More Custom Starbucks Frappuccinos

I have to say that I went on a bit of a bender with these drinks. Sugar abounds, which is never a good thing in my household, but after living a year and a half on an extreme food lifestyle, I feel entitled to have a little bit of fun. So this weekend we had a little bit more fun!

The first one was the Smelly Cat. The Friends secret Starbucks menu is popular right now and while the majority of the drinks are just something straight off the menu that a character would order, I thought the Smelly Cat would be a fun drink to try.

Smelly Cat (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
It is a nice drink. It has a bit of earthiness to it from the dragon fruit. It really felt like a "hippie" drink, which is the point. My husband got the same thing and he loved it.

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande.)
- Vanilla Bean Frappuccino
-  Coconut Milk
- "Splash" of Guava Juice and Dragon Fruit
- Whipped cream


Then this weekend, we went and tried some spooky Halloween drinks, but also my husband just wanted something that felt more him. The sad part is... I forgot my phone the first time we were going to go, which was when we dropped our daughter off at acting. The second time... and I warned my husband about this, was going to be during too busy of a time and they wouldn't be as happy about a custom order. And sure enough... they were not. So sadly these pictures aren't what we hoped for, but honestly... isn't it also about the taste of it?


The Joker (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
I am a green tea fan. Not a "Venti" green tea fan, but I really enjoy it. The Venti was too big for me, but my husband just went Venti because his order later down was listed as a Venti. The Joker, though, was pretty good! The strawberry sauce with the green tea balanced out the tea and sweet factor. Despite it looking like an injured Swamp Thing or a horrible zombie attack, it was really quite delicious. Unpredictable, maybe, because you never knew if you'd get just the tea, just the sauce, or both. Chaos in a cup? Totally Joker! Awesome!

How to order:
- Size (my husband ordered a Venti...)
- Matcha Green Tea Creme Frappaccino
- Draw a strawberry sauce smile on the side of the cup.
- Matcha Whipped Cream (which mine doesn't have, so it's regular whip with Matcha sprinkle)
- Mocha Drizzle finish



Beetlejuice (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
The image of this would have been great, but the lines weren't there and it just all ran down. The person making them was in a frenzy and just dumped things into the cup. But that's alright. It had some great flavor if you're into a more mocha flavor from the drizzle. Almost like... well... it was like a shake with some mocha flavor. My husband liked it just a smidge more than his Horchata, but would not swap out the Horchata for the Beetlejuice. (Note: My husband isn't a Starbucks fan and it takes quite a bit to find a drink he'll like. I learned last week that nothing with Pumpkin Spice should be served to him.)

How to order:
- Size (my husband ordered a Venti...)
- Vanilla Bean Frapp
- Mocha Drizzle (lining the cup like stripes)
- Matcha Whipped Cream (which mine doesn't have, so it's regular whip)
- Matcha sprinkles on top



Horchata (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
My husband loves Horchata and tries it most places we go that serve it. So when I was scrolling through custom drinks, he saw it and wanted to try it. He really enjoyed it, especially the foam. It blew his mind! (My husband took the picture below while in the passenger seat... it doesn't do the drink justice and you can't see the cute sip-lid.)

How to order:
- Size (my husband ordered a Venti)
- Iced Latte
- Almond Milk
- 2 Espresso Shots Only
- 2 Pumps Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- 5 Pumps Sugar-Free Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- Add Cold Foam made with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Cinnamon Topping

The recipe said to get some stevia to add in, but my husband liked it just fine without. It's a taste thing.


I don't know if I can keep up the sugar rush of the drinks, but I really have had a ball trying these. I also lucked out on one of my drink orders and essentially got the drink for free because of all my stars! Bonus! 

Those Custom Starbucks Frappuccinos

I haven't been to Starbucks in a long time. I find them to be overpriced and often so sugar-packed I can't imagine consuming that amount of sugar daily. That's not to say I'm not a sucker for cool things and this weekend I totally indulged in the world of obnoxious custom drink orders.

We went full on The Nightmare Before Christmas. We were at a game convention all weekend with my family, so I knew I had to get a drink for myself, my daughter, and my husband. This was the perfect thematic lineup. I found the easy recipes on Totallythebomb.com:


Sally (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
This was absolutely delicious! My daughter and I were almost obnoxious enough to fit over it! Not too sweet and a total treat. A must try if you're doing any of these!

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande.)
- Vanilla Bean Frapp
- Add Matcha Powder
- Caramel drizzle on sides of cup
- Whipped cream, strawberry sauce, and freeze dried strawberries on top



Jack "The Pumpkin King" Skellington (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
My husband drank it, but it just wasn't our bag. If you like the chia and spiced pumpkin and all that, it might be your thing, but it definitely wasn't ours.

