Sunday, October 24, 2010

Dairy? Kale?

Hey There!

So I've pretty much come to terms with the fact that I"ll never be one of those people who blogs all the time. At least not during the school year, I just don't have the time. I guess I could make time, but that would take away from other things I enjoy doing and need to do. As much as I love blogging, it's just not worth it.

Some friends and I on 80's day and Western Day this past week. This is a big deal as we usual wear uniforms!


I know everyone has different reasons for eating healthfully; my main reason for eating healthy is because I feel much better when I eat well. That being said, for many years I have had a lot of issues with headaches. I'm beginning to think that the cause of said headaches are diet related. So, I'm doing some experimenting to see what food could be causing the headaches. Currently, I'm thinking it may be dairy. I'm working on totally stopping eating dairy to see if the headaches go away. I'll let you know. Aside from the headaches, I'm leery about consuming dairy anyway. The whole idea of drinking an animal's milk seems weird to me and there are so many hormones and chemicals added to the milk that is available in stores today. So fortunately, almond milk and I are already close friends. Coconut oil and I have been growing closer in recent weeks, too.

In honor of my lack of dairy and a salute to coconut oil, I made HEAB's Oreo Truffles and boy am I glad I did! I used coconut oil instead of butter and used chocolate that did not contain dairy. These are so delicious. Seriously, even my mom who doesn't even like Oreos loves these. Even after I blended the Newman O's into a fine powder and added plenty of coconut butter, once hardened the truffles had such a fantastic texture. Overall, I love these little truffles. Thanks Heather!






Served up with a glass of almond milk. Sorry dairy, but I haven't been missing you :)

A few other recent eats


Zucchini and Spinach with Tuna

Quinoa and Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Whole Foods Inspired kale salad.
I had bought kale and couple of times and attempted kale chips without much success. I was beginning to give up hope that I would ever be a kale fan. But, the other day I was at Whole Foods and saw a delicious looking kale salad in their raw/vegan food bar. Having some kale at home that needed using up, I checked the ingredient list and decided to create my own kale salad. The result? I am now a kale fan!

Annie's Guacamole Kale Salad
1 small bunch kale (washed, dried, and torn into pieces)
1 avocado
1/4 of a red onion chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper
Direction: Mash up avocado with a fork and add the onion, lemon juice and salt and pepper to form a guacamole type mixture. Massage avocado mix onto the kale. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Serve and enjoy! 


1. What is your opinion on dairy consumption?
2. Favorite non-dairy recipe?
3. Are you a kale fan?

Have a glorious week!

-Ann Claire

12 comments:

Kelsey @ Clean Teen Kelsey said...

I hope you're able to figure out what's causing your headaches! It wouldn't surprise me if you're having a hard time with dairy; it's pretty common these days. It's not my friend, either.

Not sure what my favorite non-dairy recipe is. There are SO many.

Love kale! I want to try your salad, it sounds awesome. :)

HEAB said...

I don't do much dairy either, unless it's the full fat version and low in dairy proteins as whey and casein bother me. I do okay with butter, heavy cream, but not anything lower in fat like cottage cheese, skim milk, etc. My one downfall is frozen yogurt. Oh my gosh, I love it..especially topped with Oreo Truffles. :) So glad you enjoyed the recipe. CD has been requesting more, and so I hope to make some soon.

Not a kale fan except when it's in chip form and smothered in ketchup. Although, I do like a good massaged salad every so often. Just can't handle those big bites of crunchy stem. Your version sounds like something I think I would like. :)

Ann Claire said...

Thanks Kelsey! I hope I can figure it out too. You're right about the non dairy recipes, there's tons! I should have asked a more specific recipe...oh well. Let me know if you try the kale salad.

Ann Claire said...

Heather, I haven't experimented with it yet but I"m wondering if I too might be able to tolerate the full fat dairy, as I"m thinking it's probably a chemical that is often added to dairy that's bothering me. I'm a big frozen yogurt fan too! I haven't tried it topped wiht Oreo truffles but need to soon!

Anonymous said...

I hope you do figure out what may cause your headaches, and that you're on to something with the dairy! I've been trying to limit my dairy, too. The only thing I can't quite kick just yet is greek yogurt. I've never been a milk fan, and could take or leave cheese. But I just can't find a good sub for greek yogurt :\
i love the theme day pics! i remember having those in school...my fav was always pajama day ;)

Ann Claire said...

There was no pajama day at my school this year, but there was twin day so my twin and I wore matching pajamas :)

Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen said...

I can't do any dairy. So sad...I miss my frozen yogurt. I am a huge fan of kale chips, but I also love it in soups and sauteed. If you need any help finding some recipes or products, let me know. I am always happy to help. I hope you feel better!

teenagehealthfreak said...

i'm a big dairy eater..probably 3 a day. i love yogurt!although plain milk makes my stomach hurt and seems like the low fat stuff REALLy does. but i drink whole goats milk...i just LOVE it..and i drink lots of keifer, make my own full fat yougurt, and eat cream-top yogurt ...along with goat cheese..but that's about the only dairy products i use. and we do use organic/hormone free/grass fed butter. but i guess everyone is different for what their body likes, so i hope you figure out what's making you have headaches!

Ayla said...

Yes to no dairy!!!! I'm so excited that you're testing out the no dairy thing. I'm against it for ethical reasons but even if I weren't against it for that, I still wouldn't consume it. It makes me break out ALL OVER - chest, upper back, lower back, shoulders, face. It's not pleasant. Thankfully I don't miss it at all and I'm sure you won't either. There are just SO many dairy alternatives now that there really isn't any reason to consume it. I hope it helps get rid of your headaches. :)

Anonymous said...

Hey there!
I totally get it; school makes it so hard for me to blog too! And I really hope you do find out where your headaches are coming from!

Those truffles look so amazing btw, must try 'em out! And so does that kale salad! XD

I can't really say what my fave non-dairy recipe is...there are too many! Oats cooked in soymilk are a win-win for me though!

Hope to talk to you soon!
Paola

Kayla said...

Love the 80s outfits, too much fun!

Anonymous said...

I personally have no problem with dairy! I think it's an excellent source of calcium and I couldn't imagine being vegan. Hats off to those who are! I do generally avoid meat though, but I get the proper nutrition from a variety of other sources.
Regardless, I think other types of non dairy products (like coconut milk, dairy-less desserts etc) are wonderful!