So since last dairy-free journey post, this post is more a reflection on new things I have tried, as well as a reminder on something I had as a kid but forgot I could have now, as someone on a dairy-free journey.
Although I continue to write my posts as dairy-free, there have been times I allowed a bit of dairy in.
Those regular reading will know it might have been a pie, which the pastry contained milk. Another time was when I have had a chicken roast dinner, as it contained a scoop of mash and a Yorkshire pudding on my plate. At these times was when I was eating out, so allowing it in then is not often. But at home, I don’t allow. Having those items did not affect me. The only thing I don’t have when eating out with me finding it did, was when I was at a cafe and I had a chicken and mushroom pie. The creamy sauce making me feel like I needed to keep clearing my throat later.
I learnt that having Cadbury’s Original drinking chocolate that says “swirl into hot milk” and Tesco’s Coco Powder is ok for me. (Cadbury’s Original was what I drank as a kid.) There’re also ok for vegans, I read on a vegan website. They don’t label them vegan though, due to being handled on the same site where there are other products containing dairy are also produced. So I am now enjoying hot chocolate, using soya milk. There’s nothing like a comforting hot chocolate on a winters day. Although I like to drink it at other times too.
Although I had both a Tesco and Cadbury’s ones, I will stick with Tesco’s from now on, due to less sugar. I add honey to sweeten.
I also learnt that a supermarket brand Bourbon biscuits do not contain milk. In fact this particular brand I had was suitable for vegans. Now this surprised me because I expected them containing milk. I thought I picked up a pack once where some contained milk. But maybe I am wrong on this. So it’s nice to know. Although when younger, I wasn’t a complete fan on them. Now, I like them, but again, I am not crazy about them. So at least they will last in my biscuit tin. 😁
Discovered I like avocado, as I have blogged about in earlier posts, after accidentally having a feeling there was some on my plate, when eating out. I forgot to mention about leaving it off on this ocassion, because I once tried some at home and I did not like it. But I thought I had nothing to lose, so I tried it. I discovered I liked it and told a staff member who served me this, because they know from before I would usually request to leave that off. This inspired me to get my own avocado’s again and I looked up how to tell when ripe and ways to use one. I had my own first avocado on toast.
Lessons learnt after trying again, I now know when I tried the first time, that you always add something of flavour to it, because it’s bland on it’s own.
I also learnt that when I first would have tried one, that it wouldn’t have been ripe.
I’ve now had quite a few since.
I like just a few little things when it comes to coconut. But I am not a fan.
I do not like coconut, which I have been like this since a child. Bounty was my first memory of not liking. But I could eat Nice biscuits.
I tried Koko dairy-free yogurt last year, which does have coconut milk in it. So with liking this and one time liking a Costa iced type drink that also contained coconut, I thought maybe my tastebuds had changed. So I tried a dairy-free milk that contained coconut on my cereals. I discovered I did not like it. So I am not a 100% fan when it comes to coconut. I won’t be trying anything else containing coconut, than having what I already know that I like. So I have found where my limits lie.
I have tried Polenta. I made as instructions on packet, until I had the consistency of how I wanted it. I mixed some dry mixed herbs into it, at the start of cooking.
Once cooked, I added a small knob of dairy-free butter to it, before serving it on my plate, adding mushrooms and sweetcorn on top. I also grated a bit of dairy-free cheese on top, but I felt that was a bit too much, which afterwards, when reading online about it, I was reading how it can be too rich having it like that: butter and cheese. It made a quick meal though. But once my pack has gone whether I will buy anymore, I don’t know.
Have you ever tried Polenta? If so, how did you have yours?
So as you can see and as I found, just by going dairy-free, it encouraged me to try new foods again.
I will carry on doing what I am doing, cutting out a majority of dairy-free products and using alternatives in their place, like soya.
When I am eating out and the aim will be to cut out dairy, but at times like say having a chicken roast dinner, I am not going to worry about a scoop of mash on my plate and a yorkshire pudding, because this isn’t going to be a regular weekly event anyway.
I am going to make this my last dairy-free post, but I hope what I have shared in today’s and past posts, that it has helped you in some way.
If I ever chat about dairy-free again, it will more likely be mentioned in a chit-chat post, with it just being a chat, than a long post on the subject.
© Elizabeth Fisher and My Wellbeing and Learning Journey.
Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to My Wellbeing and Learning Journey with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. (But Guest Posts that feature on my blog are not allowed at all to be duplicated, as that is their copyright.)