thinking of special friend in September, I send raw treats then.  Basically, I try not to set myself up for gift-giving pressure by spacing things out throughout the year.  A little random, but it works for me to keep me more balanced.  What do you do to stay sane throughout the holiday season?

Stay Tuned For Reader Tribute Post Number 2…

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

Comments

  1. I love candid shots the best. I don't think my family and I have ever done a formal picture really. Im more of a in the moment type girl=)

  2. Hey Avery,

    I've been lurking around your blog ever since you posted on Janetha's blog and I thought I'd drop by now.

    I really like your approach to life (not to mention your yummy raw food pics/recipes!)

    Only thing I'm left confused about now is pumpkin… you can eat it raw? 0_0

  3. Those donut holes look incredible.
    And you're so sweet making Thanksgiving fare for one.
    Even though I'm plenty happy with real meat, I'm secretly hoping tofurkey's go on sale after the holiday because I'm curious how they are, haha/

  4. Look at you with all your Thanksgiving creations??? They really all sound delicious and I love the fact that they’re all alternatives to the holiday favorites!! The apple crumble is totally up my alley, especially the streusel topping. But then I saw the curly sweet potato fries and I ALMOST forgot I wanted the apple crumble. hehe

    It’s so cute that Skylar can’t tell the difference between fritos and flax. Hahaha She’s totally set up to grow into a cook food cook like her mama. Wait till she get so middle school and all her packed lunches are so much more fascinating than her classmates. She’ll totally be the coolest girl in school!! (Gotta admit I’m a little jealous. I definitely didn’t have that during my childhood!) Hope you have a terrific thanksgiving Averie!!

  5. I do not like having pictures taken of me. It's scary ;)

    Your eats as always look amazing. I want to try your holiday dressing. Sounds so yum!

    I'm making your turtles or pb cups for my dessert. No one in my family is vegan but me so I'm just going to make something special for me so I don't feel left out!

  6. seriously girl! PUMPKIN donut holes. now you've done it ;)

    haha it's SO hard for me to get my family together for a picture. my brothers are major buttheads and it's like a challenge to get them to take pictures even though they're 25 and 20 haha. one time my mom had to bribe my younger brother just to take a picture. sad i know haha

  7. So nice of you to make a special dinner for Scott! He's a lucky guy.

    Those donut holes look so yum, I can't even tell you! Thanks for including all of the different substitutions.

    We tend to go for candid, although there's usually one shot, at the end of the night when everyone is tired and full and ready to go home, when my dad gets us all together for a group shot.

  8. Aw Scott is a lucky guy!! Cant wait to see what you make him. Its funny I had like 3 or 4 people at work ask me if I was having Tofurky.. Im like UH BLEHHHH.

    We have been getting Christmas cards from our friends with them posed with their perfect babies and chocolate labs. Hub and I joke that we are going to hold our plants and take a pic and send em out to our families since we have neither of the above. lol I enjoy the candids personally!

  9. Yes half of the family eats regular Thanksgiving fare and the other we eat a little different : ) My second older sisters is the camera person, so we have a lot of candid shots and actually "set-up" shots.

  10. Mmmm, I love camel pose!!! I love opening myself up like that :)

    Now that I have a food processor, I think I should just go through your posts and start making your raw goodies from the beginning. Bring on the ball jokes! :P

    I saw a tofurkey at the store the other day. Dang, those things are twenty bucks!! For a hunk of heavy tofu? No thanks.

  11. Candids are the way to go. I really just love to catch those moments that seem to sneak by. Though my niece will let me take goofy "Staged" photos which are also adorable. Pumpkin donuts- yum :-)

  12. so many options here!! love it

    that holiday dressing with the cinnamon and nutmeg is a great idea! I sometimes ONLY think that these spices taste good in baked goods, but this is so not true!

    I am glad you liked my review on the GF products, the bread was seriously awesome…it has to be toasted though! it was nutty and delicious! I didn't post a review for the cookies bc I hadn't tried themyet but i broke into one later last night and it was nothing to write home about. it acutally tasted like pure butter-not my cup of tea! I will let you know about the muffins!!

  13. Roasted potatoes are one of my VERY favorite things and they are always on every menu.

    As for photos, I'm definitely a candid shot kind of woman, snap, snap, snap, with a few casually posed photos. I would never waste the time I could be having fun and eating delicious food worried about staging the PERFECT shot. Believe me, I grew up in a household where we spent hours every holiday trying to do that and it was miserable and made us all grumpy. Not a good idea!

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