Interestingly enough ~ many of my friends and blog readers have written with a curiosity into the non dairy non egg diet of Carter. It is such a normal part of my life that it comes naturally to me now. He does not eat any dairy or eggs ~ at all. This isn't lactose intolerant ~ he is allergic to the protein portion of cows milk. I don't know why ~ really ~ no one here has a similar allergy. He has gotten progressively better with age ~ the physicians say that as his intestines mature they become less porous and he will be able to tolerate milk products. I'm not so sure as HELLO ~ last weeks milk oops proved serious still. BUT, I've gone from having to keep him away from everything milk and carrying epi pens for safety ( think crazy stray food of toddlers, goldfish are the DEVIL of kid snacks and keeping them from sharing anything ) to knowing that a loading dose of benedryl might be all we need.
So the most popular questions we get : WHAT DO YOU EAT? Quite a bit of stuff but then again ~ quite a bit not. He loves fish, all fruits, we have standard cereals that are dairy free like frosted mini wheats and rice crispies. He loves Japanese food ~ stir fry, rice, noodles. We have tacos without cheese but with extra lettuce, tomatoes and black beans. Spaghetti is a favorite but with Hunt's sauce in a can that doesn't have Romano cheese or extra seasoning. For the occasional substitute at slumber parties for donuts ( NO ) we have cherry pop tarts or cinnamon toast crunch cereal ( sugar bomb) Marshmallows are dairy free ~ so for holidays and birthday parties we make rice krispie treats in various shapes and colors using soy butter instead. Our house always has a stock of dairy free things like Earth Balance butter and plain soy milk.
He has a special snack box of non-perishable treats at school to choose from when they have a birthday and things like cupcakes or cookies come into the classroom. Gummy bears and hard candy are safe at holidays like Halloween ( but no chocolate at all ) Many crackers, pretzels and nuts are dairy free ( thank goodness we eat peanut and cashew butter or we would be sunk.) No yogurt, cheese sticks, goldfish or pizza from dominoes ~ BUT I can make most things work ~ for instance Pizza Hut has dairy free sauce and spray their pans with oil not butter so we get a personal pan pizza with extra sauce and he is happy ~ but also Amy's brand makes a great sweet onion pizza with artichoke, peppers and mushrooms that he loves to eat on Friday nights.
All in all we avoid most pitfalls now ~ you just can't go without reading labels. My favorite example is that most taco seasoning has non fat dairy milk as the second ingredient. McDonald's fries and chickfila nuggets are injected with powdered milk ~ which is yummy but makes us sick. No wonder so many Americans struggle with weight ~ that stuff is meant to turn a calf into a heifer ! and we don't have enough stomachs either !!
I do have an egg free cooking powder substitute ~ so I use it in baked goods like cornbread, waffles and muffins. Most cooking starts from scratch as mixes are mostly dairy based. Our favorite recipe is banana cupcakes with orange juice, sugar, oil, banana, cinnamon and other yummy things ~ they come out of the oven like hot yummy banana bread and are instantly a hit with most kids ~ especially dripping with soy butter that is barely detectable ~ even those who don't know it doesn't have dairy. Now ~ skip and pass on dairy free cheese and sour cream ~ icky. Super icky. BUT all in all it is just a part of our life that we navigate well ~ especially since even main stream grocery stores like Kroger and Tom Thumb have soy products and organic sections now. I've posted a picture of a great lizard "cake" we crafted Carter at his last birthday ~ my dear friend Abrea and I had good times making it with colored rice crispies, marshmallows and soy butter ~ a happy birthday for sure. Hooray !
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