Day 30: I made it!

Wow, a month can really blow by.  I'm actually quite surprised with myself at this point.  I think I can continue this lifestyle!!!

A couple days ago I thought I could handle a handful of yummy Whoppers. MAN, were they delicious!!  One of my favorites as a kid... could eat an entire carton!!  Weeellll, it was NOT worth the "intestinal issues" for the following couple of days.  Lesson learned?  There's no going back now.

Today I craved a banana.  Don't get me wrong... I like bananas in bread, in smoothies, on pancakes but to just crave a straight up a banana never happens with me.  After yoga I needed a snack so I went for a handful of Lay's cheesy garlic toast chips and they tasted good but just didn't do it.  I saw the bananas sitting there and that was all she wrote.  For fruit in general I don't usually CRAVE it even though I eat it so it was just kinda odd for me.
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Breakfast: green smoothie (romaine, bok choy, banana, pineapple, strawberries)

Snack: Fritos 

Lunch: Subway Veggie Delight, original Lay's (If you can't tell by now, I work for the maker)
If you've never had a vegetarian sandwich, please try it... once won't hurt.  It's better than you think.  I get ALL the fixins with sweet onion dressing and tiny bit of lite mayo.

Snack: cheesy garlic toast Lay's and a banana  (Too many chips today!! But, man, they're good!!)

Dinner:  Vegetarian nachos and soft taco (fajita style veggies, black beans, avocado, lettuce and tons of habenaro salsa)

Day 24: BAU

Before I start, I forgot that I also had Applebee's fried green beans.  Pure deliciousness if you've never tried them before!!

Now for today.

Business As Usual.  I think I'm getting to a point where I'm not constantly looking for ways to avoid dairy products.  It just kinda happens naturally now.  Or maybe I was just so busy that I didn't think about it.  Drop off the kid, drop off the dog, work, yoga, work, pick up the dog, walk at the park with kid and dog, cook dinner, blog.  Whew!  Yeah, maybe I was just busy.

It's Valentine's Day so I kind of wish I could have a huge hunk of chocolate but something tells me that I won't enjoy it as much as I think I will so I'm gonna just skip it.
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Breakfast: Nature Valley oats and honey crunch granola bar

Lunch: Sabra hummus and garden salsa Sun Chips (representin' PepsiCo -- whoot whoot!!).  Topped the hummus with spicy garlic red chili sauce... YUM!

Snack: cashews

Dinner: huge salad -- bok choy, romaine, kale, avocado, olive oil, tomato -- Tofurkey italian sausage (like the sausage better cooked into a pasta dish)

Day 23: I surprised myself

Spinach, romaine, dried cranberries, candied pecans, salmon, and bleu cheese crumbles.

It's so simple but it's my FAVORITE meal.  I surprised myself when I found the words tumbling over my lips: "... but with no cheese."  WHAT???  Yep, that's right... I said it!  I have never uttered these words before but have to admit that I was kind of proud of my restraint.

AND THEN I did it again at dinner.  Two salads in one day with cheese.  To clarify, I think it's quite easy to skip the cheese at home but something about those yummy salads that restaurants serves... cheese just brings it all together.  But not today... not for me.
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Breakfast: green smoothie (romaine, butter nut squash, pineapple, mango, coconut almond milk)

Lunch: strawberry pecan salad at Cotton Patch, minus the bleu cheese and chicken but add salmon

Dinner: can't remember the name of the salad and it's not on their menu but it was greens, oranges, candied pecans, celery, and dried cranberries at Applebee's (which has a vegetarian menu if you ask for it.  It's nothing different from the main menu but sure makes it easier to see your options when they're all together in one place)

Days 20 - 22: Oh My Queso!

Tried it again like an idiot.

It looks so oowie and gooey and good as it's orangeness glistens in the light of the restaurant and tenderly calls my name.  Yes... I'm talking about queso. It's just one of those things that I can NOT resist.  But, low and behold... I did!!  I begged someone at the table to purdy please order something with queso on it so I could just have 1 tinsy winnie bite.  And so they did... and I dabbed a bit on my tongue and... and... OMG.  It just didn't taste very good.  I think that's supposed to be a good sign but this is Texas.  The home of Texican food.

