Sentiments by Denise

Juicing - on a Regular Basis

Most people enjoy a glass of juice. Fresh-squeezed is usually preferred. How about juice made through a juice machine?

         (the above juice contains carrots, apple, celery, orange & ginger root)

Last year we bought a Waring Pro juicer. It's not the top-of-the-line juicer, but it works for our needs. We try to juice at least twice a week.

I've been trying some new combinations lately, with more vegetables, to get a better balance of nutrients in my diet. For example, this is the juice combination I made this morning:

I combined one Fuji apple, broccoli stems (save those - they are great for juicing and have a slight sweet taste!), 4 carrots, 1 grapefruit, 1/2 cucumber, and some swiss chard.

This is a great little machine - easy to use and easy to clean up (though it is a bit messy, I won't lie!).

Ed helped while I took photos.

Here's my "green juice" with a little tinge of orange! I like the overload of the vegetables, yet it's a taste you have to get use to. I don't particularly care for a sweet juice, as Ed does. His looked like this:

He combined a Golden Delicious apple, Barlett pear, navel orange, and carrots. He prefers his juice to be heavier on the fruit side.

My juicer cleans up easily and goes back to its home above the refrigerator.

If you're thinking that it's just as easy to grab a bottle of juice at your local grocery store, take a few minutes to read this article on what you actually get in those commercial juices.
And if you really want to learn how juicing can benefit your health, there are many resources out there to help - starting with the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (which can be viewed on Netflix).
Knowledge is power. Consider these things when giving attention to your health.

Love my juice!

Trying New Foods

Emilee and I walked into Whole Foods Market last Saturday morning and saw something "new" (to us) on their citrus display!

We saw pummelos advertised on sale, and since we've never tried this fruit before, decided that we needed to take one home for a taste test.

 
Pummelos have a green outer skin and a very thick rind. Here it is in comparison to a normal sized navel orange. It's huge!

The guy at Whole Foods who helped bag my groceries was commenting on it, telling me what I might expect when I cut into it.

 
As you can see, because of the thickness of the rind, the fruit inside is nearly the same as a regular sized grapefruit. The pummelo is considered an exotic citrus fruit and, as with most citrus, it is high in vitamin C. Our bodies crave citrus during winter months and if we eat lots of it we can keep colds and infections to a minimum. Citrus = Superfoods!

 
The taste is very much like a grapefruit, but just a bit sweeter, in my opinion. I really liked it! Even though the fruit seemed slight after cutting away all the outer skin, I feel like this big ol' pummelo yielded about 2-3 servings of fruit.

What new or different foods have you tried lately? 

A Healthy Breakfast - Plan Ahead!

You may have heard a rumor about my love for oatmeal :)

Oatmeal, in any form, is a favorite breakfast food of mine. I especially enjoy steel cut oats because of their least processed form and their mega health benefits (fiber, lowers cholesterol, immune system booster, contains phytochemicals that fight cancer, and vit/min: iron, zinc, selenium and Vit E).

About a year ago I wrote a post about overnight oats and soaking the oats (rolled oats, in this case) in a combination with other healthy ingredients to create an awesome breakfast meal the following morning.

Over the past several months, I've been using muesli (a dry combination of oats, dried fruit, nuts, seeds) as a substitute once in awhile for my oats. I like to use the muesli in my overnight oats soakings and it turns out quite well.  I enjoyed this combo on Saturday morning and posted about it on my Facebook status, which prompted some interesting comments. I'm sure there are people who view the way I eat as "strange" or different, but for me, it works just fine and in line with my healthy agenda!

For muesli overnight goodness, start with this line up:
 
1/3 cup dry muesli
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 T. chia seeds
1/2 cup kefir (I used coconut kefir)
1/3 cup almond milk
sprinkling of dried cranberries and cacao nibs (opt.)

Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, heat for one minute in microwave (or can be eaten cold, but I prefer hot!). Add toppings and enjoy. (makes one serving)

 
Here's what it looks like after the overnight soak. The liquid melds wonderfully with the chia seeds, which swell, and makes a thick cereal base.

