When I changed my diet I found one of the hardest things to eliminate was a staple in my morning routine.  That’s right, I am talking about coffee.

Back in the day I was a CoffeeMate/International Delight flavored creamer addict.  I usually had two going in my refrigerator, different flavors of course, but also kept a third shoved way in the back as a back up in case one of them ran out.  Then, during the holiday season…forget about it!  I would make pots of coffee just to drink the creamer.  And, with all those delicious flavors, who could resist?

So, when I took charge of my health and really started paying attention to what I was putting in my body it became obvious the totally delicious yet totally fake creamers had to go.  I mean, just look at this stuff…and this is a simple French Vanilla flavor!

It baffles me how this can be considered a coffee creamer yet there is no milk, cream, or any other whole dairy product present to speak of!  Recently, and in direct response to the public’s growing awareness, CoffeeMate has come out with a line of Natural Bliss Creamers.  Each flavor contains only 4 ingredients: milk, cream, sugar and natural flavoring.  Admittedly, this is an improvement over the more traditional creamers, but it still isn’t something I feel comfortable keeping in my fridge and adding to my coffee.

It’s taken some time, but I’ve gotten over my daily CoffeeMate addiction.  However, when the weather gets cold and the holiday season begins to creep up, I really miss my flavored coffee creamers. It appeared this year would be no different.  That is until I discovered this lovely post from Deliciously Organic.

  The author of this post includes recipes for flavored creamers like:

• Cinnamon Strudel
• Chocolate Almond
• Pumpkin Spice
• French Vanilla
• Peppermint Mocha (my FAVORITE!)

Frankly, I find the commercially made creamers too sweet.  In addition, when choose to consume any dairy like cream in my coffee, I like to make sure it comes from a grass fed source.  Making my own means I can choose to use the highest quality ingredients as well as tailor the flavor however I see fit.  So, for the first time in a long time, I am going to enjoy some seasonally flavored coffee and I hope you do, too!  Enjoy!