Happy Wednesday Friends! Hope you are all having a good first week of October. It finally cooled off here in California on Sunday which was a nice break from the warm weather we’ve been having here. Hope you have been able to enjoy some nice fall weather in your area and not stormy weather. I ended up heading out to Huntington Beach on Saturday for a haircut but left a bit early and walked along the beach bike path. It was super crowded but nice to be by the ocean.
This week has been a busy one for me. As I mentioned a few weeks ago I had some allergy testing done as I had been noticing some possible reactions to some foods for a while. I met with the doctor last week and found out the results. The results were not what I was expecting. They showed allergies to all dairy, eggs, bananas, beans, blueberries, and some other random fruits and veggies. Honestly I was stunned with the results. While I knew dairy free would but an adjustment but manageable the kicker of no eggs (including whites) or bananas would be a lot harder. I was expecting the results to show an allergy to gluten and had been seeking out gluten free options but the tests showed no allergy to gluten. Over the next month the plan is to see if the symptoms go away by eliminating all the reactive foods and high FODMAP foods from my diet. The nurse part of me knows it is the right decision but it is definitely going to take some work and creativity. I have been searching Pinterest and blogs a lot over the past few days.
Ok…now onto the WIAW fun thanks to Jenn!
I have been playing around with oatmeal combos this week. This bowl had oats and 2 Tbsp of flaxseed meal. I found a bag at Walmart for $2.50 and it seemed like a bargain compared to grinding my own. It seems to absorb the extra liquid in the oatmeal really well. I microwaved the oats and then added the flaxseed. I added a bit of maple syrup to sweeten it. I’ve tried cooking in almond milk vs water but couldn’t really tell the difference.
I recently opened this jar of walnut butter that I picked up in Boulder while at Blend. It is so good and tastes like cookie dough batter. I’ve been eating it by the spoonful for snacks.
In an attempt to find protein substitute for lunch that didn’t involve dairy a smoothie came to mind. On work days it can often be 6-7 hours after eating lunch that I will then get to eat supper (or anything for that matter) and found that cottage cheese or yogurt helped sustain during the long period. I don’t usually use protein powder but was stumped as to a quick source this week. I read some positive reviews about a new organic natural ‘junk free’ blend from Sunwarrior. I ordered it from Amazon and thought I would give it a try. I added almond milk, protein powder, some strawberries, and a drizzle of maple syrup. It was drinkable but needs some tweaking. I had toast and PB along side.
I ended up getting home later on Saturday than I had planned and had forgotten to defrost some fish earlier in the day. I made a repeat turkey sandwich with some of the same Jackson purple potato chips and grape tomatoes and a couple carrots on the side.
If you happen to be allergic or simply choose to eat dairy and egg free and have any recipes of meals you like I would love any tips or suggestions!
I’ve tried a few pancake recipes but they haven’t really turned out well. Any dairy,egg,banana free pancakes you like?
Any good vegan products I should try?
Do you drink non dairy milk? Any favs? I’ve only tried unsweetened almond and unsweetened vanilla almond so far.
Cheers!
Kate
Kate Lives Healthy 
Hi Kate,
You may want to check the ingredients in your turkey lunch meat, most have whey in them which could effect you if you are going dairy free. As for dairy free milk I like Dean’s or Lactaid (they have a chocolate one too that if you shake it I swear it tastes like a milk shake).
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Thanks for stopping by Christina. I will check out those milk suggestions. I have heard that some meats have added whey and dairy (crazy!) in them but found my local Costco carried this Columbus Turkey breast at Costco which is free of nitrates, additives, and junk.
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If you are looking for a couple options for protein at lunch – try hard boiled eggs (like making avocado toast + boiled egg mashed up with a fork + salt and pepper) or make a cold chickpea veggie salad (or other bean).
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Avocado on toast sound delicious! Happy WIAW Jennifer!
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Allergy testing results are fun, huh? I showed reactions to more things that I had bargained for too. I’ve been using SunWarrior protein for over 3 years now and I can no longer use anything else. My morning smoothies are a mix of SunWarrior vanilla blend, unsweetened coconut milk (SoDelicious brand found at Costco), frozen spinach (Earthbound Farms Organics brand found at Vons), a frozen fruit choice (usually pineapple & coconut flakes or mixed berries), and NowFoods MCT oil (for satiety and energy). I’ve tried this smoothie with almond milk too, but find that the higher fat content of the coconut milk keeps me feeling full longer and gives the smootie a creamier consistency. Check out http://www.chowstalker.com for dairy-free recipes. They have a low/no FODMAP search option as well
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Thanks so much Steph. I know you can relate to the dairy free issue unfortunately. Coconut milk sounds like a good way to get the creamier constancy that a banana otherwise would. I’ll have to check out the MCT oil. Read about bee pollen the other day and need to check that out too. Hope things are going well with the new class!
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That walnut butter looks amazing!
We’ve been eating dairy free on this anti-inflammatory diet, but having eggs for breakfast has been a savior. Maybe some protein oats? And bacon!
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I liked your protein post the other day. Very timely! Really need to play around with tofu and some of the other sources. Bacon is a great tasty idea 🙂
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Wow! That is quite a discovery. Blueberries and bananas and eggs are such staples in my diet. I am dairy free as well, and I often eat completely vegan lunches.
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At least vegan and raw are more popular now and the ‘trendy’ thing!
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I love sweet potatoes and avocado toast and eggs for lunch. It sounds like an interesting combo, but sometimes when I need something hearty and feelings, it hits the spot! I’m not a vegetarian, but I do love tofu as well. If you do a tofu scramble with sweet potatoes, that’s even better!
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I haven’t experimented with tofu much but need to try it out. Hope you’ll enjoy some cottage cheese for me!
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