In the past couple of weeks, I’ve come to realize how much I can’t live without certain foods and drinks. No matter what, I always pick up the same staples for the pantry and refrigerator. If you didn’t know, I’ve been trying to go gluten and dairy-free for a while now because I’ve found that I just feel better without it. I took the EverlyWell Food Sensitivity Test last year, and the results came back that I had mild to high reactions to foods containing gluten and dairy. So in the last year, I’ve made the effort to be more aware of what I put into my body. I recently did an update about it if you want to check that post out and how the journey has been! I will say, I haven’t completely eliminated gluten and dairy from my diet, I do have foods that contain it every now and then, but I try not to overdo it!
Trying to find foods that don’t contain gluten or dairy can be hard when you aren’t eating whole foods, which is what I aim to eat. It seems like every package out there has one or the other. Of course I’m not perfect and consume foods that I probably shouldn’t, but it’s all about moderation! Anyways, on this gluten and dairy-free journey I’ve found some staples that I wanted to share with you today!
Orgain Chocolate Fudge Protein Powder
I’ve been using this Orgain protein powder for what feels like forever now, and I really don’t think I can stray from it! I struggle with getting enough protein in my diet, and this is an easy supplement for me to use for my post workout recovery. I did a post about trying different chocolate protein recipes earlier this year if you want to check it out 🙂
Spinach
Oh spinach. Everybody hates you, but I appreciate you. It seems like everyone sticks up their noses at spinach, but it is so good for you! It’s been such a staple for me because it is versatile. I can throw together a super simple salad with it, or I can put it in my protein shake post workout. If you are ever on the fence about spinach, just add it into your smoothies because you can’t even taste it with the other dominating flavors.
Ripple Milk
I did a post way back when about milk and trying to find the best one for me. Last year, I found the perfect milk substitute because I couldn’t have dairy and I couldn’t use almond milk because my food sensitivity test said that I had such a high reaction to almonds. So I couldn’t go with the popular nut option, and I did some research online and found Bolthouse Farms plant based milk. It was my go-to milk of choice, I didn’t want to live without it! Apparently it wasn’t very popular though, because I can’t find it anywhere anymore. I used to get it at Kroger, but I can’t find it there! So these past couple of months I’ve put my love and devotion into Ripple milk. Although it wasn’t my first choice last year, it’s become a staple for me. It’s also interesting too because I first found out about Ripple last year, and it seems like a lot of people are finding out about it too because I’ve seen it in YouTube videos online.
Ripple Half and Half
I’ve gone through phases of using different coffee creamers, from Hazelnut creamer to regular half and half to almond milk, and now, to Ripple’s half and half. This was another item I mentioned last year, and I said in that post how I wish they came in bigger containers. Well, they must’ve listened to me because they went from 16 oz. to 25 oz! This has been such a staple for me for my coffee in the morning. When I ran out and had to use regular half and half, I felt such a difference in my stomach. I have to make sure to stock the fridge with this because I don’t want a cup of coffee without it!
Matcha Tea Powder
Matcha has become one of my favorite things that I’ve purchased this year. I ended up picking some up from Tropeaka and did a little haul on here about it, and I’m actually pretty close to finishing off that package! I don’t think I’m going to repurchase from Tropeaka because of how long I’ve had to wait for the products to get here in the mail, but I am going to be getting more, maybe from Vital Proteins. I’m stilling loving me some matcha iced lattes and can’t live without it! I did a whole post about trying different matcha recipes, but the one that has stuck with me the most has been the matcha protein shake.
Bananas
I used to detest bananas growing up, but ever since I went to college they have become one of my favorite fruits that I can’t live without. It’s such an easy thing to add for sweetness in a smoothie, and banana and peanut butter are one of the best combos out there!
Kind Breakfast Bars
Like I mentioned previously, if you aren’t eating whole foods, it’s hard to find products out there that don’t contain dairy or gluten. Whenever I’m out and about and need a quick snack fix, I love these Kind bars. My go-tos are the honey oat and the peanut butter flavors! If I’m ever in the mood for something sweet, I’ll also grab their chocolate bar with peanut butter in the middle, it’s the best!
Chickpea Pasta
One of the hardest things for me to give up that contains gluten is pasta. I love pasta. Pasta makes me happy. But pasta has also made my stomach feel like a balloon on occasion. I’m so glad that there have been great gluten-free alternatives so I can get my pasta fix! I can’t say that I have been devoted to a specific chickpea pasta, but anything that doesn’t contain gluten has been great for me.
Peanut Butter
Not only are bananas and peanut butter the perfect combo together, but I love adding peanut butter as a source of fat in my protein shakes to make me fuller for longer. And that’s all I got to say about that peanut butter!
And those are my food staples! All of these are definitely things I have to have in the house on a weekly basis. If these basics aren’t there, then I feel like I can’t eat much in fear of making my stomach feel like a balloon. I’ve been really motivated to start cooking and trying to make gluten and dairy-free meals, so maybe you’ll see that on the blog shortly! I hope you enjoyed this lengthy post and found some gluten and dairy-free options if you were interested! Thanks for stopping by, hope you all have an amazing weekend!