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande.)
- Pumpkin Spice Frapp
- Chai syrup
- Mocha drizzle on sides of cup
- Whipped cream on top
- Java chips on top



Oogie Boogie (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
This was my drink and now is so naughty that I want it more. Cookie crisps and mocha and it's a chocolate chip cookie in a cup. The java chips and the cookie bits just make it so delicious. It looks pretty great, too!

How to order:
- Size (I did a Ventie, because I thought it needed space....)
- White Chocolate Mocha Frapp
- Add Java Chips mixed in
- ON THE BOTTOM: Whipped Cream with Java Chips
- ON THE TOP: Whipped Cream, Matcha Powder, and Mocha Cookie Crumbles

There is another way to order it, but I couldn't remember. Had something to do with the type of base Frapp, but I can't remember what it was.



The next day we went in and got two more creations. The first one I ordered that I had seen floating around was the Pennywise It: Chapter Two drink. The second one was the Maleficent drink that had apparently been hacked from Disney.


Pennywise It: Chapter Two  (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
My daughter insisted on drinking this one and it tasted just like strawberries and cream. Our local Starbucks did an awesome job! We would totally order again. My barista knew what it was, but had never made it. So excitement!

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande)
- Vanilla Bean Frapp
- Strawberry Puree (either on the sides and/or drizzled on the top before the whipped cream)
- ON THE TOP: Whipped Cream and freeze-dried strawberries



Maleficent (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
This thing tastes like a FRUIT LOOP!!! Oh my goodness... what a treat! If you like fruit loops, this is the drink for you. I wanted to share it with my husband, but he was so busy gaming, I couldn't share this amazing secret with him. Honestly just so delicious!

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande)
- Vanilla Bean Frapp
- Add in blueberry and dragon fruit
- ON THE TOP: Whipped cream and matcha powder
Someone said ask them to make the matcha powder whipped cream, but I couldn't do that to them.

I have more frapp tries coming up. I've found all sorts of crazy ones and now feel compelled to try them. I can't say I'm not totally stoked.

The Joy of Gaming: GenCon 2018 - Wednesday

We arrived Tuesday night in Indianapolis, because on Wednesday (today) I participate in Trade Day. I present as an educator. I'm presenting my unit on how to incorporate games into, specifically, literacy. Too often I feel like people, or gamer minded people, tie games purely into math or history. I always make the argument that tabletop games ARE literacy. The reading, the writing, the understanding concept ideas, etc. Literacy is Life is what  I say. It's in everything we do. Speaking and sharing ideas. Listening to what others have to say and processing it. Reading for comprehension, and that doesn't just mean books. As an adult, think deeply about all the things you have to read and try to understand. 

After much confusion and watching other people get confused, I was finally able to share my work. Lucky for me, we were in a pretty awesome room with a projector already (that was better than mine. I brought one from home, because last time I presented I had to). I had wonderful attendees. I talked really fast, because it's a lot of information.  

I made packets of my presentation and materials for people so that the could follow along and if they had to leave, they could leave.  I also know how much educators appreciate things to work with. As for the presentation, I have never been so confident. I tried to turn on my teacher charm and we'll just hope my humor persona won out. My husband set up the games in the back for people to look at. I was proud. At the end I felt good and figured people mostly appreciated the presentation. So after my husband and I patted each on the back for making it through another presentation (which I seriously have to tweak), we abandoned all inhibitions and headed over to Burger Study.

This is where I break away from my Keto diet. But Sarah.... why would you do such a thing? Well... they have a Stranger Things burger that needed to be eaten, because YOLO. The burger was two thin burger patties with cheese inbetween a thin layer of peanut butter on one side and blueberry jam on the other and then all was settled between two perfectly toasted Eggos. Peanut butter burgers are overrated, but this was just right. The portions for everything were absolutely perfect and the blueberry jam really made it. Totally worth it! Only available for GenCon, though.  To add to this #genconfoodie moment, I decided to have a drink and it had BACON. That counts as keto, right?

Burger Study was a delightful eating experience. 

When we had left Burger Study, we headed around the corner so I could get my traditional GenCon pin from Hard Rock. See, I collect pins. Organizing them in display boxes is one of my next projects when I get home this summer. The pin this year was interesting, but didn't feel really GenCon-y. I'm not sure why I keep getting the pins, though, because they're kind of disappointing, but I hold a special place in my heart for them.

We saw, though, across the street from where we were walking, a game shop that had never been there before.  So on our way back to the convention center, we stopped in to see what it was all about and to see what kind of neat GenCon things they were doing. It's called Good Games. 

