Gooood morning! 
I woke up bright and early and headed straight to Starbucks to work on my book edits. To be honest, I haven’t been very diligent about working on them. I have 170, single-spaced pages of edits, so, not surprisingly, it’s a tad overwhelming.
This morning, I finally created a game plan to finish all of my edits in the next two weeks, which means tackling approximately 14 pages each day. It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s the only way to keep me on track. Otherwise, the thought of 170 pages of edits stresses me out to the point of not doing them at all!
At Starbucks, I ordered an iced grande soy latte, which was delicious and had me buzzing along through my book edits.
(I forgot to snap a photo of my iced latte, so I “borrowed” this one from Google images.)
Speaking of buzzing along– did you know that a Starbucks grande coffee has 330 milligrams of caffeine? If you don’t know what that means, it’s a lot!! An iced grande latte from Starbucks has half that amount. Crazy, right? I had no idea! I always assumed that an espresso drink automatically had more caffeine. I guess I was wrong! I actually switched from my usual iced coffee to an iced latte this morning for just that reason.
Here are some other caffeine counts (from Real Simple):
- Starbucks Grande Coffee: 330 milligrams
- Seattle’s Best Medium Coffee: 180 milligrams
- Dunkin’ Donuts Medium Coffee: 178 milligrams
- Seattle’s Best Medium Latte: 150 milligrams
- Seattle’s Best Medium Cappuccino: 150 milligrams
- Starbucks Grande Cappuccino: 150 milligrams
- Tim Hortons Medium Coffee: 140 milligrams
- Two Tablets of Excedrin Extra Strength: 130 milligrams
- Starbucks Grande Caramel Frappucino: 95 milligrams
Breakfast
When I got home from Starbucks, I was more than ready to eat breakfast. I actually started daydreaming about what to make while I working on my edits! I wanted something new and interesting, yet hearty and satisfying. And, then I remembered an old recipe for Sweet Potato Oatmeal Pancakes that I made awhile back.
If you’re a long-time Carrots ‘N’ Cake reader, you might remember this recipe from November 2008. The photos from this post are MIA, so I’m reposting the recipe today.
I had my Sweet Potato Oatmeal Pancakes with maple syrup, chopped walnuts, and chia seeds on a turtle plate.
Sweet Potato Oatmeal Pancakes
Makes 2 panckes
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup mashed sweet potato
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
- Maple syrup, walnuts, chia seeds (optional)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Divide batter in half and create a pancake on greased fry pan.
Cook each side of pancake until lightly browned; repeat for second half of batter.
Top with maple syrup, walnuts, chia seeds or your other favorite toppings.
Delicious! 
Question of the Day
Do you consume a lot of caffeine? If you have too much, does it make you feel buzzed?
P.S. You can see what I purchased at the grocery store this week!
{ 126 comments… read them below or add one }
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That’s one thing that many people don’t realize: the darker the roast, the less caffeine the coffee has!
So, espresso (being the darkest roasted bean) has very little caffeine compared to light roast coffee beans.
I used to never have caffeine, but I’ve become more of a coffee drinker lately.
Although I notice my PVC’s more when I drink it… I like the buzz though
I’m weening myself off some caffeine. I used to drink 2-3 cups of coffee every morning plus multiple cups of tea throughout the day. Now I limit myself to 1 cup of coffee and 2-3 cups of tea, mostly caffeine-free.
I can only take one shot of coffee…whatever amount of caffeine that is. Once I hit two shots of coffee I go crazy! I can’t stop talking or moving.
I drink a lot of tea, which isn’t that high up on the caffeine scale, but I definitely know when I have too much! I’m very, very sensitive to caffeine. Usually just one cup of coffee will do me in, so I usually don’t drink any … though one of my fave pleasures in the fall and winter is to drink either vanilla flavored coffee or a pumpkin spice latte.
You’re not alone, I used to work at several coffee shops in my younger years and customers ALWAYS thought there was more caffeine in espresso! I like to drink one medium coffee in the morning (not really a fan of Starbucks) and then usually leave it alone the rest of the day…unless I go out for a nice meal in the evening
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Caffeine = happiness. My mom worked for Coca-Cola during my entire childhood, so I grew up drinking Coke and Surge (yikes!) and have been addicted to caffeine ever since. Thankfully, I’ve mostly given up my soda habit and stick to coffee and tea… but I don’t function properly without it!
I definitely consume a lot of caffeine, although it always depends upon my current job/commute at the time and how much sleep I get the night before. I can have as little as a cup of tea or as much as 3 cups of grande-sized coffee (although I like to have somewhere closer to the one cup of tea side of the spectrum). That being said, I LOVE coffee, so I can’t really avoid it, nor do I want to! I like lattes too.
