Not meatballs.
I should have made a bigger batch of these coconut macaroon things because Kyle ate half of them before I even tried one.
Work food. Banana. Carrots. Macaroons.
It would probably blow your mind to know how many carrots we go through in our little hippie household. I eat half a pound a day, minimum. If our fridge were bigger it would be packed with orange. As it is, we have one crisper drawer solely devoted to those two pound bags (plural).
Almond milk is another thing we seem to restock at a insane rate – three or four cartons a week! I’m telling you guys, we are keeping Blue Diamond in business. I’m curious about the new Silk almond milk with 35 calories (per serving). Anyone tried it? I loved the older Silk almond milk, but the nutritional stats on Almond Breeze’s unsweetened vanilla almond milk are better (0 g sugar vs 15 g sugar).
A break from my breakfast routine! Not oats!! I didn’t stray too far – I swapped brown rice for oats, which I mashed with greek yogurt and vanilla almond milk. Then I added (home-made) no-grain-ola and fresh strawberries.
Yum!
It was really really good. Held me over until lunch.
Spinach, brown rice, General Tso’s soy chicken (from Whole Foods).
This is the meal I enjoyed in the gorgeous sunshine.
Unpictured dessert: the best chocolate ever. Stay tuned.
I got home and threw together my go-to combo of seitan, quinoa, and carrots.
I swore I was going to stop taking pictures of this combo since it is something I eat at least once a week (which makes for highly repetitive blog material), but I seem to have an influx of new readers lately (hi!), so I felt like showing a classic hippie bowl.
For dessert I had a few slices of warm banana bread.
There’s no need to share a recipe here since I made it while I was on the phone with my sister (in Australia) and didn’t measure anything. Not only was I hardly paying attention to the baking process, but I forgot to use an egg/“egg” substitute. Accordingly, it turned out pretty dense. Kinda like banana pancakes.
But whatever, it tasted good.
I had some on the way to work the next morning too.
If you’re thinking this pre-packed collection looks a little sparse it’s because I have a confession.
I have become addicted to the french toast from our hospital cafeteria. I’m sure it’s made with the most nutrient void white bread, but it’s so fluffy and yummy. For a variety of reasons, I never buy anything from the cafeteria. First off, they don’t really have much that interests me. Second, it’s more economical to pack my own stuff. Third, running downstairs to get food is almost always impossible with the work load and patient care. And finally, it’s a gamble eating things that I didn’t make since I can’t account for the exact ingredients or cross-contamination (which is a real gamble given my GI sensitivities).
All that considered, I bought french toast both days this weekend. I think my co-workers almost fainted in shock. I dunked each bite in real maple syrup and it was delicious.
For lunch I had the same thing as the previous day but with quinoa instead of brown rice.
And because my appetite was still thriving, I had my packed breakfast parfait as an afternoon snack. It had berries, greek yogurt, & home-made no-grain-ola.
I snacked on Cocomo Joe CocomoCorn on the way home from work. Oh my gosh this stuff is good. Really really good. I had no idea how they were going to replicate the flavors of caramel corn with healthy ingredients, but they definitely did.
It’s sweetened with coconut nectar and coconut sugar so it’s both vegan and FODMAPs friendly.
Now I’m reallllly excited to try the rest of the goodies they sent me 🙂
All of them are vegan, gluten free, organic, and paleo (I’m not following a paleo diet, but I know tons of people are – and as an aside, I’ve noticed many overlaps in the paleo diet and the low FODMAPs diet). Many of the Cocomo Joe products are raw too.
I wasn’t that hungry when I got home from work, so I made a quick scramble with eggs, seitan, and spinach.
I had a piece of Rudi’s GF bread on the side.
Taste-wise it’s really good (reminds me of a brioche-like egg bread). However it tends to crumble more than gluten breads, which means it’s not great for mopping up leftover stir-fry seitan juice or runny egg yolks.
