6 Months Later: An Update on Quitting Dairy

It's been 6 months since I wrote my post about quitting dairy. It feels like a long time ago, but yep, only 6 months. 

Even though I wanted to be completely dairy free by now, I'm still not. My biggest struggle has been replacing butter; I don't like butter substitutes because while butter isn't the healthiest substance in the world, it's void of hydrogenated oils, which are actually worse for you than trans fat. As well, coconut oil, the preferred vegan cooking replacement, is hydrogenated and actually 82% saturated fat; one tablespoon is 11 grams of saturated fat, and the limit suggested by the American Heart Association is 12g of saturated fat per day. (To read more about how fitness blogs and fake health experts have mislead most of the public about coconut oil, click here.)

The other preferred substitute are basically margarine, most of which contain soy. One brand makes a soy-free version that I would describe as being like eating solid oil. It's not good. 

I've started using olive oil again in cooking (ugh, the most expensive mistress!) and most of the week I use avocado or peanut butter on my toast. But every Sunday, I treat myself to buttered toast (my favorite food in the entire world). 

I haven't had milk in my coffee, not even from Starbucks or Dutch Bros, since around October. That's been a big one for me; I love a creamy Starbucks frappucino and i really worried that the almond milk version wouldn't be as good. But gosh, I was wrong. (Also, Starbucks had a toasted toffee almond milk hot chocolate at Christmas that was truly heavenly.) 

The big question I get is, has quitting dairy helped my skin at all? As I wrote in my blog post on my acne journey, I saw a lot of good results with jojoba oil. (I have noticed a lot of texture on my face recently from my super simplified skin routine, so I've added an extra exfoliation during the week; just something to remember if you want to try jojoba oil!) I still get a little bit of acne related to my cycle, but nothing like I used to experience. 

I've also noticed that if I eat something with dairy (like cheese or a lot of sour cream), I tend to break out almost immediately. Like, within hours. Obviously, this is only anecdotal, but it has definitely scared me from "treating myself." (A few times, I've run out of almond milk and had to use Forrest's 2% milk in my coffee; I regretted it every time!) 

It gets easier to go without dairy as time goes on. I don't miss cheese and milk as much as I thought I would; finding replacements for things (like sour cream) has been pretty exciting. I do occasionally still have a yogurt, as I find it doesn't aggravate my skin as bad as other dairy products.

I'm really happy with my decision to quit dairy. I'm going to give it a full year before I decide if it's something I want to do for the rest of my life, or just try to limit for the time being. 

Product Review: Uniquely J Voxbox*

This is going to be a rather quick review. To start, I received three products in this Voxbox from Influenster and, not to give it away, they all fell a bit flat. It's hard to get excited about crackers and freezer bags, but I did my best!

Disclaimer: as always, the asterisk (*) in the title of this blog post denotes that I received these products free in exchange from review. However, my choice to feature them here is my own and all opinions are my own. You can read more about my disclosure policy here. 

What is Uniquely J? 

Uniquely J is the generic brand of Jet.com, a website that I know most for having somewhat bizarre commercials. Jet.com is a lot like Amazon, selling household goods on subscription services for cheaper prices. So basically, you sign up and get toilet paper autoshipped to your house every 6 weeks--so it's technically cheaper than buying it from the store. 

Uniquely J is their brand of just about everything: coffee, paper supplies, cooking supplies, cleaning supplies, snacks... They've got a bit of everything. You can check it out here. 

What I Received

In this voxbox, I received: Fig and Olive Large Crisps; Almond Chocolate Biscotti; and Freezer Bags. 

Uh, yeah. Freezer bags. 

First things first, let's discuss what I liked: the packaging of these products is cute. I mean, it's really cute. The boxes are cute. Everything is cute. But then, you open them. 

Ok, it's not quite that dramatic. 

But I was pretty disappointed by the snacks because, well, they have the makings of everything I love. I love biscotti! I love crackers! I love those things! Yet, I wouldn't eat either of these things by choice. 

Let's break it down.

