We Love: Healthy foods - Soy Dream Smooth

I promise I will not lecture about how you should never go to McDonalds (but please, don't) or how you should eat your daily amount of veggies (but please do) or how you shouldn't drink too much alcohol (but please, ignore me on that one). But I cannot deny that I love to eat and that it makes me happy when I know the foods I'm stuffing myself with, are also good for my body instead of making me feel guilty after devouring them.

I started drinking soy milk occasionally about ten years ago in high school, just because I thought it tasted good. Alpro had a banana flavoured drink which tasted exactly like a banana milkshake. But I quit drinking them after I read the ingredient list and felt they added too much sugar. Of course it tasted like milkshake, it practically WAS a milkshake :D It always bums me when I read the amount of added sugars. I'm no saint at all and I like my Chardonnay during dinner (practically liquid sugar), but I like to choose when I eat my sugars or devour my guilty pleasures, I don't want them creeping in my daily eating habits. Because I tend to eat a lot.

So when Karolien and I were invited by Media Mania PR for a breakfast at Maona Living in Antwerp where a new soy based drink was to be announced, we quickly accepted. I sometimes feel alone in the world, but I LOVE breakfast. This new drink is produced by Hain Celestial, a name that didn't immediately rang a bell. But after some google'ing I found it's the brand behind my favorite milk replacement drink ever: Coconut Dream. So I was very excited for their new drink as I already loved (almost) all of their other drinks. And you know what I love the most about them? Exactly, they don't add sugar, the drinks are mildly sweet of their own due to the use of rice. I want go all chemical on you (because I simply can't, I'm a chemist noob) but it has something to do with rice fermentation. To make a long story short: it's all natural. (Random fact: the word "fermentation" always throws me back to Japan where I ate - or tried to eat - "Nato": a local delicatesse made of fermented soy beans. I'm a big fan of tasting everything but I almost threw up in my plate. I was kind of disappointed in myself afterwards.)

 Last year I had this period where I made a bunch of green smoothies - I was unemployed and had way too much time on my hands - in which I already used a variety of their drinks. Mostly the Coconut Dream though, but I go nuts on coconuts. It's a love or hate thing I suppose. But all of their drinks can also be used for baking as a replacement of milk. A couple of weekends ago I used their Oat Dream to make buckwheat pancakes, and they were delish! Speaking of which, I should by myself a new blender, but my Acne boots came first.

iPhone quality pancake making!

Buckwheat pancakes made with the "Oat Dream"

And the new Soy Dream Smooth doesn't disappoint, I will definetely buy some more of that if my local supermarket will provide me :D And last but not least: we also met some fellow bloggers during the event! We didn't go to a lot of events yet, but it is nice to chat with like-minded people. I guess I'm just afraid everyone will be so "fake" but that seemed unnecessary :D Karolien did all the talking though, I will not take the credit for it. My ramblings will limit themselves to the blog.

But thanks again Media Mania PR for the lovely (yet early) morning!

Pancakes for breakfast!

Karolien talking to Maxime from The Frontrow Blog