When it comes to sandwiches, it’s better to toast the bread first. I’ve found that helps it hold together better.
As far as gluten free breads go, it replicates the fluffy sandwich bread quality of wheat bread pretty well. It’s a far cry from the dense Food For Life millet bread (or my brick-like home-made attempts).
And it’s soy free and gluten free. I bet it would be excellent for french toast…just sayin 😉
Instead of dessert I had hot cocoa (Chatfield’s cocoa + NuNatural stevia + almond milk + water) with one massive home-made marshmallow.
Since I was extremely exhausted and Kyle was out at bars with friends, I went to bed almost immediately after eating. My shift was so insane, I just wanted to collapse in my pillow. So I did.
Then I woke up and started the entire routine again.
I brought three pieces of banana bread to snack on over the day.
And a AB&J sammie. I brought it as a back-up knowing full well I was really going to buy french toast again (if I could find the time to get to the caf).
Un-processed through and through. From the home-made almond butter to my mom’s home-made plum jam to the home-made wheat bread.
But I definitely got the cafeteria french toast again. I’m considering it my weekend treat. I have to have something to look forward to when I’m at the hospital and everyone else Kyle is off.
I’m happy to report, my Sunday shift was MUCH better than my Saturday shift. Generally speaking, the pace of weekend shifts is slower. But that was not the case on Saturday. Not one bit. Which is why I didn’t know what I was going to come back to on Sunday. But even after completely chaotic shifts (playing that never-ending catch up game), at least by the next day you know the patients and are already familiar with their plans of care, their meds, their tests, etc. So I hit the ground running. As a result, the day went much more smoothly. What can I say, I like routine just as much as the next person.
Check out my bomb lunch.
Kyle drove over to the hospital to meet up with me on my break. It was awesome. He knows my lunch “spot” in the village so he was there waiting for me.
This tofu dish was another leftover Whole Foods dish. I added it to a massive portion of brown rice (which you can’t see from this photo). The sauce was sticky savory perfection and coated the rice so nicely. I ate all the rice but mostly just picked out the tofu.
Kyle finished off the leftover onions and peppers that I didn’t eat.
We walked to TJ’s to grab some necessities before I headed back to work.
This is what I mean by necessities. I almost didn’t want to share this for fear that my curse would result. I’m going to go back to Trader Joe’s and buy the entire stock just in case.
I came home to BBQ leftovers.
Zucchini with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pus tofurky Italian sausage. And brown rice in the cooker. Can you believe this is the fare chosen by three boys? What a time-saver not having to make a separate meal for myself (I hope this trend means plant based eats are gaining popularity among the carnivorous).
I started with a moderate serving, but once I discovered how spicy the vegan sausage was I added another two scoops of rice and zucchini to help my taste buds out.
I had another chunk of the dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt for dessert. Plus more marshmallow-ed hot cocoa.
Since I know I’ll get some questions about it, no the chocolate is not vegan (the caramel has small amounts of dairy), but eaten in moderation it’s not enough to kill me. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, being low FODMAPs means I’m able to enjoy certain amounts of things I previously completely avoided (because I didn’t understand the pattern of why/when they would cause GI symptoms). Now that I know how to eat to keep the FODMAPs load on my gut low over the course of the day, it’s allowed me to savor these small things (like pieces of chocolate).
I recently tried the new unsweetened Silk almond milk (also, an avid BD almond milk-er like yourself) and I have to say it’s really good. It’s creamy and has good flavor. Give it a whirl!
I buy the Silk Almond Milk (with 35 calories -unsweetened original) and it tastes good to me. I like it better than Blue Diamond because in my opinion Blue Diamond is too watery. Silk Almond Milk is so much creamier and smooth. They also have an unsweetened vanilla which I use in my coffee.
perfect. consider it done. thanks!
I’ve tried Silk’s Unsweetened Almond Milk (35 cal variety), I can’t tell the difference, but it’s much more economical!
