Hi everyone! Sorry for the short break from blogging, but things have been busy on the job search front and I’m hoping I’ll have more to share with you about that later this week! For now, I’m just going to say that I’ve been up in Anchorage for the last few days doing job interviews. And I’m totally okay with running from one interview to another for the past two days because on Monday, the most incredible and delicious drink made its 2014 debut:
Yes, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are BAAAAACK! And I have already had 3 this week! Now before I go any farther, I know that they are not healthy and since this blog is semi-health related I shouldn’t even condone this kind of behavior. But I can’t help it. And according to Buzzfeed and all the posts I’m seeing on Facebook, there are tons of people out there who feel the same way! Fall is quickly approaching up here in Alaska. The leaves are changing colors and this was my weather report this morning:
For the record, Seward always predicts rain for every day in the foreseeable future.
I’m not going to lie, this is one of the main reasons I moved to Alaska! I love fall and hate the typical hot August weather we get at home, so I’m all about wearing a fleece on chilly August mornings! And I think that nothing goes better with crisp mornings than a warm, cinnamon and pumpkin flavored drink!
Now, I know that there are tons of bad things in PSLs. I’ve been seeing this link going around on my Facebook newsfeed and while I read it and respected what she had to say about the ingredients, I’ve got a few things to say about it. First of all, most things that typical americans eat and drink are full of stuff like this. I think most people who drink PSLs are aware that there is no pumpkin in it and it’s full of sugar. In fact, some people are fighting back agains the above website and posting facts that say that PSLs probably won’t kill you. If you’re eating a clean diet and sticking to whole healthy foods like you should be, then you will obviously not be drinking these. But since I’m pretty far away from a clean diet, I’m going to continue drinking PSLs all fall long. Starting now.
Why am I so crazy about PSLs?
- I LOVE FALL. It’s the best time of the year and once PSLs come out, I feel like it’s officially fall!
- They taste awesome. Warm or iced, it doesn’t matter. It’s just a really yummy drink!
- I love cinnamon flavored stuff. Cinnamon rolls have been my downfall this summer, and coffee plus cinnamon is the best combination ever!
- It’s offered for a limited time only. This kind of marketing strategy makes me mad, but I’m totally on board with this one. I will eat as many pumpkin things as I possibly can between now and Thanksgiving (or until I get sick of them!) just because I can.
- PSLs have their own twitter account. Check it out at @TheRealPSL! I’ve never followed a drink on twitter before, but I guess this is the time to start!
- You can’t recreate them at home. You can try, but they taste awful. Our office tried it last week and it was the worst Pinterest fail ever. If you have your own coffee shop then you should totally try it, but for now I’m going to leave it to the professionals.
- It brings people together! My coworkers and I have been talking about this for weeks now, and we are so excited that we can finally drink them at work! The local barista ordered some pumpkin spice flavoring from Khaladi Brothers and I am so excited to try that later this week!
I know that drinking PSLs is a bad habit, and I’d be healthier and save a lot of money if I didn’t do it. But this is my one big seasonal drink obsession – I don’t care for Peppermint Mochas or Shamrock Shakes and I usually stick to iced caramel lattes so I think it’s okay if I go crazy once a year. Luckily my wallet won’t allow me to go overboard, but I’ll probably still try to get at least one a week! It helps that the only Starbucks in Safeway is not within close walking distance of my office, so I can try to resist them!
Are you obsessed with PSLs? How many have you had this week so far?
Mom in the Mtns 
I’m not necessarily obsessed with PSLs, but I AM obsessed with fall and all things pumpkin flavored. Fall is my absolute favorite season, and while I don’t want to wish summer away, I’m always SO excited for crisp mornings, sweaters, and changing leaves. Enjoy your obsession!
Me too! That’s why I moved to Alaska – we’ve had a summer of crisp mornings and sweaters so it felt like months of fall! Our leaves are starting to change already which is kind of crazy but I’m going with it 🙂
Omgosh, that pumpkin bread looks soooo good right now….Im drooling. Love Starbucks and summertime. Im having a hard time letting go of the shaken teas of summer, for me it was too short…here comes fall!
Yeah, that slice was huge! And it was sooooo good. I made my own last week and it didn’t compare at all! I do love summer but fall is my favorite!
I had a brief love affair with PSL until I got one spilled on my favourite white sweater. It was tragic, really. lol.
As for the weather change….meh…we are getting to about 10 degrees above freezing in Winnipeg and it breaks my heart because we had a brutal, short summer and now fall appears to have arrived. I just want one more week of warm, not hot, weather.
Now that is sad 😦 And a good reminder that I shouldn’t wear white while drinking my next PSL! And I hear you on the weather – it’s steadily in the 50s now during the day but in the mornings it’s in the low 40s and we can see our breath. And Seward is a rainforest so it’s perpetually rainy and never gets warm anymore. I would love a few days of warm sun!
LOL. Def. avoid white and PSL’s. haha! I was going to get one today before a staff meeting and realized I was wearing white jeans, so it will have to wait.
It’s oppressively humid and cloudy and about to storm in Winnipeg right now. Oy! The sun is supposed to make an appearance this afternoon. Does Seward have lots of precipitation in the winter too or will you get some sun (despite the short days)?
With you 100%…but given that we’re dealing with a heat index of over 100 degrees for the umpteenth day, I’m going to have to stick to my Blackberry Mojito tea lemonade for a bit longer! Counting the days, though…
Oh god that sounds rough 😦 I’ll give you a pass since you don’t have PSL weather yet! Hopefully it will cool down soon!
mmmm!! PSL’s are SO GOOD! I am going to wait till it’s a little crisper out to have one. Right now I’m obsessed with Wawa’s new Mocha Machiatto. It is to die for, and yes unhealthy and expensive but I LOVE IT. Last week I had 3, I’ve been refraining myself this week but broke today hehe Good luck with the job interviews! I love your scarf and hair in your PSL pic : D
OMG WAWA! That was my go-to place for coffee. I miss it so much 😦 I will be home in a few weeks and I’ll have to try one of those!
you should! Def. get it iced though… I tried the hot one today and it was kinda weird lol
Its 93 degrees here today… no hot PSL for this girl…
Boo 😦 Hopefully it will cool off soon! But there’s always iced 😛
i used to LOVE pumpkin spice lattes before i went vegan. unfortunately, they can’t be made vegan even with soy milk because there is dairy in the pumpkin flavoring. so sad. but i do love peppermint mochas on a snowy day, so i have that to look forward to!
Oh no! That’s terrible! I feel like Starbucks should think about all of the people that they’re excluding when they have ingredients like that. But you’re right, Peppermint Mochas will be out soon (yay Christmas!).
Just went to Starbuck yesterday and got my first PSL and I was just as excited as you were. I love them and can’t get enough of them! Yum! I love fall it is by far my favorite season of the year. Can’t wait for the leaves to change and the cool nights.
Haha I feel like I totally made my barista’s day with all of my excitement as I ordered one! I told her she was my hero 🙂
I am so glad you having many promising job interviews! Fingers crossed for you! Also, I think the PSL makes a little more sense in your situation. I will NOT have an iced PSL. I just cannot. And…I CANNOT have it when it is 90 degrees today. Maybe I am a purist, but that’s just how it is. 🙂
Thanks! And yeah, it’s fall up here. We’ve had winters with this kind of weather before 😛 I have to agree that iced ones aren’t as good, but I like iced coffee better so I didn’t think they were that bad! Just kind of a weird sensation haha.
i don’t drive coffee so i’m safe 🙂