Hi, my name is Carrie and I have a coffee addiction.
Let’s say it all together now:
Hi, Carriiiie …
I’ve had 3 kids in three-and-a-half years, which means I’ve been either pregnant or nursing (my pregnancies overlapped with breastfeeding the other babies) for the last 5 ½ years! In other words: caffeine restrictions! Ah! But, having toddlers to chase doesn’t give you the most energy in the world, so iced coffee has been my answer. You can take small doses at a time as you need without surpassing your caffeine limits or having to commit to a whole mug of coffee.
I used to have a Toddy and an electric burr grinder (hail to the coffee snob!). But, in lieu of the fancy equipment, you can make iced coffee at home with the basics.
So, mamas, here is my method for making iced coffee without any special coffee equipment.
It all starts at the grocery store!
Find your coffee aisle. The two things your grocery store will need to serve your endeavors are:
(1) whole bean coffee options, and
(2) a grinder
Choose a whole bean variety of coffee. I prefer dark roast, but anything works and there’s no harm experimenting as you go.
You’ll want to make sure there are no grounds from the last time the grinder was used. Little helper not necessary, but definitely nice.
Set that baby all the way to coarse. As coarse as it’ll go!
And grind! Reseal and buy that sucker as fast as you can!
Here’s the brewing process at home (part 1):
Gather your coffee, a LARGE gallon-sized container, water (preferable filtered water or store-bought drinking water), and a liquid measuring cup.
Dump the coffee into the container. All. Of. It.
Add 10 cups of water and stir with a large spoon.
Cover and refrigerate 12-24 hours.
Finally, we can have iced coffee! Brewing process (part 2):
Take your coffee in its container out of the fridge. You’ll need a strainer, cheesecloth, and a pitcher.
Place the strainer over the pitcher and the cheesecloth over the strainer. You may have to experiment with how many times to fold the cheesecloth. I fold this stuff just once, but fold disposable cheesecloth more times.
And strain! A little bit at a time, folding up the cheese cloth and squeezing if you get too many grounds in there at the end and straining slows down.
And there you have it! Homemade iced coffee right there in your fridge.
Even though this is not a concentrate, these ratios do make it a little stronger. Experiment! Add more (or less) water during the brewing process, or add water or milk to dilute it when you pour yourself some. I find that ice and a bit of creamer is all I need.
How does Marabou support women?
We live in culture where “bouncing back” is more valued than proper rest. As admirable as it may be for a sports star to get back on the field, the same rules don’t apply to postpartum recovery. The traditional resting period has been stolen from women through pressure to get back to their job or simply through lack of presence.
Grandmas, sisters and best friends who otherwise would have been there to help a woman transition into motherhood often live too far away to be of any help. Household chores and caring for older children inevitably fall on the mom. But she just delivered a new life! She needs rest.
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Postpartum doulas for a first time mom
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More and more moms find they have to figure out postpartum alone. Is it any wonder why PMDs are on the rise? Or women are embittered by the journey of motherhood? We can change that by giving the gift of peace.