The rice with yogurt mixed in looks so good, I would never have thought to do that! Although ALL of your food always looks so good!
I’ve found unsweetened almond milk to be too watery, but I love the original Silk almond milk (I’m not too worried about calories.) I did try the Blue Diamond almond/coconut milk the other day and liked it though. It was a bit thin, but still tasty.
Oh man, I should not have read this post with all this yummy-looking food. My tummy is grumbling for dinner already. That breakfast looks especially delicious-I’ve never tried making brown rice sweet rather than savory, but I think you just inspired me to try it!
The Silk almond milk is pretty terrible in my opinion. I really want to like it because it is ten cents cheaper than almond breeze at my grocery store (it adds up weak after week!) but it is too watery and had a weird aftertaste.
Oh my giddy aunt, I have just discovered your blog and am going to have to set aside a good few hours to go though it all. I am ecstatic – I’ve just been diagnosed with lactose and fructose intolerance and need some inspiration! This post has me salivating already. You are brilliant… Thank you!
What a friggin delicious post:), I get so many meals and snack ideas from you<3.
We need to have a carrot eating stand off!*id win*.
Xxx
Yum! 🙂 I always love seeing your work eats! That chocolate bar is my favorite–if they ever discontinue it I will raise hell. lol.
I haven’t tried the new Silk Almond Milk yet…I’m stuck on Trader Joes brand. Between the TJs unsweetened almond and coconut milk, I think we go through 3-4 cartons each week too! And the way you are with carrots, I am that way with bananas. I swear, people must think I have a monkey at home. I buy 2-3 bunches every time I go to the store. We eat at least 4 a day in my household. I almost wish for them to start going bad because it gives me a good reason to freeze them and make banana bread later! I love seeing your meals, even if they are repeats…they look so much like mine. Grain, green and a protein all thrown together. Thats my work lunch everyday!
How’s your sister getting on over here? She’s in Sydney right? I think me and you could be carrot munching rivals/competitors – I’m not sure about pounds as we are metric users Down Under, but I get through maybe 5kgs of the things a week. Whoops.
That TJ’s chocolate bar is the best!! Ohh now I need one…
Elise, it’s late evening, and you make me sooo hungry now;) What is no-grain-ola? And do you have the recipe for banana bread-yum!!!
the OG silk is definitely awesome. i dont really care much about the kcals either. the sugar is something i pay attention to just for comparisons sake. when nutritional info is not an issue my decisions are entirely based on price and taste. im a cheap girl, so whatever is on sale is in my cart and since almond breeze is always the cheapest and i love love love its flavor, its a no brainer.
its funny how some grains end up being categorized as sweet or savory. some people are so weirded out by savory oats, but i can flip flop which way my grains go all the time.
ps your icon pic is so cute!
boo. thats sad to hear. almond breeze is still way cheaper in my hood.
i dunno sarah…challenge accepted!!
trader joe’s has me so nervous…they always d/c the best products!!
i think TJ’s brand is the same as the almond breeze (they just copy various products to sell cheaper).
im so glad other people freak out the grocery checkers…they must think i have a horse because of the amount of carrots i buy.
i love your posts for the same reason!! i think our meal formula is dead on. 🙂
thanks katie 🙂
hahaha, hi kate! ive never heard anyone use that phrase upon discovering my blog before, but im flattered by your enthusiasm!
sorry your fighting the annoying fructose and lactose-free battle, too. did you know something like 1 in 7 people is actually fructose sensitive?! crazy right. hope you continue to enjoy my FODMAPs friendly eats. 🙂
she got an apt in coogee and had her first day at her new job on monday. her place looks super cute and shes really happy. now im trying to figure when i can visit…
its a granola i made with no oats (i used ground up almonds instead of oats). recipe coming?
Yeah!! Coogee is great, have a few friends that live there. Oh cool, come on over 🙂 You won’t want to leave! If you come at the end of August you can come to my wedding…. !!!
