Tag: Starbucks

• What Coffee Means to Me…

  Posted at 7:33 AM by Brittany, on November 25, 2013

  It’s 4:30 in the morning, and as I write this post the sky is pitch black..just like the coffee I have sitting next to me. I find mornings like this to be so peaceful, and I will wake up earlier than I have to just to enjoy some quiet time (I work at 6.) There aren’t many things in life more magical to me than that first sip of morning coffee. I love the flavor of coffee, but I think the real reason I enjoy coffee so much is deeper than just the taste.

  

  Coffee reminds me of calm, casual mornings like this. When the world is still asleep, aside from a few morning birds like myself. It reminds me of home, with warm bed sheets and a snugly kitty. It reminds me of crisp fall days in a pumpkin patch with a double cupped tall Pike roast in my hand. Foggy mountains covering tall evergreen trees with their grey mist. Coffee reminds me of time spent catching up with friends, either in a coffee shop or at home. I adore coffee shops.

  

  Not my photo, but how gorgeous! Take me here with a stein of coffee.

  Also, if I am going to keep it real, coffee reminds me of an excellent morning because 90% of the time it aids in the final step of my digestion. How’s that for a PG-13 descriptive play on words? I had to..I suppose since we’re on the topic of coffee this would be the perfect segue to gush about how obsessed I am with the burlap sack coffee gift bags that Starbucks has right now. Spoiler alert for my dad, I hope he’s not reading this post. Although it should be no surprise that my family is getting coffee for Christmas…who doesn’t like coffee?

  

  I DIE! The best part? This bag is FREE when you buy any pound of the Christmas blends. Seriously, Starbucks needs to hire me for marketing..I would sell a ton of stuff because I LEGIT love it too. It’s a good thing I have a tight grip on my wallet or I would be in serious trouble. ALL the things!

  I am going to need an entire garbage truck full of coffee to power me through my half marathon in six days! Ohhh dear. I am surprisingly calm about the entire thing right now despite minimal running in my world these days. I did go for a 5 miler in 35 degrees last week to get my legs moving and my lungs burning. Just when I thought I was going to die an elderly woman out walking (seriously, badass) told me I was ambitious.

  

  I wore pants, and a top, but I assume I took on the spirit animal of these bare skinned men and was basically flying through the air when she saw me. Whatever it was that caused her to speak such nice words gave me an extra boost to finish strong. It’s going to be a long 13 miles. If someone could volunteer as tribute to bring me coffee at the end, I’d appreciate it.

  Q: What does coffee (or tea!) mean to you?

  

  | 63 Comments Tagged Coffee, Half Marathon, Running, Starbucks

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 4:51 AM by Brittany, on November 19, 2013

  1. After what felt like the longest day of my life I allowed myself to spend $9 on a pound of food. It was pure vegan awesome, and I finished the entire thing in less than 3 minutes.

  2. I’m listening to Christmas music as I write this post, and I have no shame.

  3. Speaking of Christmas, I’m wayyy too excited about the red aprons at Starbucks.

  

  4. I had a dream I was exploring Ireland, when pirates started to attack the boat I was on. Thankfully my cat had a hairball (in real life) and his convulsing woke me up. Actually, it ALWAYS wakes me up..this is the first time I was thankful.

  5. My workout clothes are still a bit snug, and I have resorted to wearing my over sized race shirts when I go out for a run. I went from looking like a streetwalker with clothes too small, to a 12 yr old boy with no female anatomy. I just can’t win..haha. Time to shop!

  

  DISNEY HALF MARATHON shirt…that made me excited.

  6. I’m also baking while writing this post. Christmas music, blogging, and baking. I am baking this pumpkin bread for my mom and her friends. I’m such a good daughter.

  7. I went to the grocery store at 9pm to get fixings for my breakfast the next day. It was 100% worth it. I called it breakfast in a bag.

  

  

  I’m including this after some readers requested more photos of my “boring” meals!

  8. More Starbucks talk, OH MY GOSH I want SO many things in the new Christmas product line. A gold french press, a wooden coffee sampler box with burlap sacks, a chalkboard advent calendar, and a crystallized cup ornament!? I WANT ALL THE THINGS! I can’t justify the french press because I have one, but it’s GORGEOUS!

