3 Brilliant Budget Breakfasts

Like my use of alliteration? I didn't do Honours English for nothin'. This is going to be another foodie lifestyle type blog, following on from my previous blog. As I was making breakfast the other day my boyfriend commented on how nice it looked and suggested I write a blog about some of my meals.

 Since going dairy free I've found myself becoming more creative with what I eat. Instead of just dumping cheese on everything I try different foods and flavours and don't just stick to the usual cereal (which can be nice too, but not as exciting!)

All these recipes can be adapted to be gluten free, vegan, dairy/meat filled (they're already all vegetarian) - whatever takes your fancy. They're also all budget friendly. I get all of my shopping from a combination of Aldi and Lidl who are fantastic for cheap fruit and veg.

Recipe 1: Two ingredient pancakes

These are my favourite pancakes. If you don't like bananas or eggs these may not be for you as they're quite different to a normal pancake, but they're essentially guilt-free (unless you cover them in Nutella which is definitely a good idea) and really easy to make. I love these as a weekend treat. My usual toppings are fruit and dairy free yoghurt/cream, sliced banana, honey and nuts or just plain old unhealthy dairy free ice cream, crushed Oreos and chocolate.

Ingredients (makes about 5 small pancakes)

1 large very ripe banana

1 medium egg

1 tsp baking powder (optional)

1. Mush the banana until it's quite liquidy. Make sure there's no huge lumps (small lumps are ok). Whisk in the egg and mix to combine. Add a tsp of baking powder if you want your pancakes to be fluffier.

2. Heat a thin layer of oil over a medium heat in a non-stick frying pan. Pour in a small (smaller than the palm of your hand) amount of the pancake mixture. Let one side cook for a few minutes and very carefully flip it - try not to lift it up, just lift one side and flip it very gently so they don't fall apart. They take some practice!

3. Top with whatever takes your fancy and enjoy.

Above left: Two ingredient pancakes with peaches, strawberries, chopped hazelnuts, Alpro soya cream and maple syrup. Top right: Topped with dragon fruit, banana, blackberries and vegan chocolate. Bottom right: Topped with banana, Oreos, vegan chocolate and vegan ice cream - these ones were made by my boyfriend!

Recipe 2: Crunchy granola

I love making granola. It's so easy and tasty. Unlike shop bought versions which are full of sugar this one is sweet and crunchy without all the added sugar. I like to have granola warmed up in the microwave on cold mornings, with some cold nut milk or on top of some Alpro soya yoghurt. It also makes a really nice gift if you put it in a pretty jar with a ribbon around it!

Ingredients

250g oats

120ml honey or maple syrup

3 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil

2 tbsp peanut butter

50g nuts of your choice

75g dried fruit of your choice (I like cranberries)

1.Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celcius.

2. Put the oats in a large mixing bowl and add the oil, peanut butter and maple syrup or honey. Mix to combine until the oats are all wet. Add your optional extras and stir in. 

2. Spread it all out on a large baking tray and pop into the oven. After 15 minutes check on it and turn it on the tray so it doesn't burn. Oven it for another 10 minutes until golden brown, leave to cool and store in a sealed jar.

Above: Alpro coconut soya yoghurt topped with homemade granola, honey and passionfruit. P.S. No I'm not endorsed by Alpro, I wish I was though!

Recipe 3: Smoothie bowl

Another healthy one. I love smoothies, but sometimes I don't feel like drinking my breakfast. Smoothie bowls are a great remedy for this - you still feel like you're eating a hearty breakfast and there are so many tasty combinations you can make. I love topping mine with granola, coconut, dried fruit... whatever I fancy! I like using almond milk, berries and banana in mine but you can put any combination of fruits/veg in yours. 

Ingredients
1 frozen banana
100ml milk (nut/soya/whatever milk you want)
Handful of berries
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp honey

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender/NutriBullet until smooth. Pour into a bowl and top with fruit, coconut, granola or whatever takes your fancy and dig in!

Above: Acai smoothie bowl topped with homemade granola, coconut and goji berries.

I hope this blog was helpful for some breakfast ideas. I plan to do another post with 3 savoury budget breakfast ideas in the near future so stay tuned!

