Cassie DeNisco

Plant Based Alternatives I Love

May 2, 2022

I have been dairy free for almost a year now and seriously have never felt better. People always ask me how I do it, so I thought I’d share my top plant based alternatives that keep me going. I developed severe lactose intolerance over the past few years so I’ve become a pro at yummy dairy free things.

A lot of times people ask if I’m vegan but to be honest I don’t like to label myself. I am 100% dairy free due to medical reasons but I’ll eat meat here or there. This is my favorite list of milks, cheeses, and other plant based products & brands!

Follow Your Heart

This is my go to brand for any kind of vegan cheese. I love their Parmasean, Feta, and even recently discovered their sliced cheese. This brand makes me not even miss real cheese. I highly recommend checking out Follow Your Heart if you can. I usually find mine in Target and I’m telling you, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Simply

The simply brand is my go to for milks. I love that the ingredients are super minimal and the taste is pretty good. The only issue I have with it is that it is so hard to find. Honestly, I think it’s because it is so good! I usually will buy an extra almond or oat milk if I see it because often dairy alternative milks have so many unnecessary ingredients. This brand is so minimal and has a great taste.

Planet Oat

When I can’t get simple, Planet Oat is my next best thing. Ingredients are a little iffy however, the taste and consistency is spot on to dairy milk. I also am obsessed with the Planet Oat ice creams. I found when I went dairy free it was so hard to have ice cream but after discovering this brand, I can have whatever Ice cream I want by them because it’s so good.

Violife

If you’re looking for a good chunk cheese to maybe have a cheese board or shred yourself, check out Violife. I love their white cheddar chunk and love it in mac n cheese or scalloped potatoes. I don’t really like anything else by this brand but the chunk cheeses make me continue to come back for more.

Made Good

My final holly grail is the Made Good granola bars. Let me tell you, typical granola bar brands sneak so much stuff in them. I love these because not only are they dairy free, but their nut and allergy free too so if I’m on the go I won’t upset someones allergy. Again this are so hard to find but I stock up when I find them!

These are my tried and true products and brands that are plant based alternatives. It took me a while to get to the point where I could even recommend anything because you really have to try it for awhile. One thing to note is that I am huge on the ingredients in products but some of these don’t have the best. In situations like this, I choose flavor over ingredients because sometimes you just want as close to the real thing as possible!

If you love this plant based alternatives list, check out some recipes here! Subscribe here to my blog!

My Simple Pizza Recipe

October 12, 2020

If you’re anything like me, pizza is one of your favorite meals. I swear I could eat pizza for almost any meal and this makes it so easy. I was in search of a pizza recipe a little less carb heavy and I stumbled on the pita in my fridge. Using these as a crust leaves the pizza almost like a flatbread. The size of the pita also makes it perfect for personal pizzas or to mix and match the toppings. In this post, I’m sharing my go to pita pizza recipe.

Ingredients:

Pita Bread

Olive Oil

Tomato

Fresh Mozzarella

Basil

Balsamic glaze

Directions:

Start by putting the 1 teaspoon of olive oil all over your pita
Thinly slice your tomatoes and layer them around your pizza
Add your fresh mozzarella & basil to the top
Bake at 350 for about 8-9 minutes or until cheese is melted
Once out and cooled sprinkle balsamic glaze over

This pizza recipe is seriously so good. I love how healthy it makes pizza night and makes it quick and easy to make. Some other toppings that I love to use are ricotta cheese, zucchini and even red onions and barbecue sauce. Pizza night is awesome with pita because you can make everyone their own flavor and don’t have to worry about trying to find one everyone loves.

Another really yummy way to make pizza is with flatbreads. I buy mine at my local stores and its similar to the pita. Of course it has more carbs but sometimes you just really want that great slice of pizza.

What are some of your favorite pizza toppings?

If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my others here! Follow me on Pinterest for more recipes!

Plant Base Meat that I Love

September 21, 2020

I definitely don’t like food labels however I generally live by a plant based diet. With that being said. I enjoy not eating too much dairy or animal products but I like to have plant base meats to supplement that. I have been eating this way for awhile now with my mom so we both have brands and plant base meat products that we love. This guide I hope is interesting and helpful to share with you so let’s dive in!

Morning Star Farms Veggie Hot Dogs

These are so yummy and I love them so much! They definitely taste similar to a hot dog and are a great option to have. Regular hot dogs somewhat gross me out in reading all of the ingredients but these are so good and a much healthier option. I like these with a bun and a little ketchup and you are good to do.

