Why you should start putting butter in your coffee.

It sounds crazy right? Butter. In your coffee. I'm not making it up though. It's a thing, and it's a pretty good thing, too.

I was exploring Pinterest, like I do on a day to day basis, and a pin about buttered coffee caught my eye. Maybe it was the word 'butter'. Maybe it was the word 'coffee'. I have a love affair with both, so either way it got my attention.

My initial reaction was one of disgust. I mean, coffee and butter. No. Stop it. But, I was interested. I investigated further and realized there were plenty of people who put butter in their coffee. Plenty of health conscious fitness freaks. There is whole brand behind it actually. The Bulletproof brand, created by Dave Asprey, is centered around a drink he calls Bulletproof Coffee. Most of the people that had chronicled their buttered coffee journeys in blogs were Paleo or on some other form of red meat loving diet. This came as no surprise, you have to have that kind of mindset to chug a cup or two of hot liquid with about two hundred calories of straight fat melted into it. Sounds delish, huh? Stay with me here. It's definitely a little bit difficult to wrap your head around, but it really is good. And surprisingly, it makes you feel good. I've been drinking it every day for the past week, and I'm not stopping anytime soon.

It really needs to be blended. It looks gross if you don't.

There are tons of proposed health benefits from drinking this stuff. I'm not convinced about some of them, but I can attest to the increased energy claim. It really does give you sustained energy and mental sharpness. Think six hour coffee buzz. At first, I was sure it was just the placebo effect, but it proved itself when J decided to wake up at 3:30 a.m. two mornings in a row. I definitely needed a pick-me-up, and that coffee delivered. I felt great all day long, all week long.

It's also supposed to reduce cravings throughout the day. You know how eating a high-fat meal makes you feel full for hours afterward? It's the same concept. I'm not a Biology teacher or a nutritionist, so if you want the science lesson behind it click here. I can, however, confirm that it does nip those cravings in the bud. You really do feel full after drinking it. It is meant to be a meal replacement drink, but I felt so full that I couldn't eat breakfast if I'd wanted to. When break time rolled around, I just stayed in my classroom and kept working. No cravings + extra energy = finished 'to-do' list. I'm a big afternoon snacker, but I didn't even have those cravings when I had my buttered coffee. Miracle coffee? Not in the least, but I'll take these side-effects any day. 

I've read that this coffee is supposed to also teach your body how to burn fat more efficiently, but I can neither confirm or deny this claim. I will say that I have lost five pounds in the past two weeks without any effort on my part. The only thing I have changed is my coffee. But, that means nothing. My weight fluctuates by a few pounds all the time. I'm going to need to see a bigger change to corroborate any weight loss claims.

So now that you know some of the benefits, let's talk about the recipe. This is my recipe. I'm sure I'm not doing this according to anyone else's recipe and it's probably why I am not seeing any weight loss benefits. But, it's how I like it, so yeah. Take that Bulletproof Guy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups high-quality coffee
• 2 tbsp butter from a grass-fed cow.*
• 1 tbsp MCT oil...I use coconut oil**
• 1 tbsp honey
• A little cinnamon
• A dash of vanilla extract

*The butter must be from a grass-fed cow. This butter has more vitamins and nutrients, and that's part of what causes the sustained energy.

**the MCT/coconut oil is optional. I like it, but G says its gross. To each his own.

*You can buy the actual Bulletproof coffee kit here: Upgradedª Bulletproof Coffee Kit

Waiting on the coffee. Do you see that pink stain on my counter...oops.

Directions:

Brew your coffee normally. I brew mine a little stronger, but do it how you like it. Combine butter, coconut oil, vanilla, honey, and cinnamon in your blender. I use my Magic Bullet for convenience, but I'm sure you could use a blender or stick blender. Pour about two cups of coffee over the other ingredients and blend until it's the color of a latte. Enjoy! 

If you like sugary coffee, this is so not for you. It is only mildly sweet and super-rich, especially if you add in the coconut oil. I suggest that you drink it hot (just because I can't imagine drinking it cold), but I have found a recipe for Iced Buttered Coffee.

Now, go throw some coffee and butter in a blender and try it for yourself. What have you got to lose?

Let me know how you like it!