It's a happy and sad occasion for me.  Happy to see the change (because who really needs something like that floating around in your veins?) but sad because a big bowl of queso with cantina style chips topped with super spicy hot sauce is just plain comfort.

Or at least it used to be.

It was the weekend so I indulged a bit and, man, was it good. I won't bore you with the entire weekend's menu but fried crawfish po' boy at Half Shells never tasted so good.
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Breakfast: green smoothie (romaine, kale, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 fresh banana, frozen strawberries/mango/pineapple)

Lunch: veggie fajitas, spanish rice, small piece of lemon bar

Dinner: left overs from lunch minus the lemon bar

Day 19: It's just not good any more!

Time to hit up the mall with my daughter.  Of course, we had to make a food court stop (cuz that's what the cool kids do).  She just HAD to have french fries and chocolate shake, obviously...   I thought I'd take a swig of the shake and low and behold... it was shockingly sweet and made my stomach a tiny bit unsettled.  I was able to resist having more!!!  (If you know me at all you know that that's not typically humanly possible... it's sweet AND chocolate?  This girl usually can't say no.)  But I did... quite successfully.  Today I think I turned over a new leaf.  Just wish french fries weren't so good.

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Not very hungry today....

Breakfast:  water and yoga

Lunch:  green smoothie (romaine, kale, fresh pineapple, banana)

Snack: handful of cashews... and later Chick-fil-a waffle fries and 1 sip of chocolate shake

Dinner: simple green salad with fajita veggies on top

Day 18: Getting Easier

Skipping dairy is now easier than keeping up with this blog.  At lunch it didn't even cross my mind and I actively sought out the menu for a business luncheon I'm attending on Monday to make sure there was an option for me.

Now if I can just figure out how long I'll need to keep this blog.  Maybe 30 days... we'll see.

One interesting thing to note.  I'm eating nothing but rabbit food and keep a continued workout so you'd think I would've lost a pound or 2.  No such luck... damn it!!  If I ate like this when I was 21 I would've dropped 20 pounds by now.
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Breakfast:  apple and a banana (that pesky work got in the way again)

Lunch:  humongo mixed green salad topped with raisin, craisins, and various veggies

Snack: hummus and naan at Pepper Smash

Dinner: green smoothie (romaine, fresh peach and pineapple, a date)

Day 17: Error Free

Longer than long day at work so I have keep it short today. Today I discovered that people think you're weird for not consuming dairy and when I try to explain that the body doesn't need it I'm questioned. "Where do you get your vitamin d?" When I try and explain the vitamin content in veggies I get quizzaical looks. Does all of America believe the carnivorous hyper and propaganda??? I can't judge though cuz I've been there myself.

Today's craving was ice cream. I think I can fix that with frozen fruit bars. I'll bloc about it when I'm not too lazy to go buy some.
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Breakfast: green smoothie (romaine,fresh pineapple,1 date,2 fresh strawberries)

Lunch: grilled veggie sandwich with zuccini,red pepper,onion,squash

Snack:oat based granola (organic and sweetened with cane juice. Delicious!), cashews, handful of pringles

Dinner: Tofurkey Italian sausage that was surprisingly delicious, waiters in garlic, onion, spinach, and then smoothered in marinara served over pasta

Day 16 Dairy Free: The Ultimate Challenge

I cooked dinner with cheese for the first time since I started down this journey.

The challenge?  I have a REALLY bad habit of nibbling on cheese while I cook meals with it for other people.  I'm used to cooking 2 meals since I live with carnivores but tonight was the first time I made them a cheesy dish.  I can't believe that I didn't have even ONE bite!!  Instead of leaving the tempting bag of delicious shreds open and with me while I cook, I replaced it with a jar of cashews.  I grabbed 1 or 2 here or there and found that I didn't think once about grabbing cheese.  YUM!!  Just had to be sure and chew thoroughly... jaw stopped hurting today by the way.

The lesson learned today is that cheese probably isn't the issue... snacking is.  I like to snack while I cook so maybe that's something else I need to work on.  I think I started this when I went meatless.  I like meat but don't digest it well so I quit eating it.  I still cook it though... so to help stop the cravings, I started snacking while I cook it.