Morning Star Chicken Patties

I love having these patties with a little vegan mayo, vegan cheese, and a hamburger bun. It is like a fast food sandwich but so much healthier. These do not really remind me of breaded chicken but to be honest, they have a better flavor. I know Morning Star also makes veggie chicken nuggets which have a similar texture and are also great!

Gardein Veggie Burgers

So this is one of my newer favorites. I used to love the Morning Start Farms veggie burgers but I realized the patties were just so thin. These patties are thick and seriously give off a beef burger vibe. I love these veggie burgers so much. They remind me of an Impossible burger but to be honest, might even taste better!

Gardein Veggie Meatballs

I can’t say enough about these Meatballs!! They have so much more flavor than a regular meatball could ever have and my boyfriend most of the time can’t even tell the difference. These are great in red sauce with pasta for dinner or even a roll for a sandwich. Highly, highly recommend these meatballs!

Boca Meatless Ground Beef

This is seriously game changing. I had never realized you can get meatless ground beef and now my chili is seriously elevated. It’s awesome way to sneak in even more veggies to your chili because you really can’t tell the difference once everything is seasoned. This is a really great meat alternative product.

If you notice there’s on thing I didn’t add to my list and that is the Impossible brand. I think their burgers are great when I go out to eat but I haven’t been able to cook them successfully for myself at home. Let me know if you have any tips because I definitely want to like them, but they just fall apart when I cook.

I hope this list of my favorite plant base meat products is helpful whether you are plant base or just looking to supplement in some healthier alternatives to meat in your diet. I plan to do some recipes with these products so that you can see how I cook with them so be on the lookout for that.

Be sure to check out my last blog post here and follow me on Instagram!

My Healthier Chipotle Bowl Recipe

September 7, 2020

One of my favorite fast food restaurants is Chipotle because I love their bowls. After eating them for so long, I realized I could probably make my own version that is a much healthier Chipotle bowl. Not to mention, I wouldn’t be eating out so much or even spending money. My healthier Chipotle bowl is so easy and great to make for a family. Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn

1 tomato

1 yellow onion

1 jalapeño

1 avocado

1 cup rice

1 lb chicken

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 tablespoon cumin

Directions

Rinse and drain the can of corn and can of black beans, then mix to combine and place in a container together. Start cooking the rice however you normally would.
Cut up the tomato, yellow onion, jalapeño and place in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for a few hours so that the flavors all get to mix together.
Season the chicken with the paprika and cumin and then grill it until cooked. Let cool and then cube it.
Once the tomato mixture has sat and is fragrant, you’re ready to eat so start with the rice in your bowl. Then add chicken, tomato mixture and corn and beans. Top with sliced avocado or sour cream and cheese and you are good to go!

This seriously is such a healthier Chipotle bowl recipe. I love to prep this the morning of so that it’s ready to go whenever we want to eat. The recipe is simple enough that anyone can make it but also great because you can really mix and match. Meals like this are great for families because there’s something for everyone!

Let me know below if you have an Chipotle hacks and be sure to follow me on Pinterest for more recipes @cassiedenisco. Check out my last post here!

Acai Bowls at Home

October 9, 2019

It might be fall but I still love acai bowls for breakfast! Not only are they super delicious but they also keep me full all morning. The real key to acai bowls are the consistency. My recipe is guaranteed to make you the perfect bowl each and every time. Feel free to alter my recipe however you’d like or use it as is. I absolutely love acai bowls and I even have included a hack to making them even easier.

Ingredients:

Frozen acai packets

1 Banana

1 c mixed berries

1/2 c almond milk

1 scoop collagen peptides

1 scoop of protein power (any flavor)

Directions:

In a blender, I prefer the Nutri bullet, blend the acai, 1/2 of the banana and the mixed berries.
Once somewhat blended add the collagen, protein powder, and blend.
Gradually add the milk. Make sure you only add it a little at a time so that you can ensure it stays as a bowl and doesn’t turn into a smoothie.
Put it in a bowl and add whatever toppings you’d like. I love banana, granola, honey, and coconut flakes!

Acai bowls can take awhile in the morning but if you pre make a huge bowl of it and freeze it, you can defrost a little each morning and just add your toppings. I also find that if you are still hungry after having a bowl, you can add some type of nut butter to increase your protein which will help you stay fuller longer.

I love acai bowls and they can be such a fun treat in the morning or at any point during the day. You can make them exactly however you’d like which makes it the best and easiest way to switch up your morning breakfasts.

Don’t forget to check out my pinterest for more recipes and check out my last recipe for apple crisp here!