 
I love adding a tablespoon of nut butter (almond butter shown) and stir it in with a bit of almond milk to top it off. This is such a hearty breakfast and keeps me full for several hours. So much better than cold cereal. You can substitute the pumpkin for mashed banana or chopped apple or pear. If you're not a fan of kefir, but prefer yogurt, you can substitute that. And of course, use regular milk if that is your preference also. The above recipe is the vegan version, which I like to follow now and then.
Invest in the chia seeds, though - they are marvelous additions to many foods (baked goods, smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt, etc). I've posted about these several times and continually sing their praises as a healthy boost to my diet!

Instead of grabbing a pastry with your morning beverage or rushing through a bowl of cold cereal, give this hearty, healthy meal a try and see if it doesn't change your mind about one of the best ways to start your day!

Restful Sunday

We slept in this morning (I got 10 hours of restful, glorious sleep!) and relaxed the morning away. We went to church last night again and I really enjoyed Pastor Chris' message conclusion on Philippians - which he has preached from the past four weeks. The 4th chapter of Philippians is my favorite chapter in the Bible, as it contains my life verse (Phil 4:8). God used the sermon last night to speak to me on several things I'm struggling with in my life right now and I know God is really coaching me on my faith-walk these days. Lots of opportunities coming my way to stretch my faith and trust fully on Him!

 
Breakfast this morning was an amazing green smoothie made with frozen banana, 2 handfuls of raw baby spinach, frozen mango, kefir, chia seeds, and almond milk. Served with an oatmeal breakfast cookie topped with almond butter. Good flavors loaded with protein, healthy fats, veggies & fruits, and even whole grains! See - this breakfast has it all!

Emilee came over this afternoon to have lunch with us and, as she usually does, made something delicious! Homemade vegetable soup - with a lot of the great veggies we picked up at Whole Foods Market yesterday during our grocery shopping outing!

 
She came bearing edible gifts, too! Homemade corn muffins - the recipe from her vegan cookbook that we gave her for Christmas. Em loves to bake and has been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen lately. So much so that she has resurrected her blog and has begun posting about all her great creations! Check her out here. (She's actually putting me to shame with all of her posts lately...I need to get busy and start blogging more!).

 
The homemade vegetable soup is loaded with some great vegetables like carrots, onions, cabbage, zucchini, celery, mushrooms, red pepper, broccoli slaw, and some fabulous aduki beans! This was tasty today - it will be even better tomorrow when I have it for leftovers! I enjoyed the corn muffin with a couple squirts of honey. The muffins were dense and flavorful, just the way I like them! Perfect with a bowl of soup!

 

My Favorite Meal is Breakfast

I could never understand when people would tell me that they didn't eat breakfast - it's my favorite meal of the day!
I'm usually famished in the mornings and look forward to taking in some healthy and tasty nutrients to start my day. Since I've started eating with better intentions (healthier) this past year, I've tried to add some variety to my morning meals. Here is a list of my favorites:

Oatmeal

 
I dress it up with lots of healthy options. Above is banana oats with almond butter stirred in, some coconut shreds and cacao nibs on top.

 
This is non-cooked oatmeal called "overnite oats" where I mix raw oatmeal with yogurt, chia seeds, pumpkin (or banana or apple) and almond or coconut milk, then let it "soak" overnight in the fridge. In the morning I heat it for just a minute, add my toppings (here it's almond butter, almonds, and blueberries) and it's ready to eat! Saves a lot of time.
Other times I make steel cut oats in my rice cooker (my favorite way to make them now). I've experimented with additions to my oats - oat bran, ground flaxseed, or buckwheat groats. All of these raise the bar to a healthier breakfast.

 
Mixed in some fresh peaches, pecans, and peanut butter!

Sometimes I get fancy and make amaranth:
 
(yes, there's whole grains under all those yummy toppings!) I try to always add some kind of raw nuts or nut butter (sometimes both!) to my whole grain cereal - a great source of healthy fats and protein. Here I've also added a tiny scoop of coconut butter and some cranberries - this is a winning combination!

Smoothies

 
The green ones are my favorite! Simple recipe of a frozen banana, a couple handfuls of raw spinach, chia seeds, yogurt, other frozen fruit (like mango, strawberries, or peaches - although this is optional), and some almond or coconut milk. Lately, I've been adding a 1/2tsp of Matcha (green tea powder) to my green smoothies.

 
This is known as the Purple Slurple - same ingredients as above except add frozen or fresh blueberries as your other fruit option. I make a Cherry Banana Slammer, too, with frozen cherries. There are all kinds of options for great smoothies. You just have to be creative!

