I think it is safe to say that everyone loves to save money. I think it is also safe to say that everyone loves spending the money that they want to save on things such as coffee, other fun drinks, fast food, etc. One second I will be saying that I want to save my money for something important, and the next I will be spending $15-$20 at Chipotle. So what is something that I (along with any other students at Chamblee) can do to save money on eating out? Buy the ingredients to make it at home!

Recipe #1: Starbucks Chai Latte

My all time favorite drink on the Starbucks menu is their chai latte. The pumpkin cream cold foam addition during the fall makes it the ultimate drink from August to November. The only issue is that it costs me $8 to get a venti. So problem solving me that I am, I found out how to make it at home. Now, this did take some trial and error. It took me almost a year of experimenting with different ratios and toppings to make it taste just like Starbucks. The recipe that I landed on to make it perfect is:

⅓ cup Tazo Origional Chai Concentrate

⅓ cup 2% milk

Chobani Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer (measure with your heart)

A dash of cinnamon (optional)

Ice

There are many different kinds of concentrate that you can use such as decaf, organic, espresso, skinny, etc. There are also different brands, but I’ve found that Tazo tastes the best. In a measuring cup, measure out your concentrate and add the milk directly in; there should be a 1:1 ration of concentrate to milk. After they are mixed together, pour it over ice. In a separate cup, pour in however much coffee creamer you want. I always eyeball it, but if I had to estimate I would say it is about ¼ of a cup. If you want more of a fall flavor, you can add in a dash of cinnamon or use a different flavor of coffee creamer such as pumpkin spice or cinnamon coffee cake. Then, you are going to froth it all together until it has doubled in volume and it has some air bubbles in it. Pour over top of the chai and you’ve just made one of the best chai recipes ever (in my opinion).

Recipe #2: Chipotle

Making Chipotle at home is a lot more simple than you would think. Just like you would make a taco bar at home, you’re just going to add it into a bowl and add all of the same ingredients. You can add anything you want and make it totally customizable, but my favorite way to do it is:

White Rice

No beans

Protein (chicken, steak, ground beef, etc.)

Pico de Gallo, chopped tomatoes, salsa, etc.

Sweet Corn (canned or fresh)

Sour Cream

Guacamole (homemade or store bought)

Shredded Cheese

Lettuce

Now I know that everyone has a different Chipotle order, but I also know that everything you could get at the restaurant is relatively easy to make at home and you can even find recipes online (for things like fajita veggies, pico de gallo, protein seasoning, etc.) Really all you need to do to make it taste like Chipotle is use the same ingredients and mix it all together because at the end of the day it is just Mexican food.

Recipe #3:  Cava

My birthday dinner this year was inspired by Cava and everyone in my family loved it so much. We had a self-serve bar with all the different toppings and let people add what they wanted. We used:

White Rice

Romaine lettuce

Grilled Chicken

Tomatoes

Cucumber

Avacado

Bell Peppers

Feta Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

Taziki

People could add whatever toppings they wanted and customize it to how they liked, but there were no complaints and it very closely resembled Cava. Even if you don’t intend for it to be Cava-inspired, it is very cost effective for serving large groups of people and is much cheaper than catering from somewhere. 

Recipe #4: Hot Chocolate

Now, this isn’t a direct recipe from anywhere, but it is quite possibly the best way I’ve ever had hot chocolate. Not only is it delicious, but it is easy to make and requires very little effort. You will need:

Swiss Miss Original Hot Chocolate mix

Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme

Your choice of milk or water

When I make hot chocolate, I normally just do it with water instead of milk, but when I do use milk for a creamier, more rich flavor I use 2%. I boil my water in a kettle (or microwave the milk) until it is boiling or warm enough for my liking. Always add the hot chocolate powder in your cup before adding the water because it makes it easier to mix in. I also like to use a hand frother to mix it thoroughly and make sure none is left unmixed at the bottom. After it is all mixed up, I measure with my heart and add a big spoonful of marshmallow fluff. It ends up melting and covering the whole surface of the cup. It is sweeter than a normal marshmallow and has a longer lasting taste. So while this isn’t a replica from a restaurant, I can almost guarantee that you’ll never want to get hot chocolate at a coffee shop again because of how much you like this one. 

While there are plenty more recipes to replicate from various restaurants, these are the top ones that I find myself coming back to most often. I highly recommend trying them out, and maybe even adding your own twist on it to make it even better!