Last year, my husband and I watched the Netflix documentary Forks Over Knives and it seriously gave us some food for thought. (No pun intended). It was the night before New Year’s Eve, the kids were in bed and it was the perfect opportunity to start dreaming about our new year. What did we want to add to our lives? What did we want to ditch? What would be our focus?

Someone recommended this revolutionary documentary and so I suggested we watch it that night for some ideas. Our biggest takeaway was to concentrate on more plant-based nutrition to our daily diets. We did this in a big way by cutting out red meat and we’ve also made small switches like opting to go dairy-free where possible. The trick to being successful with this, we found, was to experiment and try a variety of options. Like with milk, for example. So, I was really excited when I got an email about a Vancouver-based company, Earth’s Own, that provides a nutritious, tasty alternative to dairy milk. It surprised me to hear that SoFresh milk was made from oats!

Refrigerated oat milk is new to Canada but people in Sweden and South America have been enjoying it for quite awhile. I loved the fact that it’s allergen-free, low in fat and sugar, high in protein and contains 7 essential nutrients including calcium and vitamin D. And, of course, that it’s made right here in Canada from Canadian oats.

This news came to me at the perfect time. I’m on a personal quest for fitness and a big part of that is fueling my body well. So, I’ve incorporated a daily smoothie which I had never done regularly before. Part of the fun of making smoothies is being creative about what goes in – and I was really happy to have a new plant-based milk to try. The best part is, I totally enjoyed the taste. (That was a bit of a relief, I must say).

I also used the SoFresh oat milk to make Apple Pie Chia Pudding – a recipe provided by Desiree Neilsen, R.D. who you should follow on social media if you are looking for simple and effective ways to get your health on track. I had first heard Desiree speak at a nutrition workshop many years ago and she blew me away with her passion and knowledge.

I’m thrilled that Desiree took the time to create a video just for my readers talking a little more about oat milk plus some really delicious ways to enjoy it. (Like THIS dessert!).

I’m really committed to better health on my road to 40 and beyond, and this fabulous list of recipes right from the SoFresh site gives me the feeling that it can still be a tasty trip!

Can you leave me your favourite smoothie recipe in the comments so I can add it to my arsenal? Thanks!