Episode Two: The Great Milk Debacle of 1937.

I feel like no matter what the event, it should be accompanied by a word denoting serious conflict as well as an arbitrary year for added emphasis. I highly doubt Milk has ever been involved in war-like circumstances, but I do know that there is no use crying over it when spilled and that it does a body good.

Which brings me to today's subject: MILK.

Milk was a constant staple of my diet up until a I joined Weight Watchers. Before we go any further let me preface: WEIGHT WATCHERS ENCOURAGES THE CONSUMPTION OF MILK. I just opted not to have milk so that I could have other things for my allotted daily points.

 I was a 2% drinker for most of my youth and downgraded to Skim once I moved out on my own. Once I endeavored to change my eating habits and pursue a healthy lifestyle, milk was suddenly a difficult item to include, despite my absolute adoration of it as a beverage crucial to daily life (AND health). Chocolate Milk became virtually off limits. You can imagine my devastation over this intolerable fact. I've spent the last year trying to no avail to really work milk into my daily food consumption.

Enter Stage Left: A Co-Worker of the Vegan-Raw-Whole Foods Persuasion. Enter Stage Right: A Weight Watchers-Friendly Blog...


A Co-worker of mine is very conscious of the quality of food he consumes. He doesn't drink milk but chooses instead a non-dairy alternative. I've always been a little leery of these, mostly because I hate the idea of sacrificing flavor for less calories. I also try to eat sugar-free as much as possible and these drinks tend to go for conventional sugar as sweetener. So, one can see how the non-dairy alternative would not have much appeal. Here's where the blog comes in. I subscribe to The Hungry Girl blog. She's a conscious eater and is always looking for the tastiest, yet healthiest, options on the market. Low and behold, an answer to my struggles!

ENTER BLUE DIAMOND UNSWEETENED VANILLA ALMOND BREEZE (ALSO AVAILABLE IN UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE!)


This healthy milk substitute gets you a whopping 8 ounces of "milk" for just 40 calories! For anyone also following the Weight Watchers program, this is just 1 Points Plus per cup (You can even have a 1/3 cup serving for 0 Points Plus!) vs. the 2 Points Plus for the same portion of Skim Milk. I use it plain on my cereal in the morning, but with a little Splenda, this becomes a delicious stand alone beverage. It's thicker and creamier than skim in texture and sits somewhere between 1% and 2%. 


And don't even get me started on the Chocolate... I have again become a chocolate "milk" drinker! This decadent liquid packs just 45 calories into it's 1 cup serving, again only 1 Points Plus! For this, I add a little Splenda as well and drink it all by itself! It seems so guilty, but it's so not! These awesome substitutes are also great for baking, milkshakes, and even to have in your coffee. The unsweetened vanilla comes in a refrigerated variety but is also available in a shelf-stable carton as well. The unsweetened chocolate is only available in the shelf-stable carton (you'll find it near the Soy and Rice Dream alternatives.)


Now, I know what you're thinking because I thought it too. Going for this type of alternative has to be more costly, right? WRONG. With the coupon I have linked below, you can get a 1/2 gallon of Almond Breeze for just a few pennies more than a 1/2 gallon of Skim. So with a minuscule price difference, why would you not go for the healthier choice? More for less, and just as tasty? I sense the conclusion of all milk-related conflicts everywhere!

Click this link: Almond Breeze Coupon!

Happy Drinking! Have a Chocolate Milk for me!