  9. My “non running”/ running schedule is going well. Lots of spinning and cardio at the gym..and minimal running. Two is still better than zero…right? I’m so gonna rock my next half marathon…gulp. 11 more days…

  

  10. I have the most ridiculous fan girl crush on Tom Hiddleston. Ohh I just swoon. If he could find my blog and enjoy my quirks, I’d love to eat pasta under the moon together. I’d bake him barrels of cookies…

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 63 Comments Tagged Coffee, Confessions, Random, Starbucks

• The Opening Shift

  Posted at 9:12 AM by Brittany, on October 3, 2013

  Once upon a time I worked at 4 am, every single day. I loved it. I miss it, and even talk about it at times to an annoying extent. “Ohh man I love getting up early, I used to work at 4 am every day so this is nothing.” This is usually when I get the, “I don’t give two hoots” glare. OK so at the time I would complain, but looking back my days were ideal.

  I finally got the opportunity to open at Starbucks and I loved it. I won’t get these shifts everyday, but once a week is a start! My internal clock decided to be a biatch and actually woke me up before my alarm. Instead of trying to sleep for 10 more minutes, I got up. I grabbed my head phones and spent some time with my coffee and NPR. I’m old.

  

  Please notice the time…I was already up for an hour.

  This article was SO interesting. Obviously the title is what caught my eye, but I was engrossed the entire time. AHH I miss working early mornings! I miss my old job…A LOT. I had a 5 miler scheduled after work and it was SO UNBELIEVABLY ROUGH! I was so tired, my body hurt, and I was hungry. I did find 10 cents though! CHA-CHING!

  

  I love getting paid to run.

  Not all runs are easy, and this has been a tough week in the running department. Hopefully next week I’ll be back to mentally running with wolverines. I’m also craving sugar like a pregnant woman craves pickles and peanut butter…together. I’ve cut down my sugar intake, and when I order a latte at work I make sure to only get an 8oz. ALL THE FOAM!

  

  Fun fact: I like to dip my food (bready goods-think PB&J or muffin/breakfast rolls) in my latte foam. SOOO legit. This ensures that no foam gets left behind. Mmmm foammmm.

  Lastly I’d like to publicly say hello to October. This is hands down my favorite month of the year and so far it has been going swimmingly. The rain has been lovely, the crisp air has been magical, and I’m ready to get crafty with some pumpkins!

  

  Q: Are you a morning bird, or a night owl? I slept in until 7:30 this morning after yesterdays long day. It was amazing. 

  

  | 59 Comments Tagged Garmin, Latte, Morning, Running, Starbucks, Trader Joes

• Fun Times

  Posted at 8:31 AM by Brittany, on September 30, 2013

  On Saturday when I got to work we had no power. When all the cleaning was done, and there was nothing else that we could possibly do (the store was not open, we just had to wait it out) my fabulous coworkers and I had a powwow..in the dark…with coffee.

  

  Can you guess which hand is mine!?

  The store was closed for four hours…I was there for two of those hours. Ever tried going to the bathroom in a pitch black room? iPhone flashlight to the rescue. It was a fun time.

  After this crazy day, I went for a run. It was pouring, and the wind was so strong it blew down trees with trunks the size of semi trucks. Slight exaggeration maybe, but still. I ran 5 miles and was 5 pounds heavier when I got home thanks to all the rain. It was a fun time.

  

  TRUTH!

  I’ve been shopping so much lately, and by so much I mean 1/3 the amount of a normal shopper. For me this is huge. Yesterday I bought a new dress and I am so jazzed. I’ve always been the “roll outta bed and go” kinda girl, but putting a bit more effort into my outfits has given me a huge confidence boost. It’s been a fun time.

  

  It’s fall and the weather has been dark and grey, I love it. I have consumed more coffee and tea in the last week than I have all month. I’ve been spending a lot of time outside even when it’s nasty, I love where I live. Last night I walked in the rain. It was a fun time.

  

  I’ve been spending a lot of time with people lately. I tend to gravitate towards being alone, and have forced myself out of this bubble. Life is so much sweeter with good company.

  Q: What’s been fun in your world lately?