What's your favourite breakfast?

Moooving On: How I Went Dairy Free

In my previous blog I mentioned that last year I went dairy free. I thought I'd do a blog to explain why, how and the ways it has benefited me, just in case any of you were considering cutting out dairy or realised it has started to cause you discomfort.  

In my case, I started to notice I'd feel sick after almost everything I ate. I won't go into the gory details, but it caused me a lot of discomfort. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me - I was sure it wasn't gluten anyway - so I decided to try cutting down my dairy intake to see if that helped.  

How now, brown cow?

I started by replacing dairy milk with almond or soya milk and noticed a big change already. Then, I started to cut out cheese and cream. I made my lifestyle change a gradual one and still ate bits and pieces of dairy such as goat dairy, butter, yoghurt and the occasional sneaky bit of cake or chocolate. However, as time went on any bit of dairy made me sicker and sicker - a sure sign of dairy intolerance - and I cut every part of it out of my diet. I am now 100% dairy free.

Now, I specify my dietary needs at restaurants and cafés and use dairy substitutes instead of the real thing. Always remember to check ingredients on whatever you're buying just to double check - it's surprising how many items contain milk powder, whey or some other variation of dairy! Even lots of crisp brands contain dairy. 

Is it annoying at times? Definitely. Is it worth it? Absolutely. In this blog I'll list a few of the benefits, limitations and my favourite dairy free eateries and brands.

The good stuff

Since going dairy free I've noticed significant changes to my skin. I used to suffer from bad acne and it's cleared up significantly since going dairy free. 

Before this lifestyle change I'd get a cold every 2 weeks or so - I was the most run down person I knew. I ate a lot of dairy so I reckon this caused an abundance of mucus and in turn made me continuously get colds. I haven't had a cold in months and months now - I can't remember the last time I had one!

I don't get that heavy, full feeling after eating meals now. I feel nauseous rarely and feel more full of energy. 

My boyfriend went dairy free in the past also and swears his asthma improved significantly, so this may be something to consider too if you suffer from asthma.

The bad stuff

The most notable pain in the arse bits I've experienced is the cost if you're buying specialty dairy free food items and - the hardest part of all - eating out. 

Dairy free milk can be almost twice the price of normal milk, with some exceptions.  Chocolate is a little more expensive depending on what brand you buy. Dairy free cheeses, again, are significantly more expensive, but it should be noticed a block of dairy free cheese can last me about a month. Dairy free spread is fairly reasonable, and again it lasts me ages. Cream substitutes are around the same price and are not something I'd use very often. It helps to shop around and limit your consumption of dairy imitations if you're very budget conscious.

As for eating out, I still find it extremely difficult. Sligo isn't the best place to be dairy free or vegan - sure, there are tons of places who offer gluten free options, but for us dairy intolerant people we're not as well catered to. If you want a simple cup of coffee most places offer soya milk, but if you want lunch or dinner? Not so easy. 

Don't fret!

I've found a few choices for eating dairy free, mainly in Sligo. StreetCart (mexican food, also offer vegan options), Sweet Beat (vegan), Vintage Lane Café (in Rathcormac, but one of the most helpful places I've found), Ósta (good for vegans too), Ardcarne Garden Café (in Boyle but an excellent choice for vegetarians and vegans alike), The Draft House in Strandhill, and a new find for dairy free soup (which is so damn hard to find!) WB's Café. Indian food is definitely the best choice for dairy free/vegan takeaway - just make sure you specify as some of the curries and breads contain ghee or cream. Bombay Palace in Castlerea and Poppadom restaurant in Sligo are my two favourites. Fast food restaurants also offer a fair amount of dairy free options - Supermac's Papa Johns are very helpful if you ask for your pizza to be made without cheese.

Top: Vegan pancakes made by my boyfriend, vegetable curry and hummus at Ardcarne Garden Café, vegan lasagne at Sweet Beat, bean hotpot at Ósta, soup and salad at Vintage Lane Café, vegetable curry (top) at The Draft House, almond milk hot chocolate and a raw cacao cake at Sweet Beat (bottom). See, I don't just eat air!