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Breakfast:  Green smoothie (1/2 head of romaine, 1 fresh banana, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup frozen mango, mint leaves)

Lunch: Mixed greens salad topped with raisins, carrots, walnuts, dried cranberries, olive oil and a splash of sesame oil

Snack:  red apple, cashews

Dinner:  Lightly sauteed kale and broccoli tossed with wild rice, baby onions, "bbq" sauce (dates, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, onion, garlic), chunks of fresh pineapple, and left over tofu taco mix... topped with spicy "rooster" sauce.  Odd combination but MAN it turned out so delicious!  Washed down with Almond Breeze Almond Coconut milk.

Dairy Free Journey: Day 15

My jaws hurt and I'm still not craving cheese.

I went to a nutrition class taught by a raw food chef this weekend and learned more than any human ever needs to know about chewing food and the importance it has on your digestion.  Basically (and to save you the details) chew 50 times... each bite... hence the sore jaw.  It's hard to get used to but, man, I feel better.

My partner in crime that's going dairy free too is struggling though.  We're both cheese-aholics but I think she took it to another level.  Probably consumed at least twice as much as I did daily and now is having double the trouble trying to quite.  She's craving it every day but I rarely even think about it.  I may forget to think about ingredients before consumption but am not thinking "I really need to eat some cheese."

I also bought almond milk this weekend.  I don't drink milk regularly so I'm not really sure why I was inclined to make this purchase.  Maybe it'll make a good snack with granola.  Today was a great dairy free day.
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Breakfast - Green smoothie (1/3 head of romaine, mint, 1 whole fresh banana, 1/2 frozen banana, 3 strawberries, fresh squeezed lemon juice)

Lunch - Black bean burger and rosemary garlic fries from Smash Burger

Dinner - Kale, bok choy, cherry tomatos, scallions, avocado, olive oil salad; 1/4 purple potato, 1/4 cup wild rice with raw "bbq" sauce (dates, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, onion, garlic)

Snack - some oat, coconut, granola, organic mix I found at Kroger Signature in the natural section

Days 8 - 14: The Business Trip

A week away from home to attend a conference and continuing down this dairy free journey was a lot easier than I ever imagined it would be.  Maybe because I was in California where Mexican food smothered in cheese isn't the daily staple.  I experienced one close encounter though...  I found fish tacos and didn't think to ask for no cheese because, honestly, I've never seen this dish with dairy.  I mean, really?  Cheese and fish simply don't go well together... or so I thought.  Sure enough they were served with cheese and sour cream (on the side).  I gladly picked the cheese out and didn't even flinch at the sour cream.  Yea me!!

Overall it was a great week and I'm hoping to continue down this path.  So far, so good.  And no cravings...

Day 5, 6, and 7: The Weekend

I have to summarize a few days because I'm just not willing to sit in front of the computer as often most weekends.  I haven't messed up at all but by Sunday morning I found myself craving cheese.  I didn't have any but, man, that sounds good right now.

Friday night I ate at Taco Bueno and had a bean burrito with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole and chips and salsa.  Adding the guac made it easier to skip the cheese and it was still quite tasty.  Gotta admit that I was impressed.

Saturday dairy never even crossed my mind.  Again, at Matito's, a local Mexican restaurant, for appetizers and drinks with a girlfriend.  I opted for a side of guacamole with chips and salsa and THE BEST margarita I've ever had in my life.  (The menu said "limit 2 per person" and I completely see why.  Whoa!!)

By Sunday I really wanted cheese!!  There's nothing better after a late night with adult beverages than to have eggs and a TON of cheese on a warm tortilla.  Sigh.  I was able to resist though.  And then came Snuffer's.  It's a local restaurant to Dallas that's know for it's cheese fries. Awesome french fries smothered in cheese with chives and jalepenos and for the carnivores you can add bacon... and they don't skimp on ANY of the ingredients.  I mean, you can hardly see the fries for the cheese.  I did great though.  Had my favorite veggie burger that comes with fried jalepenos, chipotle sauce, and jack cheese... I, of course, ordered it with no cheese and quickly realized that the cheese is what holds it all together.  Oh well, it's a little messier now.  And instead of fries I went for onion rings.  Still all very delicious just minus the dairy.

