Dairy Free Thread

[TwistedFlax]

I'm dairy free for February. 

I welcome any and all wisdom, tips, etc that you all might have to offer.  But honestly, I know this will probably be me talking to myself in a very self-indulgent thread.  But that's less annoying than 14 mini-threads.

Right now, DH is eating a bowl of cereal & I'm hating my life.  I know I need to try Silk or something, but right now I'm annoyed at all the changes I'm going to have to make.

[seattlegirl]

I like rice milk on cereal.  Also for a treat, get a soy chai latte at the coffee shop.

[TwistedFlax]

I'm hesitant to try too many substitute foods at this point.  If it turns out that dairy is in fact the culprit behind my health issues, I'll absolutely try them.  At this point, though, I would hate to mask a dairy sensitivity because I also have problems with soy, or something.

[merigayle]

I am dairy free. I do not drink any milk, ever, except maybe chocolate almond milk during a race. i posted elsewhere about the cashew cheeses and they are super easy and yummy. Coconut milk ice cream is really good and So Delicious brand makes a coconut greek yogurt that is not bad.

[Magic Microbe]

I have been cutting down but I just cannot give up cheese. I bought coconut milk and coconut milk ice cream.

[TwistedFlax]

Coconut ice cream sounds delicious.

Right now its just about the pain of habit-breaking.  I know this is doable, but breaking autopilot so often is just annoying.

In the past, I've given up when I didn't realize things like chocolate and pesto contain dairy.

Hopefully I'll eventually be able to work butter back in.  Popcorn with real butter is one of my absolute favorite foods.

[Run Amok]

I like the coconut milk that comes in a tetra Pak. Make sure you get plsin/unsweetened though!

[nadra24]

My only exposure to almond milk is Almond Breeze Vanilla, I meant to buy the unsweetened but got the sweetened kind instead.  It's too sweet for me, so next time I buy it I'll get the unsweetened variety.  I think if you can find a milk sub that you like, that will make things easier.  I think that when I really start getting serious about eating clean, I'm going to tell kenyan that he has to keep his junk food out of the house--at least the stuff that's temping to me.  Would your DH be ok with keeping stuff like ice cream and cheese out of the house this month?

[TwistedFlax]

No.  But he is being understanding about what we can eat together, so I'll take it.

[Clementine]

My only exposure to almond milk is Almond Breeze Vanilla, I meant to buy the unsweetened but got the sweetened kind instead.  It's too sweet for me, so next time I buy it I'll get the unsweetened variety.  I think if you can find a milk sub that you like, that will make things easier.  I think that when I really start getting serious about eating clean, I'm going to tell kenyan that he has to keep his junk food out of the house--at least the stuff that's temping to me.  Would your DH be ok with keeping stuff like ice cream and cheese out of the house this month?

I use the Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla on most cereals and think it's perfect. Not too sweet. No soy aftertaste.

Jamers: Do you ever eat almonds? If so, I wouldn't be concerned about switching to almond milk.

[witchypoo]

i typically keep a container of so delicious coconut milk in the house for oatmeal, vegan cooking, etc.  that stuff is pretty good on cereal.  and in coffee ('though you will have to kill me to take my half and half away.  really).

[merigayle]

The earth balance buttery spread tastes pretty darn close to butter, imo

[Ice Cream]

I like the powdered soy milk that I get at the Asian supermarket.  I only use it with cereal, and it is so easy to pack and take along as a snack.  Just add some water, and voila...  a healthy snack.

I usually carry a spoon in my pocket book, and I just pack a cup of cold cereal in a tupperware, along with the  powdered milk.

[merigayle]

I have never had powdered any kind of milk. interesting. i eat cereal dry, have done that my whole life, we did not drink milk growing up.

I have found in the recent year or two, so many dairy free options/recipes/resources with the popularity of Forks over Knives. It is so much easier now to be dairy free than it was 10 years ago. I do not buy fake cheezes, but have been making my own. I never even heard of cashew cheeze until last year and never heard of nutritional yeast until a few years ago.

[Magic Microbe]

I can understand not wanting to add soy if you are trying to figure out what is causing digestive issues. Soy is one of the biggest culprits.

[cgraz]

If you don't want to deal with substitutes like soy milk, etc., keeping thing simple is one way to go - the meal I just prepared was dairy-free and it was awesome. You can easily do grilled or roasted chicken (or pork, beef, etc.) and then roasted veggies of all kinds. Very flavorful, and no need for butter or anything. Just toss the veggies in olive oil before cooking.

[merigayle]

ALL my meals are dairy free If you are on pinterest, follow me!

[Dagstag v 2.0]

This is probably more work than you want, but you can make some really delicious almond or cashew milks for scratch.

[Ice Cream]

I have never had powdered any kind of milk. interesting. i eat cereal dry, have done that my whole life, we did not drink milk growing up.

I have found in the recent year or two, so many dairy free options/recipes/resources with the popularity of Forks over Knives. It is so much easier now to be dairy free than it was 10 years ago. I do not buy fake cheezes, but have been making my own. I never even heard of cashew cheeze until last year and never heard of nutritional yeast until a few years ago.

I just looked up cashew cheese.  All those calories...

[merigayle]

I just looked up cashew cheese.  All those calories...

If you eat it in moderation, it is not that bad. I mix about 1 tsp in brown rice for DD for lunch with some peas and broccoli, she loves it!