Let them eat cake

If you have  a major sweet tooth for cake and chocolate, you may find it hard at first to get used to life without them. Fear not, my friends, I did it and I don't cry in the corner about my lack of cake (not often anyway).
Joking aside, I've made some foolproof dairy free cakes and they're just as delicious as 'normal' cake. I've convinced even the most hardcore dairy eaters with them! Try this recipe from Odlums to start. Also check out the Free From sections in supermarkets and the ingredients in some supermarket cakes as I've been surprised sometimes by cakes and cookies not containing dairy. My favourite dairy free cake and biscuit picks are Oreos (yes, you read that right), Biscoff, Bourbons, Supervalu Free From Ginger Crunch Cookies, and the bog standard Dark Chocolate Digestives. Yum!

Choc-a-bloc

As for chocolate, I've found some delicious dairy free substitutes out there. My favourite brands are Moo Free, Booja Booja (their hazelnut truffles are TO DIE FOR - they're like the inside of a Ferrero Rocher), Choices, iChoc, and Cocoa Libre. It should be noted that ASDA, Tesco and Sainsbury's have their own range of Free From chocolate and it's all pretty tasty! I got my Free From advent calendar from ASDA and didn't feel left out when my brother ate his chocolate one. For my selection box - yes I am 5 years old - I got Moo Free and Choices selection boxes. I also recently discovered Lidl's version of Cadbury's Chocolate Snaps (remember them? Pringles shaped chocolate with crispy bits?) and was delighted to find the dark chocolate mint version is dairy free! Score.

But what if I want to cry into a tub of ice cream?

I hear you. We all have nights where we just want to snuggle up on the couch and inhale a litre of ice cream. Thanks to brands such as Booja Booja, Nobó, Swedish Glace, Okobay, and even Tesco Free From (they do dairy free strawberry and vanilla ice cream cones), I can still do that. But I try not to make it a habit. ;-) 

My favourite ice cream is hands down Almond Dream - their salted caramel ice cream is HEAVEN. They're also available in SuperValu which is so handy.

Keep an eye on Ben & Jerry's also - they're said to be releasing their own dairy free ice cream soon!

Cheese and milk and cream, oh my!

Ahh, the fun part. The hardest part most people find with going dairy free is giving up cheese. In fairness, I've never been a huge cheese fan, so I can imagine if you are it may be a bit harder. However, like any habit you break, you get used to not eating it. Brands such as Violife - my favourite for dairy free cheese - Tofutti, and VBites have some tasty cheese substitutes. Some melt like a dream, others are great in sandwiches and sauces, but none of them properly replicate proper cheese, I'd be lying if I said they did. Still, they're a nice substitute and I don't feel too left out when everyone else is eating pizza now! 

For cream and milk, Alpro and Oatly are my favourite picks. Both offer cream substitutes which taste deceivingly real, and their milks are also fantastic. I buy Lidl soya milk if I'm on a tight budget as it's only 79c per litre and is just as good as the leading brands. Koko coconut milk is a delicious creamy milk alternative which is great in tea, coffee and cereal. 

For sandwich spreads and butter substitutes I like Pure and Suma spreads. Sure, they taste more like margarine than butter, but they do the job. Cosgrove's Delicatessen in Sligo is a great place to pick up dairy alternatives - they even sell vegan mac 'n' cheese!

Saucy

I use a lot more condiments since going dairy free to add flavour and variety to my meals. I love Zest vegan pesto, Taste of Goodness sauces (check for the lactose free varieties), Biona, and the good old classic mayonnaise which, as most people are surprised by, is dairy free.

To conclude, with an evergrowing range of dairy free products, going dairy free isn't as hard as you may think. Obviously, if you can digest dairy with no issues, enjoy your cheeselicious pizza! If you're having discomfort or feeling nauseous from all the dairy deliciousness, or are planning on trying out veganism, I hope this blog was helpful in even some little way. 

For other helpful dairy free websites and blogs check out Dublin With Food Allergies, Dairy Free Kids, and Go Dairy Free.

If you have any questions on going dairy free, or if you can recommend some good dairy free cafés, restaurants and brands, please let me know!