Tonight they're having an IELLO event and then during GenCon they're having late night hours and, I can attest to this, they have amazing air conditioning and a wonderful assortment of games. The were even hording copies of My Little Scythe.

My husband bought me Mr. Jack New York and I saw a copy of HABA's Dino World for our daughter. I also saw the Undead Expansion for Marrying Mr. Darcy, so I tossed that on the pile. We like to support local and small game shops, because what they're doing is creating an environment for gamers, as well as selling games, but at the heart of every game shop is giving people a place to game and a gathering place for people who want to game.

After this stop, I had taken note of this really interesting meter. It was a fundraiser meter for an organization that helps homeless people in Indianapolis. We pulled out some change and deposited it. 

It reinforced the task I decided to take up when I can to Indianapolis. I remember seeing homeless people on the street when we have been to GenCon before. Not long ago, I saw something online about taking old bags and filling them with toiletries and things and handing them out the the homeless. Since I was purging my house, I organized some bags. Even this evening, my husband got into the charity spirit and we went and bought some water and food bars and found some amazing toothbrush travel kits for cheap. I organized 4 women's and 4 men's bags. 

Each day I'm going to take one of each, but we're going to store them in our car during the day so that I can run and get one if I run out. We park in a lower level garage, so it doesn't get extremely hot. We're also going to keep a couple bottles of water on us to hand out to people we see, instead of money. 

Our day wound down relatively early. I still had to review the game I was teaching for ConTessa Thursday night. So we were heading home, but not before I found out about Pin Bazaar 2018! It's like a pin treasure hunt-trade-set-collecting thing! Different places have different pins. Some you might need to purchase or make a product purchase to get. Some you could potentially trade for. It's pretty cool and worth checking out. I had to laugh, because I had just been writing about the Hard Rock pins and now there's this. I've made a list of all the ones I want, because I really need to curtail excessive spending. We have a budget.

We spent the rest of the evening prepping the bags to pass out, going over the game I'm going to be running and just catching up. A few calls with our daughter (she's having an emotional time away from us) and just tried to prepare ourselves for tomorrow, which is always the most intense. It's the official Day One of GenCon 2018!

How I Keto at a Con

KETO EATING AT CONS

I've not been mum on the "I'm Way of Eating" my husband and I have been doing for over a year. You also won't find me a rabid-die-hard-soap-boxing-advocate who will crush you if you think I'm crazy. We do our best. We live our life. Isn't it all a crap-shoot anyways? Look at how often opinions flip and a flop. Remember when eggs and broccoli were bad?

So we adopted what they call Keto. Essentially cutting out carbs and sugars and focusing more on proteins and fats to force your body to change it's fuel source. Let me just say.... this makes traveling and snacking very hard. Essentially you're not supposed to be snacking in the first place. Pretty much everything we eat is fresh or cooked in the moment. I also struggle to find food when we travel. That's not to say there aren't a plethora of options out there, but honestly... how many do you want to carry in your bag at a geeky convention?

There are tons of Con lists out there recommending the food to bring so that it doesn't spoil but keeps you going. Examples:

• Popcorn/healthy "chip" option
• Beef Jerky
• Nuts
• Fruit Pouches (like applesauce)
• Granola Bars
• Dried Fruits
• Hard Candies
• Sandwiches (uncrustables or homemade)
• Lunchables/other premade packs
• Trailmix
• Coffee (bring your own)
• Water, Water, Water

When it comes to keto, there are three, maybe four options on that list that someone who eats this way can take.

Premade Lunch Packs 
There are some out there, but they are not lunchables. One that I've fallen in love with is Ready, Set, Egg! The sad part is that they need to be refrigerated. I mean, who wants to carry a smelly hard boiled egg around in the heat!

Nuts
You still have to be careful with nuts and not eat too many of them, but there are some that really do the trick: Almonds, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Macadamia Nuts, and Walnuts (just to name a few). These you can easily pack and not worry about keeping them cold. You just have to watch the amount that you eat. Prepackage everything. I really like the Planters NUT-trition Heart Healthy Mix. It has several of the good nuts and the net carbs are only 2 for 30 whole nuts. Definitely a pre-portion snacks.

Water
Water is a must on the Keto diet. My one friend argued that drinking a gallon a day really made all the difference for her. Regardless, water is a must no matter what your way of eating. I found at GenCon that there is nowhere to refill a water bottle unless you use the sink in the bathroom and a filtered water bottle, so you might want to find a way to carry enough water for you for the day or be prepared to drop the big bucks. Drinking as much water as possible is key to Keto. I've heard in some circles a gallon of water a day is recommended.