 
Besides adding the green tea and fun ingredients like the POM juice pictured above, I love to add pumpkin (1/3 cup) to my smoothies. What a great way to get some extra beta carotene in your diet!

Pancakes, Cookies, Muffins, and Bagels

 
Chocolate spelt pancakes with blueberries. I've even made them with fresh raspberries, too.

 
Skip the high calorie butter and syrup - add a mashed banana, some coconut shreds and some cacao nibs. These are amazingly filling at only about 500 calories for 3 medium pancakes. I love that these are made with spelt flour - a whole grain that is full of protein!

 
Whole grain muffins (blueberry flax) with a 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. Most of the time I eat yogurt as a snack (the Greek kind is higher in protein!), but for a heartier breakfast I'll have a small whole grain muffin with fruit and yogurt.

 
Mini wholegrain bagel with nut butter (almond - my fav!) and a sliced nectarine. This photo is from a few months back (archived). I like to eat fruit in season as much as possible as it's so much better tasting that way.

 
Sometimes something as simple as millet french toast with nut butter, sliced banana, and a few favorite toppings. I don't even miss the syrup anymore, but if I ever do eat it, I like to choose pure maple syrup (though it's very rich tasting).

 
Oatmeal breakfast cookie! If you're friends with me on Facebook, then you probably saw this posted on my page a few weeks ago. Here's the recipe -

Breakfast Oatmeal Cookie

1/4 c. quick oats
1 egg white (1/8 c.)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T. dark chocolate chips
1 T. chopped nuts
1 T. dried cranberries
1.5 tsp raw sugar or honey
2 tsp flour (whole wheat, spelt, or your favorite)
(sometimes I add a couple tablespoons of pumpkin puree, too!)

Mash ingredients together to combine. Form into a cookie shape on a plate. Microwave for 45 seconds on high. Let cool. EAT!
*this cookie is great with a thin spread of nut butter spread on top!**

 

I hope I've given you some ideas for breakfast and that you will try these to add a healthy start to your day. As you can see, my morning meals are never boring. And every once in awhile I'll have a bowl of cereal - I love it when I find a great nutrient-loaded one like this:

 
What are some healthy choices you make for breakfast?

Weekend in Madison

A couple months ago I made reservations for an overnight stay in a Bed & Breakfast in southern Indiana. Since Ed has been out of work for over a year, it didn't make sense to spend money on a full blown vacation, but a weekend away sounded wonderful to both of us. My job has been overly stressful lately and Ed will be starting a new job (WooHoo!) this next week, so it seemed like the perfect time.

The B&B that I reserved a couple months ago is about a 2+hour drive from Indianapolis. We drove down Friday mid-morning, took our time and stopped along the way for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants - Key West Shrimp House in Madison IN. We've stayed in Madison several times, always at a wonderful B&B there called the Schussler House (the first time 14 years ago). This time, though, I thought it might be good to try another small Indiana historic town with quaint B&B's for a change of pace. I booked a room at the Rosemont Inn in Vevay IN (back in July).

When we drove up to the Inn we were greeted with a beautiful historic home with a fabulous view of the Ohio river.

But, we also noticed this sign in the front yard:

There was a gentlemen on the grounds that came to talk to us when we drove up (the gardener, maybe?) and he let us know that the B&B was closed and had been for the past 30 days! No one had contacted us (by phone or email). I called the realtor to get some more details and found out the establishment was for sale (complete with all the furnishings) and the previous owners are now in federal prison. It didn't look like we'd be staying there on Friday night!

(the view of the Ohio river from the B&B - our room would've overlooked this view!). 

After checking out another B&B close by recommended by the gardener and finding it was full for the weekend, we began to panic a little that we would have to return home. (Staying at a hotel does not have the same finesse that a B&B does - especially when we were expecting the B&B experience for the weekend).

I decided to call Dave at The Schussler House and, fortunately for us, he had a room available for the night! We were very glad! We drove back to Madison - familiar stomping grounds for us - and checked in to our room. Then we proceeded to poke around the town, shopping, enjoying the gorgeous Autumn weather, and looking for a good place to have dinner.

 

Our room at the Schussler House - we stayed in the Blue Room.

 

Thomas Family Winery - the music corner

 

 It was perfect weather for walking up and down the streets in this small town.