I'll start with the Fig and Olive Crisps. They're insanely sweet. Not sweet and salty. Not savory with some sweetness. They are sweet in the way that British people often describe American bread. (Yes, you're not alone, Brits. I, a born and bred American, also hate how sweet our bread is.) They are blisteringly, mouth-puckeringly sweet. I have no idea what you would eat these with, honestly. A dip might help reducing how teeth-numbingly sweet they are, but I honestly can't imagine what I would dip them in. Cheese? Gravy? The possibilities are all quite disgusting. On the plus side: Forrest likes them, but occasionally I catch him eating crayons. He is two years old, after all; his tastes aren't exactly discerning. 

Next, let's talk those Almond Chocolate Biscotti. Almond! Chocolate! Biscotti! Can you imagine? It sounds delicious, right? While the Fig and Olive Crisps are much too sweet for being a savory cracker, these biscotti are not sweet enough, despite being essentially a cookie. What is going on?! They are vaguely chocolatey, with bits of almond in them... but I wouldn't call them a biscotti. It was like two different kinds of blandness getting married to form another type of bland in the form of a cookie. They are aggressively bland in a way that is almost unsettling. And worse, they aren't even whole. This isn't a sleeve of little biscottis; it's a bag of essentially biscotti pieces. It's so bizarre! How can something that should be so easy to make taste amazing taste like I'm eating a piece of cardboard that's vaguely chocolatey? 

Needless to say... the two snack choices didn't make me very happy!

Then, of course, we have the Freezer Bags. I don't even know what to say about these! How do you review freezer bags? They zip. They have cute little designs on them, which isn't exactly my thing, but it's a nice touch. They seem to freeze well. They are quite thick and you get a lot in the package. It's hard to like or dislike freezer bags! 

It's funny because this voxbox had the other option of receiving cleaning supplies... I would much rather have gotten cleaning supplies, because I love a good window cleaner or wipe for my counter! These snacks have officially been put into the "treats for Forrest" bin and we've moved on from trying to make them work. But hey, the Uniquely J coffee does look really good and the prices certainly aren't bad. 

I Tried Hungry Root So You Don't Have To

If you like this blog post, you’ll love my road trip guide just for parents, featuring Hungryroot snacks & foods. You can read that here.

As well, you can now use my promo code PAUSES40 to 40% off your first order PLUS a free gift for life! Just sign up at Hungryroot.com and use my code below to receive your discount.

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite podcasters, Jackie J, posted on her Instagram story about Hungry Root, a grocery delivery service. As Jackie would say on Natch Beaut, color me intrigued, baby!

Of course, because I looked at it online, I started to get ads for Hungry Root: in my Instagram feed, on Facebook, everywhere. One night, I clicked on an ad to see the price: the introductory offer was about $50 for a box.

Honestly, still pretty steep considering that's my budget for a week's worth of groceries for 3 people. However, I talked to Danny about it and we agreed it would be nice to try to get an idea of vegan recipes to replicate. The next time I saw an ad, I clicked on it again--and guess what? The introductory price had been cut to $30. Ok, for $30, I'll try anything especially if it's food. 

I ordered, I set a delivery date, and I waited. 

What is Hungry Root? 

Hungry Root is a vegan delivery service that promises each meal to be under 500 calories. It's ideal for people who need fast recipes that feature plant-based proteins. You can learn more about Hungry Root here. 

(I'm still debating whether or not to write Hungry Root with a space or as one word. On their packaging, it's two words. On their website, one. I'm torn, clearly!) 

The Delivery

So, shipping was relatively fast, although my box got delayed on the way to me. It was supposed to show up Tuesday, February 13 or Wednesday, February 14. It showed up on the afternoon of Thursday, February 15. I had started to get worried because it's a box of food. 

As I posted on Twitter at the time, the delivery driver also didn't take my box of food up my driveway. I live in the country and my driveway is quite long, but it's not a difficult driveway to get up at all. In fact, my husband manages it in his small car pretty easily. We get delivery trucks all the time, as well as our garbage service. The delivery driver chucked my box of actual food into the ditch beside my driveway. I kid you not: I had to try and wrangle Forrest while digging this out of the ditch, wondering if this $30 box of vegetables would be ok or not. (It was fine, in the end.) 

This wasn't Hungry Root's fault, just a 3rd-party delivery driver who was apparently feeling a bit lazy that day! 