The Fourth
You can bring your own homemade snacks, as mentioned in the list above, but the ingredient list can be a bit tricky for what will keep with a whole day out and about.

But what else can I take to a convention that will help when I feel the need to eat, because maybe I've been expending more energy than you needed to?  We're not talking meals. That you'll have to figure out on your own, but what can I keep in my bag for those moments when I really need something. Here is what I found:

• Keto fat bombs that won't melt.
• Olives (Kalmata or Green for 0 carbs)
• Quest Bars (not too many, but work for a quick sweet tooth. Only if you need it.)
• Pork Rinds
• Keto friendly Peanut Butter and celery
• Bell peppers
• Raw Broccoli/Cauliflower
• Black Coffee (or with your own Keto additives)

If I had the means to pack  a small ice pack for my day out, it would really opens up the options available for me, such as:

• Hard boiled eggs (still weird to carry around a crowd of people)
• Cheeses
• Guacamole with veggies for dipping
• Cucumbers and Cream Cheese
• Lunch Meat
• Pre-Cooked Bacon
• Keto Broccoli Salad
• Fat Bombs that require cold temperatures

I'm not an expert and will never claim to be, but as I plan for my own trip to GenCon, I wanted to make sure that I put most temptations aside. Will I indulge a little bit? Absolutely. I don't, though, want to go overboard and will still be trying to stay as true to my Way of Eating as possible.

Good luck!


*If I can swing it, I might get to blog about my GenCon Food Adventures. I always love the diversity of the food, so we'll see what happens.

Potter'ohns - Harry Potter Macarons by [ma-ka-rohn]

 An advertisement popped up on my Instagram. This is very dangerous for me, because I almost bought my husband the gauntlet ring and I bought my coworker a custom Lego Sports guy. For shame. Then... as if I didn't need any more temptation during this insane Keto-hating moment in my life... an advertisement for Potter'ohns drew me to order the sugar.

They arrived at my door nicely packaged and, thank goodness, safe after the beating the post office gave the package (even though it said fragile!).

I immediately opened up the box and started my picture taking. (It was preserved with wonderful ice packs and a cooling bubble wrap envelope.)

There is one cookie for each house and they each have a unique flavor. I ordered one cookie of each house for each of us.

Hufflepuff - Chocolate Frog
My husband and I needed some chocolate and this delivered just that. Very tasty.

Fearless about chocolate!

Ravenclaw - Fizzing Whizbees
At first we weren't sure what was up, but then the fizzing took over. We wished there had been more fizzing and a little more flavor.

I tried to look quizzical and intellectual. haha!

Slytherine - Polyjuice Potion
This was definitely our favorite. A citrus filling really hit the spot on this summer day. I know it was supposed to be sour apple, but whatever it was...Deviously delicious! Warning: Did not transform.

Didn't know what I'd turn into!

Gryffindor - Butter Beer
Saving our most anticipated for last. I mean, hello... who isn't addicted to all things Butter Beer if you are into Harry Potter? It was a nice butterscotch flavor that really made the whole package a complete Harry Potter experience.

Cheers to inspired foods that make our days just a little brighter.

Happy Geek Pride Day 2018

I love celebrating Geek Pride Day and since things are really looking up for me, I was able to find joy in this celebration.

For my Geek Pride Day today, I posted this picture on my SmartBoard:

I made sure I wore my new TeePublic Tabletop shirt!

I brought my Avengers Towel (double getting all in one) I took my obligatory selfie (see towel in the background).

I wrote an e-mail to my coworkers about Geek Pride Day (and included Wil Wheaton's video). It was only responded to by the hardcore geeks.

Then, of course, I had to talk about the towel to my kids. Goodness knows I needed it today. We don't have AC at our school and being in the 100-year-old part of the school, on the third floor, and the unblocked windows of the rising sun, will make you sweat so bad.

I, of course, did all my geeky little things that I would normally do and I ended my evening with a Geek Pride meal of a Bob's Burger's recipe for "One Horse Open Slaw Burger." We couldn't do the bun, though, because of our whole Keto thing. But boy was it yummy.

We wanted to do so many more geeky things, but the heat from being up at school really did me in. But I did get to do something geeky with my Literacy classes. Our tabletop game unit in Literacy has wrapped up, so we decided to geek it up with playing some games. We book the Maker's Space (which has AC) and shared in everyone's games! While not perfect, we were still able to have fun.

If you're like to know more about these games, please check out my students' BoardGameGeek list and give them some thumbs up and/or feedback!

No games at home, though, due to severe exhaustion from the day.  Nevertheless.... Happy Geek Pride Day!!!