Banana-Rama Eight O’Clock Coffee Milkshake

So I received this recipe from Eight O'Clock coffee and was perplexed at when to try this recipe out. Do I go for it at breakfast, it does have bananas and coffee in it,  or why not kick it up with some Kahlua for a fun party cocktail. Well....I opted for neither since shakes aren't my thing at 8am and a school night wasn't the best timing for a cocktail so I made this exactly as you see  below and made it an early evening treat...just a little before Eight O'clock (get it!). Just looking at the amount of coffee made me realize probably not a good idea too soon before bed. But you be the judge it is 12am and I am writing this post! 

Banana-Rama Eight O’Clock Coffee Milkshake

1 1/2 cups cold Eight O’Clock Coffee Original Blend

2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 Banana
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
Crushed ice

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired.  

Variation: If you really want to pump up the coffee flavor, start by crushing frozen coffee ice cubes. Switch to chocolate ice cream for a truly chocolaty treat! Or kick it up and add some Kahlua!

RESULTS: 
Perfect coffee and banana blend. I was worried about a heavy coffee taste but it was just right and that little drizzle of chocolate brought it all together. Next time I am definitely going for the adult version!

Now that summer is over...

...it's time to get my butt back in shape! Too many margaritas, hot dogs, cookouts, and of course ice cream cones for me. Funny I was talking to a friend recently who said summer is her season to get in shape. You can be outdoors all the time, go for a quick run, do a triathalon (well not me!) and so much more than you can do any other time of the year. For me it's the opposite. Our weekends are so overbooked in the summer and we try to get in every ounce of sun with the kids that no time is left for me. So now I am kicking myself into gear and at bootcamp class at 6am three days a week. Problem though is...ice cream. Who knew that would be a problem!

So this week when I went to the grocery store I was strategic about my choices....portion control and sugar free. Seriously there are actually good options out there without having to suck on flavored ice!

I ended up bringing home two different options to see which I preferred and also know if I don't eat them my ice cream loving child will. Girl after my own heart! My strategy.... one option that was premium ice cream but in a small portion controlled size or go for quantity and choose a larger bar but one that is sugar free. My daughter and I had differing opinions of which would be our favorite. More on that later.

Here is is the ongoing question.....quality over quantity VS quantity over quality!? I always pick one way. And here is what I ended up bringing home....

Magnum Mini Classic
(1.85 oz bar - Box says serving size is 2 bars so I cut nutritional facts in half)

150 calories

10 gram fat

25 grams sugar

Klondike Krunch Sugar Free

(4 oz ice cream bar)

170 calories

10 gram fat

7 grams sugar 

Once again....drum roll please...my favorite hands down but doesn't mean I didn't like the other is the Magnum Mini. I take quality over quantity all day long on most things. The chocolate is thick and rich and totally satisfies my sweet tooth and the ice cream is super creamy. All I need is that little bit of something really good. On the other hand my daughter argued with me about Klondike being the better option. She loved the Krunch in the chocolate coating and for her the mini just seemed too small. She agreed the serving size is two. And what did she do...had another!

Tis the season for Limited Edition Flavors

I never ever get to catch a segment of the Today show but I gave myself 10 minutes this morning to down my breakfast in front of the TV rather than my computer and glad I did. They had a quick segment on fall Limited Edition flavors with Roker and friends taste testing them all. I love the fall and the flavors that come with it. Sometimes I wish they were year round but maybe then I wouldn't appreciate them so much. It's all about....pumpkin lattes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin butter, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin martinis, pumpkin cupcakes....everything pumpkin. Love it!

So onto the flavors they highlighted and there's more to this than pumpkin. There were four flavors and all the hosts agreed on which they thought was the winner. Interestingly I didn't agree but to each there own. What's your pick?! Read on to the end of this post to see what the Today show gang chose.

Edy's Slow Churned Pumpkin
Sweet and Light Pumpkin Flavored Ice Cream Blended with the Perfect mix of Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Ginger.

Blue Bunny 24 Karat Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake flavored Ice Cream Swirled with Cream Cheese Frosting Flavored Ice Cream with Carrot Cake Pieces....inspired by Duff Goldman

Turkey Hill Whoopie Pie
Chocolate Ice Cream with Whoopie Pie Pieces and Creamy Filling Swirl

Ben and Jerry's Cannoli
Marscapone Ice Cream with Fudge Covered Cannoli Pastry Shell Chunks and a Marscapone Swirl

And the favorite amongst the Today show hosts was ......drum roll please.....Turkey Hill Whoopie Pie!

