I adore a decent cup of coffee and can state without doubt that I don’t function 100% without a cup or two under my belt most days … but I have ‘escaped’ the frappuccino habit. Not the case for so many of you if social media platforms are to be believed and this Summer the trend is likely to continue with more flavours being added to the range at most coffee shops and outlets. Indeed there’s a new Unicorn version which is ‘dump city central’!
But blimey they can be expensive and they certainly can come with a calorific back bite! So much so that I was asked by a niece if I could come up with something lighter on both the wallet or purse and the hips. She isn’t a WLS patient but a discerning coffee imbiber and weight watcher …
I believe I have come up with something better, it certainly passed the taste test, came out much cheaper than a ready-made one, plus clocked in at considerably fewer calories – and with a better lower sugar and fat profile too (a Mocha Light ready-made version has 26 g sugar!)
I think it will appeal to many WLS frappuccino drinkers and so I share it here. For the record, I have also taken a liking to it – but have it in a cup (one of our Bariatric Portion, Cook and Serve Measuring Cups) as a kind of mocha iced smoothie, topped with some nuts or seeds and sliced fruit. It’s great as a breakfast/brunch/light lunch or even dessert dish. I found for this variation it helps to be a little thicker in consistency than the drinkable one and so I added a teaspoon of chia seeds to thicken it up a bit when there was time to let it stand and thicken – and it worked a treat. But when time is short you could however use quark instead of the yogurt for a thicker version.
So you can indulge if on a tight budget at home and cut down at least 30% on the calories … a win, win I think!
BARIATRIC FROZEN MOCHA FRAPPUCCINO
Ingredients
METRIC/US
3 tbsp/¼ cup brewed coffee (I used an espresso quantity from my machine)
3 tbsp/¼ cup unsweetened almond milk (or other preferred low-fat, low-sugar milk)
6 tbsp/½ cup thick Greek 0% fat yogurt (I used Fage)
few drops liquid sweetener (I used 3-4 drops liquid stevia but have also tried with 2-3 tsp Truvia granulated)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
250 ml/1 cup ice
low-fat whipped cream (optional)
low-sugar chocolate syrup (optional – I used Choc Shot)
For the smoothie variation (optional):
1 tsp chia seeds
½ tsp unsweetened coconut (toasted if liked and optional)
few mixed berry fruits (optional)
Method
- Place the coffee, milk, yogurt, sweetener, cocoa and ice in a blender and whizz until smooth, pulsing a few times to stir or redistribute the mixture if necessary. If making the smoothie variation add the chia seeds before blending.
- Pour the frappuccino into a glass or tall mug and top with a swirl of low-fat whipped cream and a drizzle of low-sugar chocolate syrup if liked. Serve at once.
- If making the smoothie then pour the prepared mixture into a serving cup (I used the 1 cup Portion, Cook and Serve Measuring Cup size for a WLS portion) and top with the coconut and soft fruit as liked.
SERVES 1
WLS PORTION: ½-1
V suitable for Vegetarians
CALORIES PER PORTION FOR DRINK/SMOOTHIE BOWL (without optional toppings): 93/119
PROTEIN: 11.8g/12.8g
CARBOHYDRATE: 4.8g/5.2g
FAT: 2.7g/4.2g
Recipe images ©Copyright of Bariatric Cookery (UK) Ltd