So its been a WHOLE week dairy free 5.5 more to go- eek!
My main concern / weakness going into this diet was no cheese, no chocolate, no cakes/brownies/cookies, no ranch dressing, and no yogurt.
Let the experimentation begin!!!
Cheese- the thought of a cheese substitute like the one below, does not appeal to me at all, so this is going to be cold turkey for me, we'll see how the rest goes.
Chocolate- I got my fix in two places- First is chocolate soymilk. I don't drink milk, but every so often I have a craving for chocolate milk. I tried almond chocolate milk- not a big enough chocolate taste for me, so had to settle on soy.
** *For those who currently eat or drink soy related product, or is looking to start- you have to check and make sure the product has this label or something similar to it*** If it doesn't have a non gmo (genetically modified organism) seal on it- DON'T BUY IT- you are doing more harm than good by introducing phytoestrogens into your system which cause a slew of complications in your body. Over 90% of soy consumed in America is genetically modified, so pay attention!
Cakes and brownies- not much i can do here- again with chocolate soy milk to curb cravings, otherwise, candy. We did have a birthday party for one of my colleagues yesterday, princess themed
Cupcakes were tempting, but B brought in Newman's organic mint oreos for us, Thank goodness... i ate 6 or 7 .
Ranch dressing- I have 2 outlets here
My main concern / weakness going into this diet was no cheese, no chocolate, no cakes/brownies/cookies, no ranch dressing, and no yogurt.
Let the experimentation begin!!!
Cheese- the thought of a cheese substitute like the one below, does not appeal to me at all, so this is going to be cold turkey for me, we'll see how the rest goes.
Chocolate- I got my fix in two places- First is chocolate soymilk. I don't drink milk, but every so often I have a craving for chocolate milk. I tried almond chocolate milk- not a big enough chocolate taste for me, so had to settle on soy.
I would like to add that i did purchase Earth Balance's chocolate soy milk the other day since I had a coupon and it doesn't really taste like chocolate milk, more like a chocolate slim fast- I will not purchase again.
soooo delicious
Ranch dressing- I have 2 outlets here
First is Brianna's homestyle dijon honey mustard- absolutely delightful. One of the few dressings I found that had no dairy AND no HFCS- if you like sweet with a tiny bite, I highly recommend it.
Second is I found a recipe for a raw dairy free ranch recipe from one of my favorite cook books thus far. I haven't made it yet, but I found it interesting that you soak cashews for 2 hours then grind them up. More than likely I will post some recipes on here in the future.
Yogurt- I know this seems like a weird item to miss, but its a great snack b/c it has the perfect balance of protein, carbs, fats to keep you satisfied. Found this at whole foods and tried it yesterday
Major fail. I like the idea, even like that it does have bits of coconut in it, however it was super thin (almost like a smoothie) and it was EXTREMELY sweet. I might give vanilla a shot, but if that doesn't taste good, then no yogurt for me UNLESS any of you have suggestions of good tasting dairy free yogurts!
Although So Delicious did fail me in the yogurt department, it did not disappoint in the ice cream and creamer department, tried the following 2 products, and both were equally satisfying and I will continue to utilize after this no dairy for lent is over.
I used the hazlenut flavor- excellent!
Basically like mint chocolate chip, only SUPER minty so it freshens your breath
Thus far its been fun to find healthier alternatives to dairy. I do know for a fact cheese will always be dairy cheese and chocolate will always be chocolate, no exceptions- in the mean time I believe that creamers, chocolate milk, and ice cream are all do-able switches that I can maintain.
Does anyone have any suggestions on other products that you've swapped out for dairy?!?!
I wouldn't last long without dairy. Living without cheese alone would do me in within a week or two. You might be able to find some decent tasting dairy-free chocolate if you look hard enough. I'm a big fan of dark chocolate, and I have had some pretty decent dairy-free varieties in the past (Whole Foods and Trader Joe's come to mind).
ReplyDeleteGood luck! You have much more discipline than I do. Thanks to you I'm going to have to go kill the bottles of Silk Soy Chocolate Milk and Silk Almond Chocolate Milk in my fridge. I'll save the dairy chocolate milk for after my long run tomorrow :)