Dairy-Free Living

Hi all! I hope your 2018 has been well so far! Mine has definitely had its ups and downs already! I have seen this meme popping up around social media and let's just say, I completely stand for this and 100% agree.

I totally believe in fresh starts, and new year, new goals. But I also don't think at the strike of midnight on New Years, that you magically feel motivated and ready to go either. Sometimes, I think it's best to just feel it out for a bit. Wait & breathe. That's how January was for me. There is so much going on, so many great opportunities, and I just need a moment to figure it all out! So, here we go February let's do this! So, one thing I'm wanting to work on is eliminating dairy from my diet. (By the way, I hate the word diet, I don't "diet" I like to eat as clean as possible, but the word lifestyle didn't flow. So, diet is the only word I think will work on this one.) Not 100% all the time. But, for the most part. Here we go-


Ok, don't let the title fool you. I'm not dairy free yet. But I'm trying. I am being realistic though. My theory on life is, it's too short. You gotta enjoy everything! So, while I'm home I will eat dairy free. But, if there's a charcuterie board in front of me and I'm enjoying some wine with friends-I will enjoy it. Mexican food-queso is just going to happen. Family events-I'm not going to make them substitute dairy on my expense. If I'm in France, I'm going to chow down on some bread and cheese. But, how often am I at a Mexican restaurant or in France. It's not often, it's all about balance & moderation. You get what I'm saying?

So, while I'm at home enjoying my tea or coffee I will chose to go dairy free. But, I have had the hardest time!! I can make a vegan ranch, I can enjoy a vegan cheese. But why has coffee creamer been so difficult???? I think it's a combo of flavor & texture. It's like dairy free creamers are like water. No good. I want a creamy aspect to be added to my coffee. And I haven't found many dairy free creamers that add this to my coffee. Another issue-flavor. I just feel like most dairy free creamers have this odd fake sweetener flavor that I'm not up for.

I have tried maybe 2 non dairy creamers that will do. And I mean that, they will do. They don't make me want to throw my half & half in the trash can and do a victory dance though. So, here's the two I can handle in a pinch-

 Ripple is from Target. Like I said, it'll do. It's still not my favorite substitute. But, if I'm at Target, trying to cut those trips down in 2018 as well, I will buy it to avoid another grocery store stop. But, my #1 creamer go-to is this beauty right here-

 Califia has great non-dairy products. I love pretty much everything they make! They have great flavored options as well! This right here though is my fave. I don't like a flavored coffee. I just like to add a creamy aspect to it so this right here is wonderful. It's good. It will definitely do. Some days when I don't feel like busting out the milk frother, this is my go to. It's convenient & delicious. Still on those lazy mornings when I want to really relax and indulge in a latte-like coffee, this doesn't foam up when I put it in my frother. So, your good regular mornings where you need your coffee & run-this is a win! If you want this foamy, frothy yumminess like this

This is what you need to get-

I buy mine on amazon. And as you can see, it is $13.39 to be exact. So, I read an article about this new non-dairy creamer option on Well & Good, so of course I hopped on the blog to read about it. They were talking about coconut cream powder. I went straight to amazon to get some! I didn't find as many options of coconut cream powder, and the ones I found were waaaaay too much. I think I found 6-1.76 oz. packs for $14. This bag right here is a pound for $13. So I went for the coconut milk powder instead of the coconut cream powder. I think the coconut milk powder still adds a great amount of creaminess to my coffee so I'm sticking with this one until I can find a coconut cream powder that is even close to this amount for that price! I will say, I have seen a few more articles about the coconut cream powder, so maybe we will see more options pop up soon! But for now, I'm sticking with this!

How I make it- super simple you guys! I get my coffee going, while that's going I add a splash of almond, cashew, or coconut milk into my frother. Whatever non-dairy option you want will do. Hell, if you want to add some non-dairy creamer in your milk frother go for it! So, add enough milk to the bottom of the frother to fill about 1/4 up from the fill line. Then I add about 1 tablespoon of the coconut milk creamer to the cup and really make sure you mix it up to get rid of clumps. The package comes pretty much vacuum sealed, so when I get mine, I get a big glass jar with a tight-sealing lid, and i break up all the powder and put it in the jar! Makes for an easy-access situation. So once you mix the powder with the non-dairy milk, press the on button on your frother and bam! you're done! So simple!! Plus, it's the best latte ever! I like it more than the coffee shops! Here's my frother and my fave coffee!

 This milk frother is awesome!! We received the entire Starbucks Verismo system for Christmas a few years ago and just love it! This little baby really makes a coffee special!

This is my favorite coffee ever!!! I really stretch this coffee by mixing 2-3 scoops into just my regular organic coffee I use. I tend to not love flavored coffee but this one right here is amazing! I discovered it while I was working a La Mer facial trip in Jackson, Mississippi. I fell in love with this flavor and their Southern Pecan. I drank at least 2 cups a day, lol, while I was working in Jackson. I was so sad to part with this coffee I looked it up and found that this coffee is from Memphis! Now, whenever I drive to Little Rock, or Jackson for work, Corey and I take a little stop in Memphis to stock up on our favorite coffees to take home, and we always order a coffee for the road! This is sometimes at Kroger here in Nashville. But it's not consistent so I have no idea where to lead you. But, check out their instagram @uglymugcoffeetn and their website! They always have great deals going on!

Ok, I hope this helps in your dairy free coffee creamer journey! I will keep sharing my dairy free wins on my instagram as well! @naturallytruebeauty

Lots of love!
  Andy