Before I jump into the topic of this post, I want to share a quick and easy Thai inspired meal. You’ll need four items: Rice noodles, peanuts, a sauce, and a vegetable (Or go balls wild and have multiple vegetables!)
Real quick side note, this satay peanut sauce is NOT vegetarian friendly. I somehow missed this while skimming the ingredients. I read the ingredients to a similar product from a different store, and that one was vegetarian friendly. I assumed TJ’s was too. Mistake. Lesson learned- never skimp on reading the ingredients! Regardless, the meal was delicious and the peanut sauce has been donated to a non vegetarian. If you are a carnivore, omnivore, or even a pescatarian (the sauce has anchovies in it) you’ll love it!
After making a head of broccoli hair, I had to resist the urge to make a peanut face. 10 minute meal. Boom.
Onto the Brussels and potatoes of the post. Over the past six years I have evolved into a happy, healthy vegetarian. I started as more of a carb-o-tarian, which is what I call those that give up meat, but replace the meat with carbs instead of fruits and veggies. I have fallen in love with fruits, vegetables, and cooking over the past three years and have never looked back. I don’t crave meat, I find excitement in new recipes, and I enjoy telling people about my lifestyle (until they criticize and are ignorantly closed minded.)
One question I often get is, “have you tried being vegan?” The answer is “sort of.” I have never fully committed to becoming “vegan,” but I have had my experimental weeks, two at the most, of eliminating any and all animal products from my diet. I LOVE cheese, and occasionally eat eggs, and along with this I eat products made with dairy. Although I may not drink milk directly, I am ok with using it in recipes, and eating foods made with milk, cheese and eggs.
I’ve decided to give this vegan thing another go. However, I will not be calling it “vegan,” rather, “dairy free” because I am not going to be picky about where or how the food products are made. If the bread I buy is made somewhere that milk and eggs are present, but not included in the ingredients, I am ok with that. My diet over the next week, two weeks, or however long I plan to try this for will consist mainly of fruits, and veggies, along with the proteins, fats, carbs and other nutrients I will need. I will be completely dairy free including products made with dairy.
This is not a lifestyle change, more of a fun challenge to test my creativity and willpower to resist cheese. Along with cutting out dairy, I am cutting back on sweets. OHH MY HOGSQUASH this will be hard. I love my cookies, but I need a serious detox from sugar!! Notice I said cutting back, not cutting OUT.
With all this said, dinner last night was a dairy free success.
This plate looks like something I eat anyway, but throughout the day my desire for a string cheese and wheat thins was ever so present. This meal made my nagging cheese beast disappear.
Breakfast this morning was egg-less, but better than ever.
Skittle rainbows have NOTHING on my color wheel of food. I will be including cheese, greek yogurt, and cookies back into my diet very soon, but for now I will enjoy the challenge of trying new things! This will also challenge me to figure out exactly what the items listed on the ingredient lists are. The sugar, and cheese beasts in my system need to be tamed for a bit. Did I mention I love cookies?
On a random side note, but along the lines of challenges (running is a challenge I accept daily) check out this race photo from my 10K last week.
I’m pretty much a celebrity because this photo was an example photo on the website before the others were even uploaded. This is why there isn’t a giant PROOF written across the photo to ruin it unless you choose to buy it. Of course I was caught getting my Garmin ready.
“The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he’s dead.” -Bette Davis
Q: What’s challenging you this week? Not eating cookies.
Blissfulbritt 
30 thoughts on “Dairy Free”
Lisa
I’ll be interested to see how the dairy free goes for you! I did it for a couple years (mostly)…and then did it again during a short elimination diet. It’s not impossible. But I love cheese.
You’re becoming quite the runner!
The peanut dish thingy looks awesome, and we’d be all for the anchovy essence in my house (although I wouldn’t want it if it was in chunks. lol).
Brittany
No anchovy chunks! Just somewhere ground into the sauce. It was very tasty despite the ground up fishies. =)
Lift Eat Repeat
I am loving your color wheel meals! I seriously need to bet more greens in these days
Alexandra
Your breakfast is officially the envy of any artist–talk about a colorful and delicious looking work of art! 😀 And that’s awesome you and Mr. manfriend ran that 10k, you guys are rackin up the races! I think I need to come over so you can feed me your amazing TJ’s finds and teach me how to run heehee
Becky
Your beautiful meal photos are making me hungry! 🙂
Lou
Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! I’m so excited for you… I reckon you will be surprised at how you don’t miss cheese that much…. I thought I could not live without yoghurt… don’t miss/crave it at all! You find substitutions along the way, it opens up a whole new world of creativity for sure 🙂 My skin has never been this good either (cutting out dairy) 🙂
eatingforexcellence
Wow your breakfast looks great!! And just about as colorful as can be. And that broccoli looks so good that I now want some..ahhh. Have a great week!
Jessica
The food looks amazing! Great photo of you running!
tracy
All of these meals look delicious. I am definitely going to have to start getting some more variety into my diet. I keep getting into the habit of eating the same things over and over.
