More Tofu Than We Can Chew

I hope we're not biting off more tofu than we can chew! The experiment doesn't start until March, but....

Today I introduced a smoothie with tofu and soy milk ( with a little yogurt needing to be used up.) Matt thought it was the best smoothie...sweeter than normal - probably because of the soy milk. We also made rice treats with Brown Rice Syrup, Vegan chocolate chips (the girls thought they were too sweet by themselves- but they were actually bitter), natural PB, & EnviroKids rice crisp cereal. They turned out really good. Drawback - a tad pricey. BUT cheaper than a trip to the dentist due to sugar!

I'm sensing the hardest thing will be replacing dairy. We consume a lot of cream cheese, sour cream, and butter. To replace it all is going to be expensive. I need to decide if I will replace or reduce our consumption. At some point -maybe for 1 week- I want to see if a non-dairy diet affects Matt's allergies and Tori's skin condition.

Obstacles to Overcome for the March Menu:
** What to do with our cream cheese/sour cream addiction.
**How to help Matt find items to eat at restaurants for lunch.

**What to fix for lunches.
** Final "rules" for the Arden Experiment

The Arden Experiment

I think the only visitor to Ardenland is my good friend Shelly. So, for her entertainment and reading pleasure, I'm rekindling the writing fire. The absence of posts is mainly due to my notions that no one cares, what I have to say isn't important, and I have other things to do with my time. But then I think... I could make money off this!!! Julie (of Julie and Julia) did. Mostly it's because I don't have anything to write about. But right now I do.

Recently I invested in books about healthy eating...mostly a plant-based diet. They are revolutionizing my lifestyle in the way of eating. I've read so much that the other night I dreamed about a plate full of beans and other non-meat proteins. In my slumber I kept thinking "am I going to be full enough?" & " I need some water."

Still trying to graft in these new ideas to our current eating habits (which already resemble a plant based diet), I am preparing our family for a month long eating experiment in March. Details are still being worked out, but some include no dairy, no meat, lots of greens, new recipes.

Rebooting this blog is going to be a way for me to document the effects of the experiment.
Will Tori's skin clear up?
Will Matt be able to breath better?
Will I loose weight?
Will Sophia be able to survive on non-dairy sour cream and cream cheese (hardest one of all)?

I figure ....it won't kill us. At least March will have a bit of excitement in it.

So...Shelly....thanks in advance for reading.