My favorite (but to be fair I haven't tasted them all but know I don't even have to because I am biased on the all things Pumpkin....Edy's Pumpkin. 
Get out there and try these while they are around. I have a feeling none of these will disappoint.

Maybe You (S)Hood® Get Away!

This post is way overdue, and I apologize. It's been a crazy summer.

Hood® recently surprised some lucky shoppers -- five in all -- with some weekend getaways!

(Above) On August 7, "Donna Dickinson of Portland won a trip to Mt. Washington, NH in honor of Hood’s Mt. Washington Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup." She (and her son and granddaughter) were surprised by Pawtucket Red Sox Shortstop Jose Iglesias!

(Above) Earlier in the summer, at the Charlestown, Massachusetts Foodmaster, Linda Labadini of East Boston was surprised by Red Sox Third Baseman Will Middlebrooks! Linda won a trip to Burlington, Vermont in honor of Hood's Vermont Maple Nut Flavor.

Lucky ladies! Meeting Red Sox and winning a weekend getaway just because they were "caught" buying Hood Ice Cream? Life isn't bad...

But don't worry! You too can be a winner!

Hood has graciously donated coupons for three of OUR lucky readers for a complimentary Hood product. Please see the form at the end of this post! (Thanks again, Hood!)

You can also visit their website for some cool giveaways/promotions. In fact, they have one more weekend giveaway..."Take a midnight ride with Hood® New England Creamery Ice Cream's new flavor, Colonial Chocolate Almond—enter today and you could win a “colonial” weekend in Boston for four people!" But hurry, this giveaway ends August 31!

P.S. Being a New Englander, I love all of Hood's local New England flavors...but being originally from Connecticut, I wonder why there isn't a Connecticut specific flavor? :(

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DDlicious

I already raved about my awesome sister, right? She's AWESOME. (I actually have two sisters and they are both awesome, but this shout out is to Arianna...She just surprised us with ANOTHER guest post. Thanks, A!)

Treat yourself to our new crave-worthy Iced Coffee flavors.

 Inspired by the taste of Baskin-Robbins^® ice cream, 

Mint Chocolate Chip and Old Fashioned Butter Pecan

 flavored Iced Coffees are the perfect indulgence. 

Scoop up the fun with America's Favorite Iced Coffee today.

Image & copy courtesy of Dunkin Donuts.

In early August, I received an email from Dunkin Donuts letting me know they had these new ice cream-flavored iced coffees available, and since I know that my sister doesn't like coffee, I emailed her to let her know I'd take one for the team, if I had to...! Haha. It took me a while to actually get around to trying the drinks, but when I did, they were absolutely worth it! And very refreshing on a hot day - did you know that this July was the hottest on record for the U.S.?! So iced coffees have been a lifesaver this summer.

In any case, I stopped by a Dunkies on my way home from work one evening, and this was the result of my efforts:

Here the treats are, in my car's cupholders!

I tried a sip of each one immediately. The butter pecan was very creamy and rich, and the mint chocolate chip was extremely minty, with a rich dark chocolate blended in. I couldn't get over how much both of them tasted exactly like the ice creams they were supposed to be emulating! It was like drinking ice cream, to me.

I wanted to enjoy more, but I held off, as I knew I had a few people hanging out at my house that evening who could help me evaluate. We all tried the coffees several times, and the general consensus was that the butter pecan actually tasted like coffee too (I hadn't noticed it, but it did have a coffee-flavored aftertaste), while the mint chocolate chip didn't at all, really (that could have been due to the copious amounts of chocolate lining the bottom of the plastic cup!). I figured that was a good thing to report, for those who might want the refreshment and caffeine jolt of an iced coffee in the summer, but aren't big on the whole coffee flavor. We all noticed how rich and flavorful the coffees were, but, then again, that could have partly been due to the cream and sugar -- that isn't my normal coffee M.O., but I figured the ice cream coffees would be best to try fixed that way.

In any case, they were a hit, and they went quickly!

I'd probably be more inclined to recommend them for a dessert rather than a morning coffee, though, much like the Oreo Coolatta currently being offered (I tried a sip of my friend's, and it tasted quite a bit like cookies & cream ice cream!). Quite enjoyable, but very sweet, and probably too rich for everyday consumption, in my humble opinion. But I'd definitely recommend them to ice cream aficionados.

Well, that's all for me for now. Enjoy the last few days of summer, everyone! Thanks for letting me post.

We thank YOU, Arianna, for posting!