 

 This cute kitty sat in a store window, bathing and completely ignoring us. He/she had the most unusual amber colored eyes, but I couldn't get a photo of him/her looking straight at me.

 

 Shoe shopping for Ed - needed for new job he's starting this week!

 

 The ones he chose to purchase.

 
On to dinner that evening at Bistro One - clearly the best restaurant in town!

 

 The atmosphere is so inviting and the aroma (from the fabulous food cooking) permeates all of your senses when you walk into the restaurant.

 
I chose the Italian Gnocchi, a dish I've never had before. Ed opted for the Chef's Fancy, which was a special dish that the chef (Nick) prepared daily. This time it was Mahi Mahi.

 

 The gnocchi was a perfect blend of spices, wonderful potato pillows matched with tomatoes, spinach, basil, kalamata olives, garlic, and flavorful asiago cheese. I loved it!

 

 Ed's mahi mahi was pan-seared with a honey butter sauce, topped with a bursting flavor of orange zest souffle. He loved it and ate the entire entree, along with a sampling of this:

 

 roasted veggies (potatoes, carrots, and green beans) with garlic pasta.

Strolling the sidewalks at dusk was a must to work off some of the calories we devoured! The food was excellent, the walk invigorating, and the night air refreshing.

We slept very well that night.

It was so quiet - no TV or internet in our B&B. Some people would probably be put off by that, but I enjoyed the peacefulness and opportunity to talk with my husband and read before going to sleep.

In the morning, we had every intention of getting up to walk down to the coffee house (about 6 or so blocks from our B&B), but it was downright chilly (about 41deg) and we wanted to carry our laptops so we drove. Breakfast at the B&B wasn't served until 9am and since we're early risers normally, we decided to head out for a hot beverage and catch up on the news and email.

 

 Comfortable couchy chairs at the coffee shop

 

 I tried both the green tea latte and the chai latter over the course of our overnight stay. I also found a special little tea that I'll share soon in another post.

After enjoying our morning hot drinks and realizing that we still had some time before breakfast would be served back at the B&B, we decided to walk down to the Farmer's Market in the town square.

 
There were about ten vendors set up, with some folk musicians warming up and an outdoor cafe serving up breakfast, too.

 

 Lots of Autumn fare, tasty baked goods (an Amish vendor was there, too), some watercolor paintings/cards, and other homemade goodies. We bought a few tomatoes, a couple hand-crocheted dishcloths, and a little sample bag of homemade corn nuts (Ed loves these!).

 
This beautiful table greeted us when we arrived back at the Bed & Breakfast. There was only one other couple staying and we met them at breakfast. The food was fabulous (no photos, I got caught up in the conversation at the table and totally forgot to take them!). Dave served a fruit cup of pineapple, blueberries, and bananas along with sour cream muffins. The main dish was a quiche with bread cubes, several cheeses, eggs, cream, peppers, and jalapenos (not exactly low-fat!) and a couple sausage patties on the side (which I snuck over to Ed's plate!). We sat at the table, eating and talking for over an hour and a half. Great company and wonderful food - our stay at the Schussler House did not disappoint at all! We highly recommend it if you are ever in Madison IN.

We drove back to Indianapolis later that afternoon and we were greeted by drizzly rain. So glad it held off so our weekend was not hampered with bad weather.

We had a wonderful time - so relaxing and fun. Even though it started out contrary to what we were expecting, we had a great time!   
   

Refreshing Green Tea Smoothie

Green tea, next to plain water, has been my preferred drink of choice over the past several years. I drink it by the mugfuls when the weather is cold and I need something to warm me up since I'm not a coffee drinker.

In the warmer months, I prefer to drink it iced - even adding some almond milk and a couple ice cubes to make an iced green tea latte. I actually enjoy my version better than the expensive one that Starbucks sells!

Recently I ran across this great book:

 

Along with so much good nutrition information for cancer survivors (and anyone else, for that matter), it is loaded with some fabulous recipes that compliment the way I've been eating these days. There are quite a few smoothie recipes which gives me lots of new ways to incorporate fruits/vegetables into my diet.