Very proud of myself this weekend!!  The hard part is on the way though... a business trip this week.  It's hard enough to eat on a schedule but even harder to stay healthy so we'll see how it goes.

Day 4 Dairy Free: Almost Screw Up Free

First,  I should point out that I'm going down this journey with a buddy... a very evil buddy who wants to eat less cheese but thinks chocolate is ok.  Second, this evil friend sits a few cubes away from me and stocks her desk with these treats.  In comes "doh!" number 2... miniature Butterfinger for breakfast.  Oh so yummy!!  Again, ate it because they're so hard to resist and didn't think about it until after it was gone.

Woosah.

Reset.

The rest of the day was effortless.  Now if I can just not have any other "doh" moments I'd be good to go.  No physical changes today and feel I need a couple more nut-free days to determine if they're causing an issue.  One thing I forgot to mention though... cheeseless pizza doesn't produce that bloated feeling.  Yea!!  Wonder if I'll notice any other physical benefits...
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Breakfast:  Doh Butterfinger, Grits -- ok, so the grits were instant and have trace amounts of butter but it was the last packet at my desk and I refuse to buy them again.

Lunch: Grilled veggie sandwich, chopped side salad, pickle spear

Dinner: Beans and wild rice, sauteed brussel sprouts (takes time to separate the individual leaves but sooo worth the wait)

Day 3 Dairy Free: Doh!!

Doh!!  I ate a cupcake!!

What in the HECK was I thinking??  Oh yeah!  I know!!  Up since 5am... work piling on top of work with no regard for priorities... almost 80 miles to and from work... AND THEN off to drop my kid off to ballet.  Luckily I had leftovers so dinner was easy but I scarfed it after working MORE this evening until 8pm and then when I finally tore myself away from the emails I decided to have a treat... a dairy treat... italian cream cupcake that my kid bought me... never even crossed my mind to think about it's contents... until I was DONE.

Honestly, it wasn't even as enjoyable as I thought it was going to be.  I KNEW I should've gone for the vegan brownies I made the other day!!

Today's lesson?  Think before you eat.

Pre-cupake thought, "it's just bread"... Post-cupcake thought, "Doh!!"

Today's unusual finding?  My stomach hurts... more like my intestines.  (Sorry if that's TMI but it's true)  Since I can't have cheese I find myself reverting to nuts... maybe too many.  Maybe I'll try to cut them out for a few days and see what happens.
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Breakfast:  What's that?  Get to work!!  (snacked on a nut based brittle type snack I dehydrated)

Lunch: Grilled veggie sandwich (no cheese!!), Sunchips, melons and berries

Snack:  a few cashews, hummus and veggie sticks

Dinner: Tofu tacos (I'm finding myself to be addicted to this find!) smeared with avocado, tortilla chips, salsa 

Day 2 Dairy Free

I thought I would wake up craving a cheesy omelette but I'm surprised to discover that I'm not.  I'm not really very hungry so maybe that's why but after a full 24 hours I'm starting to feel like maybe I won't miss dairy as much as expected.  Today's meals:

Breakfast: Cinnamon brown sugar oatmeal

Lunch: Tofu tacos (crumbled tofu with black beans on corn tortillas), chips and salsa

Dinner:  Broccoli, wild rice, salmon
I wonder if I'll ever be able to give up fish.  I'd like to but think I need to take it one thing at a time.  So I still eat fish once or twice a week... I can live with that... for now.

I am finding that by eating less dairy I'm eating fewer eggs... interesting.

Day 1 Dairy Free: Discoveries

The official start of attempting to go dairy free.  I decide to get a healthy snack and purchased flat pretzels.  Doh!!  They're made with milk or buttermilk.  It's simply just not something ever thought about but at least I know now.  Guess I'll be donating those to the office snack pantry.  Went for hummus, wheat thins, and Naked green monster.  Great follow up to yoga and a brisk walk in the park. I discovered over the weekend that vegan pizza (cheeseless) is really good and now I wonder why I haven't tried it sooner.  Also made vegan brownies (no butter or egg and used pureed black beans instead) and... WOW!!!  Just as good as regular brownies!  Unfortunately.  ;)
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So far day 1 of my attempt at going dairy free is not horrific.  :)  Not missing cheese or milk... yet.