So my latest hobby is going on long walks while listening to the Nerdist podcasts. I am in love with any guests that are funny, but bonus points go to people from The Office, Mad Men, or The League (aka the best shows on tv netflix). If they could get Tina Fey (and/or Alec Baldwin) on the show my life would be complete. I’m a nerd.
In other news.
I recently conducted my own almond milk-off between my all time fave Blue Diamond’s Almond Breeze and Silk’s (new) unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
Silk previously had something like 60 kcals per serving, but now it’s down to 35 – just under the 40 kcals that it’s competition offers. It makes me think of the 9 minute abs analogy. What was once 10 minute abs became 9 minute abs, which then turned into 8 minute abs…and so on and so forth…
Makes you wonder if the next big thing is going to be 25 kcal almond milk. Or non-fat almond milk. Or 2 minute abs. Crazy times we live in. I digress…
Aside from the 5 calorie differential, there’s little else that varies when comparing each brand’s nutritional stats. They both have 0 g sugar. They both have 1 g of protein. Neither are organic (which is a bummer but less important to me than it is in soy milk). There’s slightly more calcium in Silk, but otherwise they are pretty much on par. They both have the same thick, creamy texture too. Flavor-wise, however, I have to say I prefer Almond Breeze – at least in comparing the unsweetened varieties. I can’t quite figure out what it is that bothers me about the Silk flavor, but it’s somehow not as pleasing to my palate. So that’s my two cents nerdy analysis.
Oh and as an FYI to everyone who loves Trader Joe’s almond milk, that’s next on my to-try list (because I’m the kind of loser who thinks conducting almond milk-offs is fun – and worth planning in advance).
I’m sure you’re on the edge of your seat awaiting my deep thoughts…
I guess I’ll share another collection of hospital eats now.
Let’s start with breakfast.
Brown rice + quinoa + banana + raisins + cinnamon + almond milk. Not overly innovative, but different enough that I was looking forward to it by the time I got a chance to grub.
Next up, lunch.
This is a what-do-we-have-in-the-fridge-that-could-be-made-into-a-meal kind of operation.
Cheesy pasta + butternut squash + spinach + leftover grilled zucchini + cherry tomatoes.
The result was kinda good, but mostly just random.
I had made the bowtie pasta a few days before with vegan cheese (teese mozzarella) and organic wheat pasta.
It wasn’t as great as the pizza I made though. The cheese tasted plastic-y to me and I’m not sure if that’s because I opened it a few weeks ago (it doesn’t seem to go bad though) or the amount I used overpowered the other ingredients. After the first serving, I ended up adding plain almond milk and nutritional yeast to it, in an effort to balance neutralize the cheese and create an alfredo-esque sauce. It was okay, but not a recipe I will bother sharing.
In this meal, adding the extra veggies definitely helped. Especially the butternut squash. Next time I’ll blend that into a sauce before combining it with the pasta.
For snacks I had carrots, banana bread, and salty roasted nuts. The cashews in this mix are the most massive beastly things ever. Some were almost the size of my thumb!
It was a good day. And then I came home and ate my weight in chocolate and toast with Earth Balance. Slice after slice after slice after slice… It’s been a while since I’ve gone balls to the wall with a loaf of bread (I used to do it at least once a month, but in the past year(s) or so I’ve gotten much better about moderation and mindful eating). What can I say, these things do happen. I like food. I like carbs. C’est la vie.
By the way, I finally figured out how to get a “pin it” button (hopefully you can see it at the end of the post?). So even though I’m not on pinterest myself, you can now share my hippie eats (and super insightful thoughts about almond milk brands) with whoever you want. Or not.
I use unsweetened flax milk, which is 25 calories per cup!
I always switch back and forth between Trader Joe’s and Blue diamone almond milk. They taste the same to be, but probably because I always mix it with something else I never really drink it straight
Silk makes unsweetened vanilla or unsweetened original for 35 calories a cup serving. Silk Original is the one that is 60 calories a cup, which they still produce and you can still find in many stores. So, Silk did not decrease their calorie content in their almond milk. Almond Breeze makes similar products with their unsweetened original and vanilla at 40 calories a cup serving and they also still have their original almond milk at 60 calories a cup serving.
Almond milk… a couple years ago, I made a switch from soy to almond milk (exclusively) and LOVED Almond Breeze! But… because I wasn’t supplementing with soy milk or adding back the lost protein, I started noticing some problems after a couple of months. The biggest effect was my hair – I was losing more hair than usual. NOT in clumps or anything, just noticed a change as to what was getting stuck in my brush and getting caught on my fingers when I washed my hair. My advice to anyone who makes a change to a different milk: pay attention to your protein!
Eee, The League is my all time favorite show. I got to see the whole cast perform standup in Austin two years ago. Made my life!
Thanks for the almond milk breakdown, can’t wait to hear how you like/how the TJ version compares, that’s my go-to for baking.
Long-time reader, first time commenter! I just had to comment and tell you that Alec Baldwin has his own podcast and it’s called “Here’s the Thing.” He just interviews other celebrities, so it’s not exactly your typical hilarious Alec Baldwin… but it’s still Alec Baldwin! Worth checking out if you haven’t already heard of it.
I use the Trader Joe’s unsweetened almond milk just because it is the cheapest one I have come across! 🙂 Good stuff! That toast looks so good–cinnamon raisin toast slathered with butter used to be one of my favorite bedtime snacks growing up!