The box was pretty large and heavy because it was packed with biodegradable insulation (nice) and Arctic Ice packs. I'm still not sure what to do with these items; can I recycle them? Toss them? What's the process? I do wish the Hungry Root instructions had something about recycling the box or turning it in for credit. 

What I Got

Here is everything I received for this first order: 

• Cucumber Corn Black Bean Salad

• Roasted Corn Edamame Salad

• Black Bean Brownie Batter

• Fluffy Maple Chickpea Batter

• Chickpea Alfredo Sauce

• Thai Peanut Sauce

• Carrot Chips

• Cauliflower Rice

• Shaved Brussels

• Superblend Salad

• Sweet Potato Mac

• Avocado Crema

• Braised Lemongrass Tofu Nuggets

• Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies

• Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa Bowl

All those items promised to make the following dishes, based on the Hungry Root recipe book they include: 

• Fluffy Maple Chickpea Pancakes (breakfast)

• Avocado Bean Southwestern Salad (lunch)

• Simply Seasoned Carrot Chips (side)

• Red Pepper Sauteed Sprouts (side)

• Crispy Greens Sweet Potato Hash (main)

• Carrot Edamame Peanut Stirfry (main)

• Heart Corn Edamame Stew (main)

• Pad Thai Fried Rice (main)

• Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies (dessert)

• Black Bean Brownies (dessert)

The plan we signed up for (The Good Life) says they include enough for 5 meals, plus 5 sides, snacks, or sweets. My recipes don't necessarily narrow down to those parameters, so it's difficult to tell. However, it is nice to get a few sweets included because it makes it a bit more fun. 

What I Liked

I'm a relatively picky eater and, to be absolutely honest, I'm always very hesitant about vegan food. I typically don't like the way most vegan dishes skew (basically, really heavily sauced things). So I was excited that these dishes were a little more "basic" and gave me some ideas of what I can make at home that isn't standard vegan fare. 

My favorite dish was probably the Avocado Bean Southwestern Salad; that's something I would definitely make myself. Each recipe is for 2 servings--and the servings were huge. I'll talk about this a bit more in the next section, but one issue I did have was that the flavor, especially of the dressing, was just a bit... basic. But it was still quite tasty and I really enjoyed it. 

My other favorite item was the Black Bean Brownie Batter. You can bake it or eat it plain. Danny and I ate it plain throughout the week, just taking bites whenever we wanted it. It was so good! This is something I wish I could purchase ala carte; I just want a tub of it at all times. 

I liked the convenience of all the dishes and how easy they were to make. This is definitely designed for people who perhaps don't really know how to cook or don't have time. I found it a bit frustrating that in the end, it was just opening a bunch of separate containers. There isn't really any "cooking" involved! 

What I Didn't Like

As I mentioned, there just wasn't as much cooking involved as I expected! It's mostly just quickly sauteeing stuff, adding water, and letting cook for maybe 3-7 minutes, then mixing with a container of salad. It's nice because it's so quick, but I really enjoy cooking and so I got quite frustrated having to wait until 10 minutes before dinner to start! 

Danny quite enjoyed almost every single recipe, but he's a trooper and will eat just about anything. His favorite was the Crispy Greens Sweet Potato Hash, but I added a fried egg to give it some protein. That's the issues with some of these recipes. They all promise to be under 500 calories per serving and they definitely are... but some of them a lack a protein element, even though they include a lot of bean salads and the like. 

As I mentioned, I want to talk about flavors. The overwhelming flavor of most of the prepackaged salads is vinegar. There is a lot of vinegar. I love a vinegar-based salad dressing as much as the next person, but it's quite a lot. In general, there isn't a lot of flavor to anything. The Thai Peanut sauce used in the Pad Thai Fried (Cauliflower) Rice is very heavily just peanut butter and very spicy--there is no dimension to it. It's not bad, but it's not something I would want to eat nonstop. It would be nice to see a variety of flavors or perhaps spice packets that can be added to these items to make them have a bit more dimension. 

Another thing: the individual items are labelled really oddly. Like a package of sweet potatoes is labeled "Sweet Potato Mac." But it's just raw sweet potato! It's not a package of sweet potato mac and cheese; you add the sauce separately. 

