Friday Favorites

This is the first time in a long time that I can say I am NOT excited about Friday being here. It means spring break week is over and I am not a fan.

But the weeks keep on moving so I have to get over it. Sigh. Today i’m linking up again with Erika, Andrea, and Narci for Friday Favorites!

Date Paste

So I mentioned that I was doing a sugar detox weeks ago. Well, now that i’m on vacation I couldn’t still do it. But as soon as I get back I am doing it again because I LOVED IT. This is date paste that I made and used it as sweetener in all my recipes and it is my absolute FAVORITE sweetener ever.

Class?

I have a Tuesday night class and a couple of weeks ago absolutely nobody showed up. I mean I guess that’s a fib because there were 4 of us. I was so mad and it was my LEAST FAVORITE part of the week. I did get a lot of work and blogging done but why even hold class when nobody is there??!!

Tanning in March

I posted this on snapchat the other day. It was early March and I was tanning while drinking my FAVORITE La Croix. I couldn’t complain. After winter and cold weather I always get so excited for some sunshine and warmth. Follow me on snapchat… i’m “mollymiddleton” pretty simple!

Coffee

I’m sure if you went through my Friday FAVORITES posts, the majority of them would have coffee on them. It’s not a secret to anyone that this drink is my FAVORITE. I love picking up a cup filled with my drink with a picture of my girl on the front.

It’s just a beautiful sight when you’re on your way to work in the morning.

22

On the 7th my FAVORITE girl turned 22. She came home for the weekend and I celebrated with her, Tyler, and their families that night. Food, friends, and my bestie. Such a good night! Happy Birthday Em!

The Sauna

My FAVORITE place to go right after a good workout is the sauna. I love to sweat. That’s no secret either. But as soon as I get done with my HIIT class on Saturday morning, I like to walk on over to the sauna and stand in there for about 20 minutes before I carry on with my day. It’s so refreshing and I would recommend it to those of you who have a gym membership with a sauna!

On the blog…

Last Friday, I talked about my FAVORITE lactose free products.

Next Friday, I’m talking about my FAVORITE gluten free products.

You won’t want to miss it. Just like I hope you didn’t miss our guest bloggers this week…thanks again ladies. XOXO.

To see why we all love ______ and how we think you can too. Click the one that interests you:

Why I love Running, and you can too!
Why I love Yoga, and you can too!
Why Kylie loves Spinning, and you can too!
Why Jamie loves Celebrating, and you can too!
Why Christina loves Hosting, and you can too!
Why Julie loves Hiking, and you can too!
Why Randi loves Pittsburgh, and you can too!
Why Angie loves Self Care, and you can too!
Why Mattie loves Zumba, and you can too!
Why Katie loves Reading, and you can too!
Why Lindsay loves Hot Yoga, and you can too!
Why Emily loves Decorating, and you can too!
Why Tara loves Cooking, and you can too!
Why Erika loves Online Shopping, and you can too!
Why Lauren loves Traveling, and you can too!
Why Shelly loves Giving to Others, and you can too!
Why Alexandra loves Photography, and you can too!
Why Haley loves Thrifting, and you can too!
Why Jacquelyn loves Sewing, and you can too!
Why Jackie loves Orlando, and you can too!

Have a great weekend!

Friday Favorites: Favorite Lactose Free Products

I’m coming at ya PUMPED this Friday morning because it is SPRING BREAK fo’ yo girl and I am headed out of town tomorrow.

But i’m still linking up with Andrea, Narci, (and Erika but not this week) for another Friday FAVORITES before.

I get asked alllllllllll the time what I eat with my food allergies. “Can you even eat?” Yeah, peeps. I DO EAT. I just have to make modifications.

A couple weeks ago, I promised posts on my FAVORITE lactose free and gluten free products. Many of you already are gluten and lactose intolerant, and many of you are just now being diagnosed with these intolerances. Seeing as it’s taken me about 4 years to finally find products that I enjoy, I thought I would share to spare y’all. Not only did it take a long time, but it took a lot of money and throwing foods away. I mean my poor tastebuds hate me by now too 😉

So when I say these are my FAVORITE products it’s because I have tried them and continue to buy them. There have been some that I have tried where I can say “oh, that’s not awful” but these are the products that I buy over and over again.

Cheese

Cheese was the hardest. There’s nothing like some good ol’ cheese and I missed it…for shredded cheese, Go Veggie is my FAVORITE.

They have Cheddar, and Cheddar + Monterey Jack as well. The Mexican style tastes different than the others but it doesn’t bother me anymore since i’ve gotten use to them. This grated parmesan isn’t bad either and it’s good for pasta dishes!

Sliced cheese is weird because they all taste different! Strangely I’m not a fan of Go Veggie’s sliced cheese but I found this Borden brand that is delicious for grilled cheese and sandwiches when the craving hits.

But this Finlandia brand is what I have been buying for turkey and swiss melts or whatever else i’m needing some sliced cheese for.

Cabot is lactose free. I liked it for wine and cheese nights with my parents, but we don’t do that often enough so this cheese goes bad way too fast. If you have a big family with lactose intolerance, totally get this!

