Staples, Six

I love that six is the same in both French and English!

Speaking of love...

Has anyone out there tried any form of almond milk? Well I have, and it is now a worthy contributor to the contents of my fridge. I tried the Silk brand, but it was so...Silk-y. While it didn't taste nearly as much as Play-Doh as Vanilla Silk, it ran a close second.

Enter Blue Diamond's brand. Heaven. Nirvana. The original flavor has only the slightest aftertaste. But oh how the vanilla flavor had me at hello! It's like dessert in a cup. It is decadent. If I could get cereal through my lap band, I'd be eating bowls upon bowls using vanilla almond milk. Check it out here: http://store.bluediamond.com/Almond-Breeze_c_4.html .

Next on the list is my favorite protein shake mix. The prepackaged ones are not too bueno for you. I must say that I usually am able to stomach just about anything I try to eat. In other words, I'm not too picky to eat interesting stuff. But I simply cannot get whey protein past my esophagus. It smells disgusting; it tastes even worse. Soy protein can taste kind of icky, but at least I can get it down. But there's the little matter of phytoestrogens to contend with. So in my quest for a palatable protein shake, I ran the idea of an egg protein shake past my nutritionist. She approved. Here's the one I'm using: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=HL-1090 . Healthy n Fit 100% Egg Protein, and I do get it at the Vitamin Shoppe. I get the 1 lb size for about $16, and it lasts a long time. I highly recommend the chocolate and strawberry. The good thing about this stuff is that it isn't loaded with sugar, but is sweetened by Stevia. Drinking a shake made with this powder mix gives you approximately 22 grams of protein for just 8 oz. If you mix it with skim milk or Silk, you get even more protein in. I'm not averse to adding a teaspoon of low fat peanut butter in with the chocolate mix, which is reminiscent of a peanut butter cup. Bananas are also pretty tasty in both the chocolate and strawberry flavors. This stuff isn't perfect, but it's pretty close for me. (In all fairness, I haven't tried Muscle Milk yet. I probably will, just for giggles.)