Is it Worth the Money? 

I paid $30 for this--effectively half the price of the box usually. Was it worth the $30? Honestly, I'd say no. I ate two things that I really, really loved; the rest was a bit meh, I could dress it up... but at that point, I'm just making my own recipes and cooking for myself! 

What made it worth it? It gave me some ideas of recipes to make and things to try in the future to incorporate more vegan food into our diets as a family. I would never purchase it again, but I enjoyed it. And honestly, finding out how good black bean brownie batter is definitely gives me something to think about. Anyone have a good recipe for that? 

What Changed?

You might notice I have a promo code with Hungryroot now. A lot has changed at Hungryroot and I’m so happy to be working with them. My first review was critical of the meal subscription idea—I felt that the box felt more piecemeal than, say, a Blue Apron box and I ended up doing a lot more experimenting. As it turned out, Hungry Root was kind of on the same page. As of January 2019, they have rebranded—not only is their new logo and website gorgeous, but they’ve transitioned to being less of a meal delivery service and more of a grocery service.

Here’s why I love that: I can’t get grocery delivery services in my area and I’m not alone there! What Hungryroot offers is the option to pick a bunch of healthy groceries and have them delivered to your door on a subscription. Our weekly grocery budget is about $50-65 these days so a single small Hungry Root box can give us a few breakfast options, some pre-cut veggies, and a few treats, which is just about all we buy anyway! You can visit my new blog post about Hungry Root to learn more about my more recent experience with using their service.

One of the best things about Hungryroot is being able to get your favorite groceries delivered right to your door—that’s more important than ever! I get oat milk, oatmeal, pancake mix, fresh vegetables, and more delivered every week… no more running to Whole Foods on a whim and trying to find what I need.

Have you tried Hungryroot? Are you considering it? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

3 Dinner Ideas for Before Christmas

It's that time of year. 

Yes, Christmas. But also, the season of food. Of eating. Of being invited to brunches, lunches, parties, and get togethers. 

Especially when you have kids, you still need to make dinner--and you want it to be something fast and reasonably healthy (considering you have at least a dozen cookies in your house at all times, as well as any number of snacks, cakes, leftovers, and more). 

The past week (and actually, this week as well), I've been really struggling with cooking dinners. We are exhausted after long days at work topped with getting ready for Christmas, visiting friends and family, and making dishes for pot lucks. But Forrest has a pretty set schedule for his meals and trust me, the kid knows how to read a clock. 

Here are 3 recipes I'm turning to this week and next to help us eat well on the lead up to Christmas. 

1. One Pot Chicken Pasta

This is one of my tried-and-true, if I make this everyone will eat it and enjoy it dinners. I usually make extra veggies to go alongside it (usually roasted carrots and Brussel sprouts), but even on it's own, it's extremely tasty. 

I actually no longer follow the recipe anymore because I customize it so much. I cut out the bacon, keep the chicken, use milk instead of cream and veggie stock instead of chicken, add broccoli, and add the parmesan at the end of cooking (instead of at the beginning--I have found it gets separated and weird if I put it in at the beginning). This would be a really easy recipe to make vegan: use veggie stock and replace the milk with either almond milk or soy milk; no chicken, but stir in beans at the end of cooking (or use vegan crumbles); use a cheese substitute or nutritional yeast. 

2. Taco Bake

This is my own personal recipe. It's incredibly easy and can be made ahead. I actually made a few trays of it recently and put them in the freezer for quick dinners through the winter. Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 pound of ground beef (or chicken if you prefer) 
• 1 packet of taco seasoning OR about 1/2 cup of salsa or enchilada sauce
• 1 can of refried beans OR 1 can of black beans to make your own (just cook in a pan and mash as you do so, add a little salt and pepper) 
• Tortillas
• Cheese
• Carrots, peppers, spinach, corn, and broccoli 
• About 1 cup of leftover rice (or cooked fresh) 

Start by preparing a baking dish; I use a 9x9 square pan, spray with nonstick cooking spray, then put down a layer of tortillas. Cook your ground beef or chicken in a pan, adding the taco seasoning or salsa (whatever you've chosen to use). If you need to, start cooking your refried beans and rice. (If you're using leftovers, it cuts out that step!) In the oven, roast your veggies of choice, then add a few dashes of hot sauce as you mix them up. Once you have everything cooked, it's time to layer. I usually do a layer of refried beans onto the tortillas in the prepared dish, then meat, then veggies, then a light sprinkle of cheese. Layer tortillas again and repeat until you run out of everything. Top with cheese and bake for about 20 minutes. 