I really don’t used sliced cheese that much. I only have it in the fridge on occasion. But I always have my FAVORITE Go Veggie shreds. And the best thing about each cheese that I mentioned is that they all melt!!! I’ve used some that don’t melt before and that’s awkward.

What happens when it comes to pizza? Well, I don’t buy frozen pizzas because none of them are good to me…so either I just get it without cheese if we’re eating somewhere like Pie5, or we get Papa Murphy’s and i’ll put my own cheese on top before it goes in the oven! That’s mine without the cheese right there on top 😉

Ice-Cream

Ice-cream is by far my FAVORITE lactose filled product. I miss frozen custard so much. But this Lactaid is the absolute best. GET IT IF YOU HAVE NOT TRIED IT. Honestly, you’d like it even if you weren’t lactose intolerant…that’s how serious I am.

If I just want a plain ol’ ice-cream for a shake, Breyers is a great one.

I am way too excited about this coming out, i’m on the hunt right now. I have heard such good things.

And I just found out that this is lactose free, so as soon as I am done with my sugar detox it’s coming home with me.

I have gotten this before because chocolate chip cookie dough is always my favorite kind of ice-cream and it was good. But it’s not as good as the other ones i’ve mentioned.

Any other brand…don’t trust it. If you want some good lactose free ice-cream, you have to go with these name brands to get something remotely edible. I’m not kidding!

Mayo

Mayo is one of those things that you don’t need in your fridge all the time like cheese, but you need it for recipes. And you want a good one!

This is the best mayo brand that I have found…

…but I have also tried their salad dressings and don’t like them. It’s hard telling with some products.

I use it in my basil mayo.

And when I make my own Chick-Fil-A sauce.

I’d keep this on hand if I were you, it stays good for a while too.

Sour Cream

I have yet to find a sour cream that is lactose free. But I was at my local Sprouts the other day and saw this one, which I am pretty excited about because there are a lot of recipes that I have had to forgo due to sour cream.

Cream Cheese

Same goes with cream cheese. I have actually tried this one though, and it’s pretty good. So far i’m really liking the Green Valley brand.

But as I was googling that cream cheese, I found this bad boy and i’m over here like…”Where have you been all my life?!” It’s not in any of my stores!

Cottage Cheese

I ALWAYS have cottage cheese in my refrigerator. It’s a staple for me. A good source of protein,  calcium, and mine is low fat. You need it. I go through this container like a baby goes through diapers. Okay that was a bad comparison…but roll with it.

Butter

This is the only one that I know of that’s dairy free. I couldn’t tell a difference with this one, so I recommend! Shhh…don’t tell but I have used it on my brother’s FAVORITE english muffins and they couldn’t tell either.

Milk

So here’s the thing. I’ve never liked milk. When I was a kid I would only have with cereal in the mornings…but I never drank the milk at the bottom. Sometimes I would even eat my cereal dry. My mom said when I was younger I had a hard time with breast milk.

However, Lactaid is my absolute FAVORITE lactose free brand. I got the eggnog during the holidays, I get the fat free high calcium milk, the ice-cream, the cottage cheese, everything. It’s all good. I have yet to go wrong.

Sometimes we will get the big jug at Costco that i’ll use for recipes, or when i’m making this frozen coffee.

But most of the time I will just get the store’s name brand because #cheaper and #costeffective and #college.

But to be honest…I don’t buy dairy milk anymore. I now only use my FAVORITE unsweetened almond milk (the cheapest kind of course). I don’t eat cereal or drink it plain, so I just use this for my protein shakes or in recipes. Again, if you like dairy milk – Lactaid should be your go-to. Or even your grocery store’s name brand.

Yogurt/Kefir

If i’m craving some yogurt, Yoplait carries lactose free that is good.

And Green Valley is a great option too. Yogurt-wise, I just keep this plain kefir in my fridge. I use it for smoothies, or put it in a bowl with fresh fruit. Kefir is such a great way to  get your probiotic in as a snack! Always get plain because the flavored kinds have a ton of sugar.

So I will say that I have tried all of these Daiya products. Lots of lactose free people swear by this brand and use it all the time…

…but I do not like a single one of these. It is my LEAST FAVORITE. Except Daiya has a lactose free greek yogurt at the bottom of the picture that I recently figure out about, so I tried it and really enjoy it. But that’s it.

And when it comes to coffee…?

I just get some soy milk or coconut milk. But I totally prefer soy.

Really and truly if you can, get the name brand “lactose free” products. I have found that if you try some sort of off brand it’s just not as good.

OKAY FELLOW LACTOSE FREE PEEPS…does that help? Do you have any questions? If you’ve tried some of these what are your opinions?

Have a great Friday. Hopefully you’re writing your grocery list right now and these products are making the cut 😉

Friday Favorites

I’m glad you’re back for another week of Friday Favorites; thanks to Andrea, Erika, and Narci for hosting. The weather is finally moving towards staying in the 60/70s during the day. Ahhhh…. as Andrea says #fallelujah

 Work day.