I generally don’t try to have too much caffeine in one day. I assumed an espresso drink had more too!
I usually have 2 cups of coffee in the morning to offset the fatigue that sets in due to medication I am taking. I wouldn’t say that I really get that boost in energy that most people get when drinking caffeine though. I can drink it in the evening and usually be fine. Drinking caffeinated soda used to be a daily occurrence but now I drink it maybe once week. It was hard weening off..
I think it is so smart of you to divide up your book edits that way — 170 pages is really overwhelming! And I have a hard time READING much less editing single space typed pages. Those caffeine amounts are ridiculous! I do get buzzed from even the smallest cup of coffee — even more buzzed if I have sugar or creamer in the coffee, I can almost feel the sugar hit my system!
I used to love my starbucks lattes but recently they’ve been making me feel nauseous and light headed so I’ve had to stop completely. No trouble stopping either, people never believed I wasn’t addicted to caffeine, but i guess i proved them wrong.
Last year, I found Carrots ‘N Cake by googling “sweet potato pancakes.” It was the first time I’d ever read any blog and I fell in love! I still use this recipe all the time – and obviously it got me totally hooked on blogs. Here I am, blogging!
@Becky: Awww, I love this story!
I would def. believe that Starbucks is packing caffeine! I normally don’t feel the effects of caffeine…unless it’s Starbucks lol. It doesn’t make me jittery…only more awake
I drink 2-3 large cups everyday and have no buzz, but then again I have a high tolerance for everything. My husband however, can have 2 cups and is bouncing off the walls like a ping pong ball(he can’t take any meds, I give him children’s cold meds). We are a pair
I use to drink Mountain Dew religiously throughout college for the late night study sessions. Now I just have a cup of coffee a day, iced in the summer and hot in the winter.
When I was teaching elementary school (new teacher) and taking grad classes, I needed caffeine. I really don’t think I could have survived the first year without it. I was ingesting so much that it began having the opposite effect and made me tired all the time! As per doctor orders, I tuned it down and felt much better. I started a differed grad program recently (Higher Ed Admin. It’s so nice to see a kindred spirit on the web!), and the caffeine intake due to working full time and taking classes has increased again. While diet coke is cheap, I prefer a tall starbucks coffee or some green tea. It’s healthier than the soda, packs more punch, and is usually cheaper.
I used to never drink caffiene, but working in the corporate world has me hooked. In fact, I need another cup right now. It definitely made me jittery when I drank less, but now I hardly notice.
The pancakes look awesome!
I wonder how much caffeine is in your birthday cake coffee. I’m used to Starbucks, and when I ordered and tried the birthday cake coffee, it did NOTHING for my alertness levels. (It was yummy, though.)
I can handle my caffeine. If I drink it before bed I can still conk out really fast. Either that means caffeine doesn’t have an effect on me or I’m incredibly sleep deprived.
I dont drink caffeine so the only amount I get is from foods like chocolate and what not. I know if I even have the smallest amount that’s not natural I get really shakey cause I have such a low tolerance for it
I didn’t grow up having caffeine because my mom can’t have it, so unless it’s from natural source like chocolate, I don’t have it. I tried a latte (or 2) this past fall during finals…. oiy! After 2 days of 1 a day, I couldn’t sleep for 2 nights in a row
I make my coffee at home…I probably drink 2 cups a day. I don’t think I’ve ever had a caffeine buzz before? I sometimes drink 3 or 4 cups on the weekend and it doesn’t seem to affect me.
Wow – 170 pages is indeed a lot of work, Tina!
Wish you luck with your book work
for my dad and I, coffee as the opposite effect.. for example, if we can’t sleep at night we go drink a diet coke and fall right to sleep! EVERY time i have coffee in the morning, I go right back to bed (it’s summer and I have it off, so thats okay lol) it’s really weird, but oh well!
I used to be a crazy coffee drinker, the super strong stuff from Starbucks was my favorite! I have since weaned myself off of coffee and it was the best decision I could’ve ever made. I still enjoy every once in a while for a treat, but I’m not ‘hooked’ anymore. I think the caffeine would definetly shock my body now if I had too much.
I’m definitely addicted to coffee and get headaches from caffeine withdrawal if I skip it for a day, but I just need one cup in the morning and I’m good to go. I think it’s a perfectly fine addiction
My body has absolutely zero reaction to caffeine. I drink a lot of green tea, but I can drink a latte at 9:30 at night and be fast asleep twenty minutes later. Occasionally I’ll have strange heart palpitations after an especially strong espresso drink, but I don’t drink drip coffee at all. I love my tea!