It's so good, so easy, and can be made using almost entirely leftovers. 

3. A Cheese Plate

If it's just you and your partner (or just yourself!), the simplest dinners are sometimes the best. Recently, Danny and I, after Forrest has gone to bed at 3:30 because he hadn't napped all day, had a cheese plate dinner. We sliced up some nice cheese, made a few slices of toast, made a chocolate sauce for some strawberries, peeled a few mandarin oranges, and opened a bottle of wine. It was simple and super satisfying. Next time, we want to make some bruschetta and toast, as well as cheese and strawberries, to enjoy. 

My Top 5 Healthy Holiday Snacks

I definitely believe in indulging during the holidays. Christmas cookies and dinners only happen once a year, alongside those special Christmas or holiday cocktails, appetizers, and more. Enjoying them is something that is very important to me and ever since I started practicing intuitive eating, I became aware of the fact that if I don't allow myself to eat my favorite holiday treats, I just don't have a good time. 

However, I also know that if I eat like that all time, I won't feel my best physically. So for the last few months, I've been collecting my favorite healthy holiday recipes to make this month, test, and see if they're as good as they look. Having these around the house helps me feel like I'm indulging, without the heavy feeling that happens from eating gingerbread cookies every single day for a month! 

These are my top 5 favorite recipes that I've tried through November and the first part of December. 

1. Pomegranate Chocolate Candy Cups

These are as easy as they look: pomegranate seeds, pistachios, and coconut in dark chocolate. And gosh, they are tasty: satisfying that need for a little chocolate bite, but adding in the tang of pomegranate and the crunch of pistachios. (I'll be honest: I left out the coconut because I'm not a huge fan.) You could really add any kind of nut or dried fruit to this: I want to try dried raspberries, almonds and white chocolate next. 

2. Frozen Yogurt Drops

I've been making these for Forrest forever, so it was something we could share this month! I actually bought salted caramel Greek yogurt to try and it worked out fantastic. I usually chop up dried fruit to mix with it, so we had salted caramel Greek yogurt with diced dried mangos. Absolutely delicious! As holiday yogurts get to grocery stores, you can do this with just about any yogurt for a healthy holiday treat before or after meals (or, you know, with meals in Forrest's case). Adding sprinkles is a nice festive touch. 

3. Vegan no-bake Gingerbread Bars

I wanted to include something vegan because I've been avoiding dairy for a few months now. (And over Thanksgiving, I ended up consuming a lot of dairy and let me say, my skin absolutely knew it.) These definitely aren't a traditional gingerbread, but they definitely get the flavor right; I opted not to do the thick glaze and just sprinkled the tops with a little powdered sugar mixed with pumpkin pie spice. Absolutely just as lovely! They make great breakfast replacements as well, for those days when you don't have time to make something. 

4. Healthy Gingerbread Cookies

One note about these cookies: the recipes calls for coconut oil, a substance I choose not to eat. (It's 65% trans fat! It's not healthy!) I used plain old butter to replace it and they were just as good; you could also use applesauce or mashed banana and it would be lovely. The addition of almond flour and oat flour is really genius and gives them a unique texture and taste. However, they definitely satisfy that need of mine to eat as much gingerbread as possible--without feeling like I've eaten approximately 8 bags of flour. 

5. Chocolate Mint Balls

This is another super easy recipe that gets the flavor exactly right. I make these chocolate and peppermint cookies every December and these balls taste really, really similar (although the texture is not that of a cookie, obviously). They are a great afternoon pick-me-up at work when I just want something to munch on, but want to avoid the massive platter of cookies in the break room! 