{Side note: recently someone asked me how it was possible to get the 7-9 daily recommended vegetables and fruits into their diet - they were having a hard time with that. For me, it's all about being creative with my food selection. Since I concentrate on a plant-based diet now, I find that's what my body craves most. Making smoothies, stir-frys, colorful loaded salads, roasting a variety of vegetables (like potatoes, squashes, brussel sprouts), and fresh fruit bowls, are some great ways to get all of those wonderful, healthy foods to become a daily habit.}

I found a recipe in the above book for a Green Tea Smoothie, which sounded like something I needed to try. This morning, before church, I made it and also ate a half of a blueberry bran muffin (these are made with lots of natural and organic ingredients: whole wheat flour, fruit juice concentrate - pear/pineapple, blueberries, wheat bran, water, low-fat buttermilk, applesauce, egg whites, leavening, cinnamon, and lemon extract. I get them from Trader Joes and freeze them - great for mornings when I'm in a hurry and want a healthy start to the day), with a touch of almond butter.

Now, that doesn't look scary at all, does it? (I know many of my friends are "put off" by my consumption of the green smoothies I make with spinach). This contains: frozen strawberries (5-6 large), almond milk (3/4 cup), a frozen banana, brewed green tea, chilled (about 1/2 cup), and some POM juice (1/2 cup - cranberry juice can be substituted also).  What a refreshing drink! Next time I'll add some chia seeds (a muscle and tissue builder, which also energizes and hydrates!) just to liven things up a bit more!

If you'd like to read more about the wonderful attributes of green tea, pop over to my new friend, Liz's blog, and enjoy all the great information she gives us for reasons to add green tea into our daily lives!

Let me know if you try this smoothie recipe and what you think!

Mornings with Amaranth and the Word

This morning we woke to a pleasant cool breeze blowing through our house, after sleeping with the windows open a crack all night. It made me hungry for a hot cereal breakfast, but not oatmeal.

So, I put my little red rice cooker to work, making some amaranth to enjoy!

 

Amaranth is a grain (seed) that is:

• high in protein
• contains vitamins A, K, B6, C, riboflavin, folate and minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese
• great for reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol with regular consumption
• also high in antioxidants, which help the immune system

My rice cooker is a gem and does a great job cooking so many grains/rice without much interaction from me!
I poured one cup of dried amaranth grains into the cooker with 2-1/2 cups of water, pushed the START button, and just walked away. Twenty minutes later there was a small pot of cooked amaranth just waiting to be consumed. This portion ratio, as noted above, actually makes 3-4 servings.

Cooked amaranth has a consistency similar to cream of wheat. It is darker in color and has a slight sweetness, which surprised me.

Naturally, I had to add some other fun, healthy ingredients to it - organic coconut butter (a healthy fat that is good for healing dry/damaged skin and has other amazing benefits - one of which is stimulating the thyroid, which is one that I truly need!), dried cranberries, and sliced almonds.  
I also added a splash of almond milk to cool it down some so I could eat it. This is so good! You must try it!
 

When I put some thought into the meals that I eat, mentally assessing the nutritional value of what I am putting into my body, healthy foods taste so much better to me than grabbing a quick, non-healthy option.

 

 Leftovers, about 2 servings worth, go into the fridge for a couple more meals this week.

This morning I'm reading/studying out out 1 Peter, the last chapter. Our pastor finished up a sermon series last week on the book of 1 Peter and we missed this last sermon because we were out of town.
The great thing is that the sermons are video-taped and posted on line, so I can catch up on what I missed (and not only hear the expressions, but see them as well!).

That's my morning.

Then on to enjoy this long weekend, doing some housework, laundry, grocery shopping, reading, and a possible road trip on Monday with my husband in the Triumph. Driving on the backroads of central/southern Indiana, looking for adventure! Sounds fun to me!

Have a great weekend!  

An Anniversary and Amazing Pancakes

Yesterday Ed & I celebrated 29 years of marriage together. We've been empty-nesters now for almost a year and it really feels different with just the "two of us". I told him yesterday that I had almost forgot what it felt like before we had children, when it was just us.
Our kids still live close to us and come over to hang out, eat, and do things with us, but mostly they have their own lives and stay busy.

Ed & I enjoy coming/going as we please, setting our own schedule, and  being spontaneous when we feel like it. We decided to go to church on Saturday evening and had a great time of worship, a stirring message from the pastor, and not feeling the rush the way we do sometimes on Sunday mornings. Since we did that, we woke up leisurely on Sunday and ventured out to the north side of town to Granite Cityfor brunch around 10am. We had a gift card that was given to us at Christmas last year and this seemed like the perfect time to use it.

