Silk Nog

Silk Nog is really good surprisingly. It has been the one non-dairy surprise of my holiday experience! Drink and enjoy--Cheers to you'all. A very happy new year!

Happy Holidays

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. The holidays are so hard this time of year for those of us who can't have dairy--everything (especially appetizers) seem to have dairy in them. It was tough at holiday parties but we made a fantastic holiday dinner that I can eat (except the au gratin).

Anyway, whatever holiday you might celebrate, I hope you were surrounded my love, family, and good food that you could enjoy.

Gingerbread Cookies--success!

Gingerbread is actually better with Nucoa, the non-dairy margarine readily available for baking. We made the best cookies over the weekend and it actually helps them fluff up a little bit which makes them tasty---crispy on the outside and cakelike on the inside.

Delay

Well, it has been awhile since I posted on here and I apologize as I got really sick. And on Thanksgiving! (well mainly after T-day) I am just now feeling better. While t-day was a success with many non-dairy options such as a green bean casserole made of pureed canneloni beans (thanks to a good friend of mine), the pie was a disaster. My partner substituted silk egg nog--DID NOT WORK! Guess coconut milk would have been better!!

If anyone is actually reading this, I do hope your holiday was nice and you are thankful for what you have!!

Forgo the Whip Cream

Again today I am sad about my lack of holiday pie. While you can make the crust out of lard or shortening, it is the innards that have to have butter or some milk product of some kind. I hope to find something to satisfy and just forgo the whip cream.

pumpkin pie

Has anyone made a pumpkin pie with coconut milk in lieu of evaporated milk? Or have they found a substitute. Would love to hear from you if anyone is reading this. If not, will keep you posted on my experimentation!

Cheese Memories

I think the hardest thing for me has been cheese (except for ice cream of course). I miss it in so many ways and have yet to find a suitable replacement for it. "Cheddar" varieties have been better and I had a rice mozzarella that was okay but generally the texture just gets to me if not the lack of taste.

With winter upon us I am looking for good casseroles to satisfy my gooey warm needs. And with the thanksgiving side dishes it will be hard to avoid the "au gratins" and buttery pies that is for sure.

Update

Well, already I haven't written on here every day. We had a few colicky days that left me no spare time at all. I am sure you all have been there. I think it is because I had some goat cheese. While goat cheese doesn't seem to affect my little one, it made him super gassy.

On the cheese front, I attempted to make a rice cheese lasagne last night which left a lot to be desired. I miss ooey gooey casseroles the most especially with the colder weather. I wonder what life will be like for my little guy if he doesn't outgrow it. Thank goodness there are so many options now out there--especially out here on the west coast where I live.

I am a fan of the food channel--especially Giada. However, everything it seems that they make lately has butter, whole milk or cream in it. I miss it!

Well, that is all I have for today.

Nursing vs. Formula

Some of you might wonder whether stopping nursing and going to non-milk protein formula is a viable option. This is such a personal choice for any new mother and not one to be taken lightly! Also know that if you did choose formula, you can still post on this blog! All mothers need to be supportive of each other regardless of their choices as we are in it together. One of the best writers about modern mothers is local writer Ariel Gore--her humor has gotten me through some tough moments and her perspective is really refreshing in a world that seems to shame mothers into feelings of guilt, etc.

Some of the reasons I personally chose to continue to nurse was financial. Our pediatrician said that this specialized formula is very expensive. She also mentioned that it has a pungent odor and color and most children won't drink it anyway. It is amazing to me that there aren't very good options out there for children with allergies as this problem has been around for so long!!

Welcome!

If you are viewing this blog I assume it is because you are going through a similar experience as I have. My journey started when my son was 8 weeks old. He started having blood in his poop but no other signs or problems. It scared us though and took us over 2 weeks to figure out that it was a milk protein allergy.

Our doctor told us he would outgrow it but that hasn't happened yet. In the meantime I wonder what his life will be like without dairy as it has been hard enough for me to deal with it. So, I look at this adventure as training for my future so that I can be ready to help him in the future.

However, a non-dairy diet has left me craving many things and oftentimes not feeling very satisfied. I am always looking for great new recipes or ideas so feel free to post on here what you like. I will be posting daily with things that surprised me by having milk in them or great recipes I tried that day.