The Iced Coffee days

My (terribly amateur) animation

Ah, the nectarous* perks of the summer sun. Iced coffee is most definitely up there (along with carrot juice) on my list of top refreshments to see me through this impalpable British heat. According to the Independent, the coming month is all set to compete with 2003's heatwave of a summer (where temps reached a whopping 38c! Do not remember that!) - not that I'm complaining in the slightest! I think we deserve a semblance of real Summer weather, don't you? This is my absolute ideal temperature (I've always said I was supposed to be born Spanish/Mediterranean).

There's not a particular art form when it comes to making iced coffee. It's a fairly simple process; mix a teaspoon of coffee (and sweetener of choice if you so choose) with a very small amount of boiling water, then add one ice cube and mix for a few seconds, or until the ice cube begins to melt. I add a trickle of vanilla bean paste in here just to liven things up a bit (I know I know, living precarious)...

Add a few more ice cubes before pouring in your milk of choice. I created the GIF above simply to capture this last part of the process; there's something about the way the contrasting colours of the coffee and milk gradually mix together that makes me really, really happy. And judging by the amount of coffee-porn on Tumblr, I don't think it's just me being a massive weirdo on this one. It is an actual thing - trust me (see ici et ici).

The only downfall of iced coffee is that it's far too easy to just gulp down in one go, and thus you're always left with a few unmelted ice cubes at the end; at which point it just makes sense to go and make another, y'know, just to make use of the leftover ice. Therein lies the (my?) problem; a vicious cycle of iced coffee guzzling.

Summer? Je t'aime.



*Nectar·ous adj., of nec·tar n.; A sweet liquid secreted by flowers of various plants, consumed by pollinators, such as hummingbirds and insects, and gathered by bees for making honey || The drink of the gods (Greek/Roman mythology) || A delicious or invigorating drink.

Breakfast and snack staples

Food is a very self-chosen and particular thing, really. I would say that I'm quite strict with my food choices and tend to eat the same kind of diet daily - call me boring, you may! But to be honest, I think my body works better with this more 'routinely' way of eating, particularly in terms of breakfast and snacks.



I always start the day with porridge. I'm fixated with the stuff, and have pretty much eaten it every morning for the past year (!). Every time I deviate things go wrong; the fruit/yoghurt option doesn't satisfy my belly enough to kick-start the day, and the heavier traditional English breakfast is absolutely not compatible with my rather fragile digestive system. However, I always used to be a Weetabix kind of girl because unlike other cereals you can't possibly over-estimate your portion size (lame but true!).

I make porridge with probably 80% water and 20% milk to compensate for the amount of milk I use in tea/coffee throughout the day; that and the fact that too much milk doesn't tend to agree with my stomach, particularly in the morning. I sprinkle with sultanas and (sometimes) linseeds. Porridge never fails to keep me going until lunchtime (unlike Shreddies - 'Hunger locked up until lunch', such lies!).

My mid-morning snack usually just entails of fruit, and that generally goes for the rest of my daily snacks, too. I'm a massive fruit-fiend. My favourite fruits are bananas (but I usually just eat these for pre-workout energy or post-workout recovery because of the high-carb count), peaches, apples (which I can finally bite into again, post-braceface), grapes , apricots, plums, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. I don't know, I just can't quite get enough, and the natural sugar keeps me going throughout the day.

For me, there is absolutely no need for crisps and sugary cereal bars, or artificial sugars in general; it's a no-go in my book, because they just provide you with a quick sugar/salt high, which your body may be satisfied with at first, but give it an hour and you'll most likely be at the same level of hunger again.

My ultimate downfall is my love addiction(?) for caffiene. I am a tea and coffee gussler. However, I do try to stick to some kind of pattern i.e. tea with breakfast, coffee as a mid-morning pick-me-up, and limited/no caffeine in the evening.

At work, coffee is a necessity to keep me going through the long shifts. I've heard mixed things about the good/badness of tea and coffee; one minute it's beneficial, the next it's not? Obviously it depends on how much sugar/milk you take. However, I'm sticking to the former conclusion (surprisingly enough). Tea and coffee is too much a part of my life to let go of it now! Besides, I always thought caffiene was a tool for fast metabolism. Do correct me if I'm wrong!