  

  | 65 Comments Tagged Coffee, Fall, Random, Running, Starbucks

• Other Options

  Posted at 7:25 AM by Brittany, on August 8, 2013

  Let’s be real, most coffee based beverages are jam packed with extra calories, fats, sugars, and so on. I have never been a “fancy” coffee drinker, and 98% of my days I stick to black coffee with absolutely nothing added, but with free drinks being thrown my way I’ve tried to get creative. I’ve already shared my Starbucks smoothie creations, and I always get my iced teas unsweetened, but what if I want a coffee drink with a little pizzazz?

  Insert the coffee frappuccino, the most basic of frappuccinos with just enough oomph to make you feel like you’re in with the “foo foo” drink club. I don’t care for the crazy sugary flavored fraps, and really enjoy the flavor of just the basic coffee. However, this is still a frappuccino which means it gets a sugary binding agent to help hold the goodness together. Well I don’t like that, so I decided to NIX the frap syrup base all together and sub in some natural sugar..in the form of a banana! PERFECT binding agent and GREAT flavor pair.

  Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE me some sugar, but I would rather eat a cookie or an entire cake than get my sugar from syrups. To each their own. I also swap the frap roast (coffee portion) for fresh espresso shots for more of a coffee flavor. Swoon.

  While I am on the topic of work, and other options, I just want to say my commute to work is quite enjoyable. It’s about a 20minute drive, and I am able to take back roads that I adore. Taking the road less traveled instead of the freeway makes for a calm drive to and from. One of my favorite roads on this commute is full of farms, cows, and a produce stand.

  

  It’s adorable and makes me crave fall.

  On a completely unrelated note my cereal spoke to me the other day.

  

  Is this real life!?!

  Those blueberries fused together to form a PERFECTLY proportioned Mickey Mouse head! This must be a sign..it’s almost been a year since I have been to Disneyland, which means it’s almost been a year since I ran my first half marathon!! I want to go back! I have officially started training for half marathon number three..here we gooooo!

  Q: What’s your go to drink at Starbucks (or any coffee shop?) I have like five.

  

  | 64 Comments Tagged Disneyland, Half Marathon, Starbucks, Work

• Hangry

  Posted at 9:39 AM by Brittany, on July 31, 2013

  Monday was my sisters 29th birthday. To celebrate, my family and I went to eat at Red Robin. The weather was nice, which permitted us to sit outside. Big mistake. While it felt good outside, I think the waitress forgot there were people out there because it took WAY too long to get our food. I was getting so hangry I was ready to fight.

  

  My brain was like a forest fire until this burger was placed in front of my face. The second I got my food I turned into a tornado and it’s a wonder I didn’t choke. Sometimes I wish I had a set of gills that I could use to breathe through while I run train on my food.

  

  I would have eaten the plate if it weren’t plastic. Do not cross me when I am hangry.

  

  I look something like this.

  I don’t go out to eat very often because: A. It can get expensive, B. My waistline doesn’t like it, and C. I like to know exactly what I am eating, and with restaurant meals that’s almost impossible. With that said when I DO go out to eat, I take my “vegan” diet with a grain of salt. I like to go to all vegan restaurants when I can, but sometimes I go elsewhere.

  This meal for example is a Boca burger. The patty is vegan, but I have no idea what’s in the bun. Normally whole wheat buns are vegan, but I don’t ask when I am at restaurants. I don’t want to be “that person” that asks for every single ingredient, and if I were I should just stay home. SO I don’t eat out often, but when I do I close my eyes and assume my bread is vegan. C’est la vie..vegan with benefits at its finest.

  My booty has started to resemble Jupiter lately and in order to combat the severe case of belly bloat I have, today will be a day of SMOOTHIES! Bye bye broccoli gas, hello flat belly. Lots of fruit means LOTs of fiber. I like to ensure my colon never looks like an LA freeway in the middle of rush hour traffic. I need smooth sailing every day.

  

  Thankfully my work has fruit. I’ve been drinking this smoothie nearly every day. So simple, but so good. Splash of strawberry puree (I balance this with some water) splash of soy milk, a banana, and two packs of blueberries. Who says you have to get coffee at a coffee shop? Free smoothies never tasted so good.

  Q: Do you turn into a tornado when you are hangry?

  

  | 70 Comments Tagged Hangry, Red Robin, Smoothie, Starbucks, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:21 AM by Brittany, on July 29, 2013

  1. Lately my life has been very textbook. I literally do the same thing everyday. I wake up, I coffee, I eat, I let coffee do its job, I run, I work, I run, I eat, I sleep, I work. My days are a bit numb, but I’m glad to be busy. I’m working 11 days in a row and I don’t even care.

