Living Life Dairy Free
Let's be honest: Pre-pregnancy me wasn't so good at the whole healthy living thing.
I can't tell you how many times Justin and I would stay up until two in the morning watching back-to-back movies and eating frozen pizza, popcorn, and boxes of hostess treats. Yes, I said boxes. Plural.
Of course we always set goals: Let's watch less TV, eat healthier, exercise more... none of which actually happened once we got back from long days at work and school.
Transitioning into regular exercise (Prenatal Pilates) and eating a more balanced diet was tricky for me once we found out we were pregnant. Again, I tried. And again I failed. But at least I was getting better at it because now it wasn't just my health at stake, but Evie's.
Throughout my pregnancy I gained around 40 lbs. A lot of that was Evie and fluid, and to be expected, but some of it was also proof of my weak-willed nature when it comes to food. (Feed me, Seymour!).
With my body once again fully belonging to myself, I have a renewed desire to not only shed the extra weight still lingering around my middle like an inner tube to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but to surpass that and really tighten and tone my body in all the places I was lacking before.
In order to do that, I need to make some real lifestyle changes when it comes to my diet and exercise.
My diet is something I started working on before ever getting the go ahead from my doctor to resume intensive exercise routines. A part of my diet changed because I want to be healthier (less sugary treats, fatty foods, etc.) and others changed because Evie had a rough first month of life where her digestive system was super sensitive to gas-producing foods. Once I cut the big dairy items, broccoli and other gaseous foods from my diet, Evie was a much happier baby. So I was a much happier mommy.
Through my foodie journey of health, I learned that while exercise is great to build muscle, it does little to remove fat. You can absolutely have strong muscles with piles of fat hanging out on top of them. The only way to remove the fat: have a healthy diet meaning increasing the essential fats while decreasing (severely in my case) the sugars.
Well Evie made sure I stuck to healthy eating and she was diagnosed with a dairy and soy allergy. For two months I removed any dairy from my diet (before I knew soy was an issue and had to end breastfeeding altogether) including whey, casein, and lactose ingredients. I definitely had to think outside the box when it came to meal preps because I had less time than ever before to sit and eat, let alone research recipes or prepare meals without dairy. But I did it, and it's gotten easier the longer I've tried.
Here are some of our favorite healthy meals. Some have dairy free options and others are just tasty:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Dessert
You can check out some other dairy free meals and desserts here.
Of course your diet and exercise isn't the only contributor to your healthy lifestyle or fat stores. Sleep, stress, and hormones have just as much say in it. So while you're sweating off those pounds, make sure to get enough sleep and "me" time as you can.
I can't tell you how many times Justin and I would stay up until two in the morning watching back-to-back movies and eating frozen pizza, popcorn, and boxes of hostess treats. Yes, I said boxes. Plural.
Of course we always set goals: Let's watch less TV, eat healthier, exercise more... none of which actually happened once we got back from long days at work and school.
Transitioning into regular exercise (Prenatal Pilates) and eating a more balanced diet was tricky for me once we found out we were pregnant. Again, I tried. And again I failed. But at least I was getting better at it because now it wasn't just my health at stake, but Evie's.
Throughout my pregnancy I gained around 40 lbs. A lot of that was Evie and fluid, and to be expected, but some of it was also proof of my weak-willed nature when it comes to food. (Feed me, Seymour!).
With my body once again fully belonging to myself, I have a renewed desire to not only shed the extra weight still lingering around my middle like an inner tube to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but to surpass that and really tighten and tone my body in all the places I was lacking before.
In order to do that, I need to make some real lifestyle changes when it comes to my diet and exercise.
My diet is something I started working on before ever getting the go ahead from my doctor to resume intensive exercise routines. A part of my diet changed because I want to be healthier (less sugary treats, fatty foods, etc.) and others changed because Evie had a rough first month of life where her digestive system was super sensitive to gas-producing foods. Once I cut the big dairy items, broccoli and other gaseous foods from my diet, Evie was a much happier baby. So I was a much happier mommy.
Through my foodie journey of health, I learned that while exercise is great to build muscle, it does little to remove fat. You can absolutely have strong muscles with piles of fat hanging out on top of them. The only way to remove the fat: have a healthy diet meaning increasing the essential fats while decreasing (severely in my case) the sugars.
Well Evie made sure I stuck to healthy eating and she was diagnosed with a dairy and soy allergy. For two months I removed any dairy from my diet (before I knew soy was an issue and had to end breastfeeding altogether) including whey, casein, and lactose ingredients. I definitely had to think outside the box when it came to meal preps because I had less time than ever before to sit and eat, let alone research recipes or prepare meals without dairy. But I did it, and it's gotten easier the longer I've tried.
Here are some of our favorite healthy meals. Some have dairy free options and others are just tasty:
 |
| Photo credit: Greatist.com |
Breakfast
- Oatmeal with frozen berries and walnuts
- Orange, Banana, Mango Smoothie
- Fruit salad with two slices of wheat toast and peanut butter
 |
| Apple Chicken Rice Bowl |
Lunch
- Club Salad with Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
- Apple Chicken Sausage Rice Bowls
- Ham sandwiches (DF bread, DF mayo, DF deli meat)
 |
| Asian Salmon with Noodles Photo Credit: Julia's Album |
- Easy Teriyaki Glazed Salmon
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Sausage Veggie Stir Fry
- Stir fry carrots, corn, sausage (check ingredients for DF), zucchini, and yellow squash along with salt, pepper, parsley flakes, and chives.
- Asian Salmon with Noodles
- DF Option: Replace Chicken Stock with water
- Zuppa Toscana
- DF Option: Replace chicken broth with DF chicken stock; substitute 3/4 c almond milk mixed with 1/4 c light olive oil for the heavy whipping cream; omit the Parmesan cheese completely
- Breakfast for dinner: Egg sandwiches on bagels, french toast (use milk substitute), pancakes (use milk substitute)
 |
| Peanut Butter Cookies Photo Credit: TastesLovely.com |
Dessert
- Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (tastes like pie! And you can use any type of berries for a variety)
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
- DF Option: Replace butter with coconut oil; replace milk with almond milk (or other milk substitute)
- Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
Snacks
- Mediterranean Hummus & Tortilla Chips
- Graham crackers with peanut butter and Almond Milk
- Apples slices with peanut butter
- Hard boiled egg with salt
- Chips and salsa and guacamole
Of course your diet and exercise isn't the only contributor to your healthy lifestyle or fat stores. Sleep, stress, and hormones have just as much say in it. So while you're sweating off those pounds, make sure to get enough sleep and "me" time as you can.
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