 

Ed was delighted to find prime rib on the brunch buffet menu and custom egg creations were also offered. I splurged on a couple things that I haven't been eating these days, like a blueberry scone and some hash browns. I also enjoyed fresh strawberries, scrambled eggs,french toast, and some veggie slaw.
We decided that this would be our main meal for the day and only had a small snack later in the evening to curb the hunger.

I love my husband! He's such a strong leader in our marriage and loves me, takes good care of me, and is a great father to our children. I feel so blessed to have shared so many years together with him, knowing that God picked him out especially for me. I'm excited to journey through life with him even more now because it seems the longer we're together, the better it gets! It's a tribute to God's amazing grace in our lives!

This morning I made some awesome pancakes and then posted about them in my status on Facebook. I had several requests for the recipe, so I thought I'd share it here on the blog.

As you know, I enjoy reading and learning about nutrition and good things to eat. I visit several food/vegetarian blogs to get meal ideas. The other day I saw this recipe for Blueberry Carob Pancakes and decided that I needed to give them a try - they sounded so good!
I tweaked the recipe just a wee bit by substituting unsweetened baking cocoa for the carob powder, reducing it just alittle. Here's my version:

Blueberry Chocolate Pancakes

1/2 c. spelt flour
dash of sea salt
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 c. almond milk
1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Whisk all ingredients together, folding blueberries in after all other ingredients are mixed well. Spray griddle with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 of batter onto hot griddle, making a medium sized pancake. Repeat with remaining batter - makes three pancakes (1 serving).

 

I decided to follow Angela's example and mash a ripe banana, pouring it over the three wonderful chocolate-blueberry pancakes, then sprinkling some unsweetened coconut shreds and cacao nibs on top.
These were amazingly sweet, even with no sugar added. The cocoa powder made them so chocolate-y and I loved the flavor that the fresh blueberries added. 

I used spelt flour, but you could probably substitute what you have on hand. As you know, I've been experimenting with many different grains and spelt flour is one that is interchangeable in recipes that may call for whole wheat flour. It is a very healthy grain, higher in protein than wheat, and is easily digested.
You can also substitute your favorite non-dairy milk in this recipe. I used almond milk since it is my favorite and really adds to the flavor of the recipe.

Take a look at Angela's post for this recipe - her photos are much more eye-appealing than mine. I was too excited to dig into breakfast this morning and didn't really take the time for a photo shoot in my kitchen! My pancakes turned out very similar to hers - chocolate-y goodness with bursting blueberries galore! I will definitely make these again soon!

I Don't Drink Cow's Milk

Several years ago - I can't even remember now how many - I stopped drinking cow's milk. I've never liked the taste and I just didn't find it necessary. Once in awhile I would use soy milk to pour over my cereal or add to different dishes. I still drink soy milk from time to time, but not on a regular basis.

I have found some other plant based milks that I feel are better for me and enjoy implementing them into my daily food plans.

 

Here's a sampling of what I have in the house right now.

Hemp Milk = a non-dairy alternative to cow's milk, this beverage boasts of essential omega 3's and 6's, plus quality protein. One cup provides 46% of your daily calcium and is fortified with other healthy vitamins and minerals (D, B12, & Riboflavin). I love the vanilla flavor, but it comes in natural and chocolate, too.

Coconut Milk = this tasty liquid comes from the flesh of the coconut and is higher in fat than other dairy substitutes, yet metabolizes in the body more efficiently. It is often used in Asian cuisines (Thai food - yum!). I love drinking a small glass of ice cold coconut milk on a hot day - so good!

Almond Milk = this is probably my all-time favorite milk. It is very high in protein and keeps a long time without spoiling. Almond milk contains little to no saturated fat and no lactose. I love pouring this over my steel cut oats in the morning or using it as a mix-in when making smoothies.

Where does my calcium come from?

I get a percentage of calcium from any of these milk alternatives. I also take a daily calcium supplement.

Calcium also comes from the following sources:

• dark green leafy vegetables (broccoli, bok choy, collard greens, kale, romaine, leaf lettuce)
• tofu (made from calcium sulfate) or calcium-fortified soy milk
• molasses
• almonds or almond butter

Have you tried a milk alternative and if so, what caused you to switch?