must have: coffee!

Coffee is one of those things in my life that I can always count on.  It's always tasty, I can make it a variety of different ways, and it seems to give me a little "pep in my step" as they say.  

It's the nectar of the gods if you ask me.  

With that being said, coffee can be a huge calorie suck if you're not careful.  Flavored creamers, sugar, syrup, whole milk, whip cream, etc.  Before you know it you're staring at a 7 Point Plus venti peppermint mocha-cinno blah blah blah...

I don't have points to waste like that, so I had to find alternatives.  

Well hello tasty substitutes!  

From left to right: fat free half & half, sugar free vanilla syrup, and my trusty (and very large!) Vespa mug.  

At first I was pretty sure that fat free half & half was simply impossible; I mean "half & half" by definition is half cream and whole milk.  But then I spent the two bucks at the grocery store to try it out, and I was pleasantly surprised.  You get the color, the flavor, and the creaminess in your coffee and it's a major Points Plus bargain!  That's right, it's zero Points Plus for 2 tablespoons of it, and if you're like me and have two cups of coffee with 2 tablespoons each, then it is one Points Plus value.  

The syrup next to it is something I picked up at my local grocery store and it happens to be the same syrup that Starbucks uses.  One ounce of it is zero Points Plus!  It adds a great sweetness to the coffee and since it's sugar free, it's a Points Plus bargain also.  I've tried the vanilla and the caramel variety, both of which I'd say are pretty tasty.  

So there you have it, my coffee must haves!