Sunny Days and Starry Nights
imakeeper
Ohhhh very interesting, veto-ing cheese and milky products. Good for you, I must say that would be a major challenge for me because I can’t get enough cottage cheese. I actually think I should live in a cottage and have goats and cows outside, and just produce my own. I don’t think Pirate will allow me to buy a goat though.
Challenge for me this week is it TRY my very darnest to stick to my ‘Jillian Michaels DVD- 6 weeks to a 6 pack.’ I generally do half a week… and then bonk out and remember how much I love PB. Seriously though, bikini season is almost here. I want to be a little shredded (haha get it? like shredded cheese?)
Sorry, this was probably not a great comment since I mentioned your beloved stringy treat multiple times.
Christina Does It All
you’re famous!!! yay!
Corrie Anne
Not drinking Diet Coke! ANd having a good attitude at the office! Lol.
Khushboo Thadani
Sounds like an interesting experiment and hey nothing’s set in stone :)! Looking forward to seeing how u get on! I think the hardest dairy item for me to give up would be yogurt as I any way drink soy milk out of personal preference (and lack of organic cows’ milk in Mumbai)!
IHeartVegetables
Yummm! I just made my first peanut sauce a couple of weeks ago and it was SO good. I’ve been craving savory peanuty things every since!
B
Good luck on the dairy free thing! I couldn’t do it. I love cheese too much. I’m like you when it comes to milk though, I don’t really drink it but I use it in different things like shakes. Nom nom nom.
nicole marie story
I love your healthy mind! The fact that you didn’t freak out about the anchovies says so much about your state of health. I don’t eat dairy, but I do eat fish, so this would be perfect for me! But I completely agree with your “read the ingredients” recommendation. As a non-dairy eating citizen, I’ve found that most “veggie cheese” and “soy yogurts” actually contain casein, a milk protein. And most “veggie meats” contain egg whites! (and I don’t eat eggs either!). Always read the ingredients. Please tell man friend that he looked pretty smiling at the camera. 😀
asolosingerinamerica
…ok perfect! I’ve always wanted to know a celebrity ;]
I have so many papers due this week uh oh!
…We will do this!
Tiff (@LoveSweatBeers)
I’m impressed by your colorful meals! Good luck with the challenge. I’m sure you’ll do great.
My challenge of the moment is still the LiveFit trainer. It’s a lot harder than I was expecting, at least it will be with Phase 2 starting next week!
Pumpedpumpkin
Ah love your meals as always. I gave up dairy for a month yes my beloved cottage cheese exited my life – something I ate EVERY day. Once it was out of the house I didn’t even think about it anymore. I had some the other day only because Kyle is back and bought some. It’s definitely doable just don’t keep it around hahahaha
My challenge is giving up/limiting sweets as well! I have seriously gone overboard and need to back of a teeny weeny bit – eating a half jar of almond butter using chocolate as a spoon is awesome but not a great idea afterwards haha
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen
So weird…my post tomorrow is about how I have been force-feeding myself dairy, and experimenting with whether or not I have lactose intolerance and how badly. In the end, I’m recommitting to dairy-free, and claiming my “vegan with benefits” tag to deal with situations of hidden honey, eggs, baked-in milk, etc.
GiGi Eats Celebrities
LMFAO – no cookies, well sheenanagans, of course I do not want ANYONE to be eating cookies, common now, my last movie clearly states it’s COCKAMAMIE!
But miss I give you loads of credit being a veggie! I could NEVER EVER EVER give up meat, yikes! Do you do it for health reasons or just because you like cute little cows and goats…. Do you at least eat some fish? Meh, guess not… OMG HOW do you live without sushi, I WOULD DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here fishy, fishy! I do however NOT eat ANY dairy!!!!!!! GROSS! I wouldn’t be caught DEAD sucking on a cow’s tit… And I WAS BOTTLE fed so no human (LADY… I have sucked on my fair share of man tits, BAH HA HA) tit has ever been in my mouth either!
blissfulbritt
Ohh my god I was laughing out loud like a rabid hyena at this comment. You are hilarious. I love you.
GiGi Eats Celebrities
I love you more! Ah ha ha! Blog lovers! LOL!
Lucie
I love how colourful these meals are, nom! And it’ll be interesting to see how dairy free goes for you – Im totally dairy free (and vegan!) and since Im not a cheese lover, I havent missed dairy at all. I think once you get so far into having no dairy, it becomes a breeze!
manish55
I am loving your color wheel meals! I seriously need to bet more greens in these days
bajajnewpulsar
myresultsplace
saismaraknidhi
Caitlin
Brussels and potatoes…now that is a new take on meat and potatoes that I can get behind. Tho I have to admit I do like meat. I’d say meat and Brussels are my ideal pairing. Actually…that’s what I’m having for dinner tonight!
Your meal has broccoli hair. That is awesome. You should have done the peanut face!
Aaaand I love your reference to going “balls wild” over veggies. Gotta say, I do that every day. More than one veggie FTW!
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