After I finished class Friday morning, mom and I darted over to Old Navy’s sale, but didn’t get to stay long because I had to work all day. both shifts. lunch and dinner. during my break I came home to eat and work on my paper, and after the dinner shift I fell asleep so early. Friday was not eventful, but i’m glad I was able to make some money…and spend it at Old Navy 😉 That’s how you’re supposed to do it, right?

Baby-showering.

Y’all it’s so much fun to celebrate friends, but it’s even more fun to celebrate friends who have little ones. My buddy since 7th grade Jonathan, the one i’m squinting with above, was blessed with a little nephew. I can’t wait to finally meet baby Isaiah. The party was decorated so cute and i’m glad I was able to make it! Yellow and gray are my absolute favorites. And I made the little tricycle guy above to take as my gift 🙂

Yummy bread and cheese.

Sunday funday of course included Church, yoga, daddy-daughter golfing, and family time…but what I am MOST glad about on sunday was the fact that I FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY have found gluten-free bread that doesn’t fall apart in my hands and holds the sandwich together. (Aldi’s loaf in their section is new) AND cheese that is lactose free, will melt and doesn’t make me gag. (from Trader Joes) Of course my two favorite grocery stores. If you look you can see the melty cheese and it’s such beautiful thing. So this is a total win. Total win. You’d be happy too if you were me 😉

#nannylife

Monday, sweet Avery was SO excited when she opened up her mailbox because her Halloween costume was in the mail. She’s such a precious little fifth grader. Her and her friend are SweetTarts and Nerds for Halloween and she talks about it all the time. I’m so glad she’s excited and looks darling in her costume.

Ry’s football game.

Ry has football games on Tuesdays, and i’m glad I am able to watch him play. This was his first game to play in this year because he cracked a bone in his ankle and was out for a couple weeks. This will be his last year in football because he just wants to focus on baseball in high school. He said he only played this year ’cause his friends were. Funny…I was like that too when I chose to play softball in high school.

Iowa State Cyclones.

 

For some reason wednesday mornings are always tough. It’s the middle of the week, i’m usually exhausted, you know how it goes. So I took my coffee to class in my FAVORITE Iowa State cup…part of me will probably always wish I chose this school because of how much I loved it on my visit. However, things happen for a reason and I became a Sooner. I’ll forever be glad to root for those Cyclones though. Anyways, I got this cup in Iowa this summer. My cousin Dani, who just so happens to be my (not really) big sister (and is having a baby in a couple months!!!!) graduated from ISU, so I had to send her a picture of course.

Meaningful pictures.

While I was on Twitter yesterday I came across the picture. And i’m glad I did. It was a good reminder of how your personal outlook can affect every day. It’s about how you have a choice to see the “Colors of Life” when you’re dreading spending the day at work, or seeing someone you don’t want to, or going to class, or doing the laundry, or whatever it may be.

Choose to see the sunshine today! We made it to the weekend!!!

#FoodieToosdy Week 2

I thought that I would give you some quick and easy recipes this week. This is my leftovers style #FoodieToosdy post!

2. Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza (g-free and l-free)

Get:

• Your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Jack Daniel’s)
• Grilled Chicken strips (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
• Cheese (I had my Go-Veggie cheddar and mozzarella cheese)
• Red Onions (However much you want)
• And dough for making. I used pillsbury g-free pizza dough.

It is so so good. Ever since we have found it i’m pretty sure that I have made about 13 pizzas. I can usually get about 3 from each tub. Also, the directions on are on it.

I made the dough how it says on the tub. Once it comes out of the oven pre-baked then I add my BBQ sauce, my toppings (whatever you prefer that day, this day just happened to feel like BBQ chicken), and put it in the oven for cheese to melt and set together. And it’s done. And it looks wonderful like this:

 

So easy! Homemade pizza is the best because you can make it the way you want. You don’t have to ask for certain things taken off.

2. Taco Salad

Get:

• Leftover taco meat
• Cherry tomatoes (from my garden)
• Lettuce (I used Romaine leafs)
• Leftover corn
• Cheese (I used my go-veggie cheddar)

It’s really whatever you like on your taco. First things first, wash your lettuce and put it at the bottom of the bowl you’re going to use. Cut your tomatoes and put them on top of that. Heat your leftover taco meat in a separate bowl and throw that on there.

We had leftover corn that I just cut off the cob and heated up in the microwave.

Here it is with everything thrown on top. My go-veggie cheese is in the background. You lactose lovers would hate it, at least my family does 😦

After that, everything is put together. Grab a fork, salt and pepper, and your favorite picante sauce. Enjoy! So easy and so good if you’re a big Mexican food fan like me!

3. Tuna Salad

Get:

• Your favorite tuna (We use Kirkland’s Albacore)
• Celery
• Peppers
• Mayo
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Although this is not technically leftovers, I still consider it a “leftovers” recipe because of how simple it is.

Open your can of tuna, mix it with mayo until it is about this substance:

 

Add your desired amount of yellow and red peppers. We aren’t really big on orange peppers. And also add your desired amount celery. That’s it. You’re done. How simple.

Throw it on a sandwich like so…

Or eat it with your favorite crackers. Or even just by itself like my dad does. You can also put it in the fridge for snacks throughout the day.

Happy Leftover Eating!