4 Hot Toddies Just for the Holidays

I love hot toddies... but I don't hold myself to the typical hot toddy definition. A hot toddy, traditionally, is some mix of spirits topped with hot water and lime. Basically, it's warm, watery alcohol. That doesn't sound exactly appetizing, does it? But replace that hot water with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or hot apple cider, and you've got yourself a deal. 

For this round up, I gathered my four favorite hot toddy recipes that deviate from "the traditional". Whether you love hot cider, tea, or coffee, I've got something for everyone. 

1. Tea Hot Toddy

This recipe uses black tea, apple cider, ginger, cloves, and honey, so if you're a little under-the-weather this month, it's the perfect drink; but add a little bit of rum to make it a party drink. I use chai tea (one of my favorites from my list here, of course) and a high quality, local apple cider. Yum! 

2. Hot Peppermint Patty

Love hot chocolate? Love peppermint? This creamy, delicious hot toddy is for you. This isn't just peppermint schnapps added to hot cocoa mix; this is schnapps, creme de cocoa, and creme de menthe blended with hot cocoa. (I would use the Starbucks Marshmallow hot cocoa, because it's my favorite.) 

3. Apple Cider Hot Toddy

This is really similar to the tea hot toddy, but using green tea instead of chai (interesting twist!) Add extra lemon and a slide or two of apple for an extra apple twist. 

4. Holiday Hot Toddy

This is a coffee hot toddy, which is actually my favorite kind. It combines coffee, whipped cream, and rum for a delicious, creamy, treat. 

5 Snacks to Make For Halloween

1. Hocus Pocus Halloween Punch 

This punch uses V8 juice, Mango Izze, and peach sherbet. Does that not sound like the greatest thing ever? Plus, it's orange, fizzy, and looks deliciously cool. The V8 is a nice touch if you have kids! 

2. Caramel Apple Slices

I love caramel apples, but dipping entire apples is really daunting. These slices are a little bit more manageable, plus they reduce the amount of sugar you end up eating. 

3. Fruit Kabobs

Forrest is still a little too young for marshmallows, but, I am fully planning to make these fruit kabobs somehow! They're so cute and perfectly healthy. 

4. Halloween Pretzel Rods

Chocolate covered pretzels are actually my favorite dessert or treat. These pretzel rods are super easy to make and really delicious. 

5. Mummy Brownies

These brownies are so cute! And how easy? You could use boxed brownie mix or even premade brownies if you're short on time. 

My Four Favorite Autumn Teas

I go through phases with tea. Sometimes, it's all I want to drink. But usually in the summertime, I stop drinking tea. Once the rain starts around mid-October though, I start to replace my afternoon coffee with an afternoon tea. 

And gosh, tea is refreshing after a break! I usually end up buying a bunch of tea to last me the entire Fall and Winter. I have my favorites, definitely, and these are the ones I make sure to get every single year. 

1. Pumpkin Spice Black Tea from the Republic of Tea

I love black tea; it's my favorite type (probably because of the caffeine content). This Pumpkin Spice Black Tea from the Republic of Tea is my absolute favorite Fall-themed tea. I'm normally not big on pumpkin spiced things, because they can be quite strong... however, I love the blend on this one. It has finely ground black tea, plus ginger, cinnamon, sweet blackberry leaves, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice alongside natural pumpkin flavor. So it's a nice blend of sweet and spicy. 

2. Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Black Tea from Celestial Seasonings

This tea is very similar to my top pick, but being from a drugstore brand, it's more affordable and more readily available for when I run out. It definitely doesn't have the same depth as the Republic of Tea variety, but still has the same spicy-sweetness to it. My husband prefers this tea too! 

3. Spiced Chai Tea from Bigelow 

This is my classic favorite Chai tea: straightforward and simple, a classic Chai mix. I usually drink this the most (sometimes I'll buy the Stash brand instead if it's on sale), with a packet of Truvia and a tablespoon of almond milk. It's so good on a cold afternoon!

4. Hot Cinnamon Sunset from Harney & Sons 

This is my new favorite; I bought it on a whim at Target mainly because the tin it comes in is very cute. But once I tried it, I knew it was meant to be! This is a simple black tea with cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel; it has a nice citrusy taste to cut the cinnamon a little bit. It's a bit more Christmas-y than the other teas on this list, but very, very cozy.