  

  My own smoothie creation.

  2. If you dare me to do something I’ll most likely do it. Add money to the conversation and it’s a sure go. I made a dollar yesterday just to bite into a brown banana. Don’t people know that this is when bananas are best? I didn’t dare spill my secret, and my dollar is safe in my pocket. I imagined biting the banana skin is what it’s like to be a Tasmanian devil. 

  3. While taking awkward photos proving I occasionally wear girl clothes before the wedding I went to last weekend, I noticed my uneven scapula’s. When I was 13 I broke my collar bone, and clearly the broken size droops. I had no idea..haha.

  

  I was trying to show off my runners tan, and instead I have a pathetic tan and uneven shoulders. Please tell me you notice it… it’s on —> side.

  4. I don’t like telling people I’m a vegan. In fact I don’t really like calling myself a vegan. The title is too stereotypical these days and too many people judge me before they know me. Just because I don’t want to put dead animals or their teet milk in my body, doesn’t mean I run around with butterflies and rainbows. My blog is another story obviously.

  5. My meals have been completely unimaginative lately. I need to find my spark in the kitchen again because I miss it. All I eat are a lot of veggie bowls with some kind of protein base. I also still lather my face with peanut butter, I just can’t get enough. Oh and fruit. Basically I am pretending I am a survivalist in my kitchen and eating off the land.

  

  

  Lunch break with lady green.

  6. I am already craving fall. Crisp morning runs, crunchy leaves, pumpkin GALORE! Only a couple more months!! Just the thought makes me twitch with excitement. Twitch.

  7. My cat is a ninja. That is all.

  

  Climbing up jackets on the wall.

  

  Observing his prey (aka me while I am running..what a creep!) Also please don’t be jealous of my TV circa the 1700’s.

  

  Fangs of death.

  8. My confession posts are becoming more frequent. My topics to write about are too small for their own post, but just important enough to deserve being mentioned. It’s time I work on a new recipe. I haven’t had cake in weeks and my desire to shank is coming back.

  9. Somehow the Starbucks bag makes it into a lot of my pictures. The wannabe photographer in me thinks it’s artsy. Hanging out with my cat all day will do that.

  

  10. I used to wake up at 3:30 AM every morning for work. Today I woke up at 4:30 AM for work and felt like I was hobbling around like a drunk monkey. HOW did I do this every morning? Just another example of the wonder that is the human body. After an hour and an IV of coffee I was agile and glad to be up before the sun, and the world.

  Q: Who likes to wake up early? I do I do, but my ideal time is 6AM.
  

  

  | 84 Comments Tagged Cats, Coffee, Confessions, Random, Running, Starbucks, Vegan

• Blissful Blueberries

  Posted at 7:16 AM by Brittany, on July 10, 2013

  Working in a coffee shop means I get to work around drool worthy baked goods all day long. I have been lusting over the blueberry scone at Starbucks since it was first launched a few weeks ago as apart of the new La Boulange treats. This scone is made with dairy, so I took the inspiration and baked my own dairy free scones!

  

  I took my scones up a notch though and added orange zest and squeezed an orange on top, with some sugar for a crumbly finish. Craving satisfied! If you look close you’ll see the zest!

  

  I used a pre-made flour base so I don’t have a recipe for you, but perhaps this post will inspire you to bake some scones to have with your morning coffee! I had just purchased some fresh organic blueberries that were on sale, it must have been fate!

  

  If all else fails, there is a Starbucks on every corner and you can go buy a blueberry scone from them, I hear they are delicious! I bring some home to my mom anytime I can! Bringing home scones for my family means I get to eat more of these scones, win win!

  

  I still had plenty of blueberries left after making these scones, and decided to throw some in with a bowl of quinoa. From there I added some pistachios and topped it all off with some lime juice! SO simple, but so delicious!

  

  I don’t have a recipe for this either because I just eyeballed everything. I used a half cup of (pre)cooked quinoa (which comes out to be more like a full cup after the quinoa is cooked,) around 3/4 cup of blueberries, and around 1/2 cup shelled salted pistachios. Squeeze as much lime (or lemon, or ORANGE!) on top as you desire!

  

  Close up shot.

  I LOVE blueberries, so perfect for summer.