I did the same almond milk off… Almond breeze is by far the best! I have tried an organic almond milk from Pacific too, I love the fact that it’s organic, the taste is good, but it’s way too liquidy! Almond Breeze should go organic!! (But stay the same price 😉 )… In my dreams…
How’s this for a total nerd-off? I make my own almond milk! It’s super easy and quick to do, plus I make it organic. The only downside IMO is that it doesn’t last for very long (because there are no preservatives or pasteurization, etc.) I tried doubling the recipe once (thinking I was so smart because I could make the milk less frequently), but it went bad before I was able to drink it all. Oh, well– more frequent batches of fresh almond milk it is! Life is so difficult… 😉
OMG! I love the Nerdist podcast! We got to see him, Jonah and Matt live a few weeks back at one of the two live shows they had here in Minneapolis. Awesome stuff.
If you have 10 minutes, go watch the All Star Bowling episode with the cast of Mad Men (with Jon Hamm!!): http://youtu.be/5M-iiIpzEfU
You will DIE.
I did the same taste test–but I too love Almond Breeze. It’s my first true almond milk love…
I heard that Starbucks is in talks to add almond milk to their menu—I would be sooooo happy!
So true about the analogy with 9 minute abs, its lame how everything keeps decreasing in calories, because most likely it means the product is getting more processed. What can you do though. I love mad men and the office! Never heard of the league though, and think I will have to go check it out!! All your food rocks, as always!
I wish I could obtain 2 minute abs WHILE drinking no fat almond milk…. ah what a dream that would be 🙂
What a world we live in!
My husband loves doing taste tests! He totally gets into it – eyes, closed, I’m not allowed to tell him which is which. He’ll do it with whatever we have the same of.
I’ve been wondering about the Silk Almond vs. Almond Breeze. I think Silk is more $ at my grocery store so I’ve avoided it. Glad to know you are a fan of the Almond Breeze brand 🙂
Have a great weekend!
~Rebecca
once you try the trader joes unsweetened vanilla you will NEVER go back to Almond Breeze! Whole Food’s 365 brand unsweetened original is also great!
I had a bad experience with Almond Breeze a couple years back — I opened the container, took a sip and it had gone sour — who knew that was possible? Ever since, it’s made my stomach turn. But I recently tried the Silk version and loved it.
how odd – i had no idea it could go bad!? i guess its a good sign since it means they dont have a ton of preservatives in it?
i dont really like the 365 one actually…but i cant wait to try the tjs milk since it gets the best reviews.
i love taste tests too!! its my favorite top chef challenge when they blind fold the chefs and make them identify various foods/ingredients. kyle and i keep meaning to conduct our own taste-off (we are so cool) 🙂
yes! now that would be magic.
thats what i was afraid of…or that it would just be more watered down…
omg, are you serious?!?! FINALLY. ive written them so many times about getting almond milk and stevia. this would make me sooooo happy.
!!!!!!!!!!
ive been wanting to do that!! i dont have a cheese cloth and thats really the only thing stopping me. pathetic huh. im also tempted to make cashew milk. have you tried that one?
one can dream….
i saw that one last time i was on itunes…glad to know you liked it. im definitely going to DL it now 🙂 thanks for the rec!!
oh man, thats so friggin awesome.
how interesting. i havent found thats been an issue, but thanks for the heads up.
I don’t actually use a cheese cloth– I have some mesh produce bags that I double up and strain the mixture through instead. (I tried cheese cloth the first time around and it was a DISASTER! I’d really recommend using either those fine mesh produce bags or buying a nut milk bag. They cost around $10 and don’t let any of the grits through.)
As far as cashew milk goes… I have a cashew allergy so can’t attempt it. Discovering that particular allergy was one of the saddest days of my life. 🙁
hey natalie. im aware theres a difference between the kcals in the unsweetened and sweetened of each brand, but im pretty sure silk recently changed the formula for their unsweetened. it also says “new” on the front of the carton.
i swear they are the same formula. TJs copies various product recipes to sell under their own brand name all the time, so i wouldnt be surprised if they were the same.
i love flax milk. i just wish i could find it more easily.
Ah I never really thought about that. But that’s probably very true!
@Katie @ Peace Love & Oats: I’ve never tried flax milk, I’ll have to look for that one.
aw. sorry about the cashew allergy. does that include other tree nuts or not? i heard mango and pistachios were in the same allergen group, but maybe not.
im adding a nut milk bag to my next amazon order.
It’s just cashews, thankfully.
The nut milk bag will make everything so much easier, I promise. I know you already take the time to roast your own nuts and make your own nut butters, so trying out your own almond milk will be simple, too! I have friends who just make it with almonds and filtered water, period, but I like to add a bit of vanilla extract and about a 1/4 cup of dates to sweeten mine. 1 cup of soaked almonds can yield anywhere between 3 and 6 cups of milk, depending on how thick you want the consistency. (I like a nice, thick milk for my smoothies, so I only add 3 cups of water.)
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Did you see that the Nerdist finally had Tina Fey on it? I LOVED it! She’s amazing!
yes!! i loved it 🙂
Howdy!
A co-worker, who knows I am a vegan just introduced me to your blog. I read your about blurb and your story reminded me of another vegan blogger I follow. Her name is Somer at VedgeOut. She too suffers from IBS. I thought you might be interested in reading her story. http://vedgedout.com/why-vegan/
Best,
Susan
thanks susan!
Why does the t.v. ad for Silk Creamy Cashew Original Milk have 25 calories per serving on the carton and I’m looking at my recently purchased carton (same stuff) which says 60 calories per serving. False advertising???
I don’t know for sure but I think they have sweetened and unsweetened varieties…could be a different version of the cashew milk?