I’m only a kid, so my mom tries to stop me from having any caffeine at all… But coffee tastes so good, and it seriously has no effect in me at all, unless I’m drinking on an empty stomach; in which case, the hunger would be causing the jitters, not the caffeine!
Wei Wei
hey tina, i have a quick question about soymilk:
i remember a while back you said you met with an RD and that Edensoy milk was the best one for some reason? why is that? thanks!
I always buy 1/2 Caff for my coffee at home. When I buy a drink out I get decaf. I don’t get a buzz if I drink too much caffeine, but my stomach will hurt.
Pancakes look delicious.
@Jen: No GMOs or BPAs in the packaging. Tastes good too!
Thanks for the info on caffeine. I used to drink 2 xl coffees from Tim Hortons each day! Yikes, I would get the shakes for sure. Now I’m 18 weeks pregnant with twins and have had to drastically cut back my intake… so a medium keeps me going and gives me enough energy to deal with my 2 year old daughter!
Dang, that is a TON of caffeine! I’m fairly sensitive to caffeine now, which means no more than 1 cup of coffee a day. Gone are the days of Grande Americano’s with a extra shot. yikes!
oh yes it does. not normal cups of coffee but on the mornings where i have unbearable cramps I pop some motrin. then I’m on a serious cafenee buzz!!
Ok, this recipe is a must-try for me! I am a sweet potato lover (hence the blog name!)
I may even make a stack this weekend! They look delicious!!
Now for your question: I actually don’t drink caffeine at all. I gave it up about 2 years ago when I gave up soda. The soda part was a conscious decision, but giving up caffeine altogether just kind of happened on it’s own. Now I drink my coffee decaf (if I drink any at all since I try not to “drink my calories” whenever possible) and my other drinks of choice include: diet caffeine free teas, Crystal Light, and water. I can say, however, that I do remember a bit of a buzz from my coffee-addicted college days!
That breakfast looks so good. And I LOVE sweet potatoes!
Love the look/sound of those pancakes! And boy do I wish caffeine had more of an effect on me. I drink quite a bit of coffee, but it rarely gives me a buzz. I think it’s a genetic thing though.. my mom is the same way. I could drink a quad-latte then go right to bed.. but it sure tastes good!
I used to drink a lot of coffee, but found it made me way too jumpy. Now, I have 1 cup poured over ice in the morning and that’s it. Anything after 9am is decaf!
I don’t consume much caffeine because coffee tastes bad to me and also doesn’t give me the energy that it does for some people. I do drink black tea sometimes but it’s never really given me a pick-me-up type of thing. I enjoy non-caffeinated herbal teas now.
That’s pretty interesting about how high Starbs is comparatively. I need to break my habit- it is kind of getting bad. But while I was writing my thesis I said “well I can’t give it up NOW!” and now I’m about to drive cross-country… “well I’ll need coffee for that!” and on and on. After college, I gave up caffeine (between all the events and driving to senior week, I was having so much iced coffee and Red Bull) and it was very tough! Caffeine withdrawal was like having the flu with the worst headache everr.
Wow…I didn’t realize that their coffee had that much! I just have a cup of coffee in the morning….more than that is way too much!
i think i still have a can of mashed sweet potato from TJ’s somewhere – would work great in this recipe!
I have a love/hate relationship with caffeine. I get heartburn really easily and everything that has caffeine in it is a trigger: coffee, tea, cola, etc. I LOVE coffee, and if I could I would probably drink as much as the girls in Gilmore Girls; however, I try very hard to stay away from it. I also get shaky if I have too much coffee and I’ll get the ‘coffee sweats’, and I can’t sleep when I have it after 4 pm. So short answer is no, I don’t consume a lot. Most days I have none, and when I really want it, I’ll have one cup or one iced coffee sometimes before noon and that’s it.
Great breakfast! Good luck on your edits! No caffeine for me, just water:)
My body is really sensitive to caffeine, so I don’t drink I a lot. I either order my latte decaf or with a split split shot (1 decaf, 1 reg). I don’t want to become dependent on it. A little goes a long way for me.
P.S. I think having coffee with you is on my bucket list =]
A few years ago I could have 4 cups of coffee in a day! But then I started having sleeping problems so now I stick to 1 cup a day.
I usually don’t drink more than one cup of coffee per day, but it doesn’t seem to affect me too much. It’s almost strange because usually medicine with stimulants (like Excedrin) work like crazy on me! Maybe I’m just in denial about the coffee.
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