  Q: What’s your favorite flavor scone? 

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Baking, Scones, Starbucks, Vegan

• Good People

  Posted at 7:30 AM by Brittany, on July 6, 2013

  Last weekend I spent some time with old/new friends. I say old/new because while they are new to me friends..I have met them before because we all went to high school together. A mutual friend recently came into town and brought us all together. Since the three of us have no friends we decided to make a trip to Seattle together.

  The original plan was to go to a couple farmers markets, but we only made it to one and were only there for about 8 min. Enough time to snap some pictures & drink some juice.

  

  Fruit wine!

  

  

  Raspberry Tetris

  The remainder of the day was spent figuring out public transportation (I have never ridden so many city buses in my life, and it was a blast of an adventure), eating good food, and spending time looking at thrift shops, bakery’s, and coffee shops.

  

  While this bakery had an adorable picture worthy sign, they did not have anything worth purchasing inside. So I did what any Seattle lover would do, and I walked across the street to Starbucks. I got some weird looks for getting a drip coffee while it was 80F outside.

  

  This is how I double fist. Water and coffee!

  It’s no secret that I love to walk, however the temperatures were getting higher and higher throughout the day, and it was hard to walk at times. You know you’re with good people when despite the heat you still go out of your way to walk for some sugar.

  

  

  This homemade ice cream shop has one vegan ice cream option, which was delicious, but reminded my why I don’t like ice cream on hot days. Call me crazy, but I feel so sick and weighed down with the heaviness of frozen cream on a hot day. Nonetheless this coconut milk chocolate chunk ice cream was SO good. Must remember for a COOLER day.

  

  I really liked that my ice cream was the same price as all the “normal” ice creams. Usually I find that I am paying more for a vegan option (which is lammmeee) but this place charges by the scoop regardless of the flavor! That’s the way to do it! All in all it was a fun and exhausting day with new friends.

  Q: What foods do you stay away from on a hot day? Ice cream, fatty foods, HOT meals, anything heavy. 

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Adventure, Ice Cream, Seattle, Starbucks, Vegan

• My Marvelous Mug

  Posted at 8:59 AM by Brittany, on July 4, 2013

  So I have a new job. I have been working at Starbucks for six weeks now, and have been drinking enough coffee to fuel a humpback whale flying to the moon. I can’t complain though, getting free drinks all day is just one of the many perks.

  After I received my barista certification a few weeks ago, I decided to buy myself a mug that I have been lusting over for months. It’s not often I come across a mug that I drool over while my foot twitches at the same time.

  

  SWOOOOOON. I first saw this mug back in March when I stopped into Starbucks on my way to VegFest. I couldn’t justify buying it then, so I didn’t. WELL I needed a new mug and figured that my barista certification was justification enough to buy myself a gift!. A mug like this makes my morning coffee taste so much better.

  

  I’m slightly obsessed. Now all I need is my own espresso machine to make lattes at home. My favorite part about this mug is that I saved almost $4 thanks to my partner discount. We all know I go coo coo for discounts. I also no longer need to buy coffee for home thanks to my weekly markout where I get a pound of free coffee. Free loot, free loot, FREE LOOT!

  I’m trying to be proactive with this job, and I ask to make drinks anytime it’s slow. Normally newbies stay on the register for a while before making drinks, but I want to learn as soon as possible so that I am on par with the rest of the crew. Sometimes when it starts getting busy and I have to make a drink I am unfamiliar with I feel something like this..

  

  I’m catching on though. Thankfully all the people I work with are super nice and help me out anytime I flop like a suffocated fish splashing coffee and milk all over the place. I’ve held my own anytime it’s been busy, and I actually enjoy the morning rush of the junkies coming in to get their crack coffee fix. Coffee drinkers can be ruthless.

  As time goes on and things start to feel comfortable I enjoy the job so much more. I am having fun, and making new friends. I’ve received nothing but positive feedback which helps give me the confidence I need as the new kid.

  

  Starbucks is an amazing company and gives back to the community, along with taking care of the countries they get their beans from. I’ve learned so much about what happens behind the scenes and it makes me love the products that much more! They also take great care of their employees. All in all things are going well, and I’ve started to settle in!

  Q: Do you have a favorite mug you use for everything? 

  

  | 57 Comments Tagged Coffee, Job, Mug, New, Starbucks

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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