Faux Granite Countertops: Decorating on a Budget

First let me say that this was not my idea. I actually got the idea from The Budget Decorator. Give credit where credit is due, right?!

See. Ugly.

 Anyway, I have the best little trick to share with you. My husband and I have been dying to redecorate our kitchen, but we were hesitant to put a whole lot of money into our house because we are planning to build a new house in the next few years. Regardless of our future plans, I could not spend another minute in that kitchen with those horrible countertops. They were hideous. I mean, these countertops were long overdue for a makeover. While browsing all that Pinterest has to offer, I stumbled upon this post about a faux granite painting technique, and I fell in love! Since I wanted new countertops anyway, I figured I wouldn't have lost much if I tried it and failed. We headed straight to Home Depot to get all of the supplies. The only materials that we couldn't get at Home Depot were the acrylic paints, and we got those at Hobby Lobby. I had an idea of the end product when I was buying the acrylic paints, but if you don't you can just grab a granite sample from a home improvement store for inspiration. The sample will also help you get an idea of the 'design' you're trying to get. 

Materials:

• Primer

B-I-N Shellac Base Primer & Sealer Stain Killer 00904 (1 Quart)

• Small Dense Foam Roller w/roller tray (I'd get extra rollers)

• A few acrylic paints in 'natural' colors (grab a granite sample for a reference)

• Polyacrylic (especially if you're doing the kitchen. It is safe on food prep surfaces.)

Minwax 63333 Satin Polycrylic Protective Finishes, 1 Quart

• Extra fine grit sanding block

• Foam Brushes

• LOTS and LOTS of paper towels 

Martha Stewart 32228 Sea Sponge, Set of 6

• Natural sponges (this is up to you, I actually prefer the paper towels over the sponge)

The left is two coats, the right is just one coat.

Step 1: So, first you need to prep your counters for the primer. Obviously you've got to remove all the junk (I just stuck mine on the stove and other inconspicuous places). Since it is the kitchen, you probably need to clean the counters very well with some type of degreaser. I used a Magic Eraser first to get all of the tough stuff then I went at it with some Dawn dishwashing liquid and warm water. Make sure it is dry, dry, dry after all of that cleaning otherwise the primer will get goopy. 

Step 2: After you clean it, roll some primer over those bad boys. You heard (saw? read?) me right, no sanding! The primer eliminates the need to sand them. So anyway, you roll on two coats of primer with about 30-45 minutes to dry between coats.  

The 'base' color all dotted on there.

Step 3: When the primer is dry the fun stuff begins. Take a paper plate and squirt a lot of the acrylic paint that you
want as your dominant color on it. Roll a couple of paper towels up into a little rose shape and dip it into the paint, then just start tapping the paint onto the counter. All over the counter. There's really no rhyme or reason to it. Don't worry about what it looks like yet, just get the color on there.   




Step 4: After you get the dominant color smudged on there, do the same with the other colors. The amount of each color depends on what you want your final product to look like, it's not an exact science. Just use your best judgement and I'm sure it'll turn our just perfect! There I'd one thing I figured out though, you'll want to layer the colors as much as your arm can stand. The more you layer, the better it looks. Also, you don't have to wait for the paints to dry between layers, I actually like the look you get is you smudge one color into another color that isn't quite dry yet. I don't have any picture for you because I got too excited during the process to stop and take pictures...sorry!

Just look at the shine. Enjoy it. Take it all in.

Step 5: So you're finished smudging now on to the shine. My hubs sort of created this technique where he rolls the polycrylic on first (not recommended), let's it dry, sands it lightly, rolls it again, foam brushes more polyacrylic on top of the still wet layer he just put on, let's it dry, sands it, and repeats the cycle once more with the exception of the sanding on the top layer. The 'normal' method took about six coats to get the shine we had in mind, but his technique only took three coats (and I must admit, it's more like the granite shine). 



 Let the top coat of polycrylic dry and put your kitchen back together :) My 'after' picture is at the bottom. I'm sure you'll notice that I also had G put up a new backsplash. I'll let you know how to do that in a post soon. You'll never guess what we used!! 

Now go paint your countertops and fool everybody into thinking you splurged on granite. Everyone except for me that is...I know your little secret.  

Before: Old Busted

After: New Hotness (I still need to paint my cabinets, so you don't get to see the whole kitchen yet!)