Pingback: A three-fer | CookingPlanet
Awesome idea, can’t wait to try it. Thanks!
Is there a coconut macaroon recipe coming? Im in the midst of a coconut craving madness 🙂
The Trader Joe’s unsweetened vanilla almond milk in the refrigerated section is my go-to. It’s much thicker and creamier than the shelf-stable almond milks.
I eat an insane amount of carrots or orange squash that the bottoms of my hands and feet are orange, it is lovely 😉 I also love the unsweetened almond breeze and have never strayed away, so am curious is silk is any good. I really would like to come over and eat all your meals, they look so delicious! And your banana bread and no-grain-ola look divine. I recently tried out a no-grain granola recipe, did not work out as I’d hoped so I’m trying it out again until I perfect it
Hi Elise!
I’ve seen that some sites say coconut in all forms except coconut oil may be troublesome. Can’t find which group of FODMAPS it falls under though. Do u happen to know?
Have you tried trader joes almond milk yet? Its seriously cheap and quite flavorful! Unsweetened vanilla is what i buy but the chocolate almond milk is what i freeze in a mug for dessert 🙂
You’re so good about taking pictures! I need to get in the habit, I’m always so excited to eat that I realize I forgot to photograph my food half way through when it’s really not pretty anymore…
im pretty sure all forms of coconut (including the oil) have been cleared as non-fodmaps. it was previous thought there was a significant amount of sorbitol (polyols group) in coconut oil/butter, but its considered fodmaps friendly now.
i think they use the same formula as blue diamond. what tj’s does is copy brands to label as their own for cheaper (so im sure id love it).
you should see my baby pics. i have an orange nose in all of them because of the same thing.
yup!! its up!
i only take pics of the meals that look semi-decent…all the slices of bread i eat on the side or random snacks on paper towels are left out for your sake.
i think the tj’s almond milk is the same as the almond breeze (since trader joe’s just copies recipes to sell for cheaper under their own brand). i havent tried the chocolate one though…does freezing it make it icy or fro-yo like?? how long do you put it in the freezer?
aw man, i SO wish we were coming in august. kyle graduates in june and is starting work in july so it wouldnt be great to ditch on a vacay right after…maybe…probably…
I just freeze for like two or three hours so its more slushy so it is a bit of an icey/wet combo- think more granita than sorbet… Altho if you blend the frozen w a frozen banana that may solve the texture to be smooth (i just kind of hate bananas…)
Kate (or Elise), I have a question for you, and I’m sorry if it is a stupid question! 🙂 What type of doctor did you go to to get those tests done (to find out that you were lactose & fructose sensitive)?
theres no test for sensitivity, try an elimination diet and after a few weeks off both introduce one back in and see how you tolerate it. within days of going on the elimination diet (fodmaps free) i felt 100% different. it was amazingly obvious.
Oh gotcha, that makes sense. That is amazing that you felt relief so quickly! That gives me SO much hope!
I ordered that IBS-Free book (the one you have on your Resources page). Is that where you found the info for the elimination diet? Is that the book you would recommend for someone like me who is just getting started on learning about FODMAPs, and who wants to do the elimination diet?
Thank you so much for all of your help and advice, you have been such an amazing resource for me, and I finally have hope that I might not always have to feel so crappy all the time!
yes.
Pingback: Nerding out
Pingback: Let’s call it summer (giveaway)
Hi,
Is cocnut nectar really low-FODMAP? I just started the diet, and it’s really frustrating to figure what’s low-FODMAP and not (so many mixed signals). I’m also trying to figure out what kind of sweetners to use. Any tips for one in the elimination-process? I really found your blog informative, thanks!
check out my other blog: http://fodmapsdiet.com/
coconut has been deemed fodmaps safe. im working on an elimination cookbook right now, but my other site has fodmaps free ideas and food plans if you click around. good luck!
Thank you so much! I really appreaciate your sharing, this really is a big maze 🙂