I received a message from a friend today, that her daughter has been directed by their doctor to avoid milk and milk products. She was wondering what tips I have and which replacement food products we like. It took me right back to the early day's of our son's food allergy diagnosis. It's overwhelming, and time consuming to figure out what is safe to eat! I remember wading the waters and even misreading labels. One big oops was misidentifying a lactose free cheese as being dairy free. Hives and a bellyache later, I have not made that mistake again. So, to help take some of the guesswork out for you, here is our list of go-to milk replacement items!
(This post is definitely not sponsored, because I haven't yet found any free fake cheese on our doorstep, so opinions are all our own!)

• Unsweetened Almond Milk- We chose almond milk as our go-to milk for several reasons. It has as much calcium as cow's milk and still has some fat in it, which is helpful for young kids. It also has a mild flavor, so I've found it to be great in cooking and baking. Coconut milk is also a great alternative.

• Earth Balance "Butter"- Earth Balance brand has multiple 'butter' replacements. My favorites are their buttery sticks and their buttery spread. These have been amazing for baking and also great for grilled cheese and bagels. They even have soy free and organic versions. 

• Yogurt- There are many alternatives when it comes to yogurt. Our favorites are SoDelicious almond milk and coconut milk, yogurts. 

• Ice Cream- SoDelicious is also our favorite brand for ice cream products. The coconut milk ice cream is beyond amazing. (My husband and I are ice cream junkies, and we do not feel like we are missing out when we eat our son's ice cream. yes, sometimes we eat his ice cream... mean parents...) They also make ice cream sandwiches and bars, so that has been great for giving  us our son some variety! 

• Daiya "cheese"- After some trial and error, our son's favorite "cheese" is made by Daiya. Because his allergy was diagnosed at a young age, he has never known anything different. However, I too have found the Daiya shredded cheese to be mild in taste and it melts very well. We use it for mac and cheese, pizza, quesadillas and plain, as a snack.

• Snacks- Finding milk free snacks can feel tricky at first. Many foods, that you wouldn't expect, have some form of milk in them. The best advice is to read the label every time, and know which words, beside milk, indicate a milk protein is present in the food. Sometimes ingredients will change or an unexpected food will have milk in it. Panko crumbs, cereal bars and bread oftentimes have milk in them, so read the label  on every product, even if it seems unlikely to have milk in it.

As mentioned, when reading labels, there are many words that can indicate a milk protein is present. These words can include milk, butter, cheese, casein & caseinates, cream, dairy product solids, ghee, lactose and whey. For a more inclusive list follow this link.

Strawberry picking season has been in full swing, on the Eastern Shore, and I've been happy for any and all reasons to take advantage of my favorite time of year. Thankfully, my dear friend Anna is of the same mindset and she served up a most refreshing strawberry dessert, last week. Her delicious version included vanilla "cows milk ice cream" (our five year old's description of dairy), butter and homemade whipped cream. These would not work for our son with a milk allergy, however, with a few adaptations I soon had an allergy friendly version, that did not disappoint anyone in our family. This recipe also includes coconut milk whipped cream, which can be used many times over, for various desserts. It is light, refreshing, and all things summer! I hope you all enjoy it as well!

Ingredients:
Graham cracker crust:

• 12 Graham crackers, finely crushed
•  3 Tbsp vegan butter (I used earth balance buttery sticks)
• 3 Tbsp sugar

Filling:

• 2 C strawberries, diced
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1/3 C fresh lemon juice
• 2 C dairy free ice cream (I used 'So Delicious Vanilla Bean- Coconut milk ice cream')

In a food processor or blender, crush the graham crackers until they are a fine, even consistency. Add the sugar and then the melted butter. Press into a pie pan, and chill for 30 minutes.
To prepare the filling, combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice, in a small saucepan. Cook on the stove top for approximately 15 minutes, until the strawberries are very soft and all ingredients are well combined. Strain the mixture and discard (or save and use in a smoothie) the remaining pieces of strawberries. Chill the strained juice in the refrigerator, until cooled.
Once the strawberry mixture has cooled, add the softened ice cream to it. A whisk is helpful to combine the two together. Pour the filling into the crust, and freeze for 6 hours.
Serve as is, or top with coconut milk whipped cream. (See recipe below)


Coconut Milk Whipped Cream:

• 1 can chilled, full fat, coconut milk 
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar (more or less per your taste preferences)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Chill the can of full-fat coconut milk for 24 hours in refrigerator. This chilling time is necessary because it allows the solidified fat to rise to the top, and separate from the watery liquid.Scoop the thickened coconut cream off the top, and place into a mixer, with the whisk attachment. Do not add the liquid that remains in the can.
Whip the cream on high, for 3-5 minutes until it becomes firm. Add the sugar and vanilla and whip until combined. Use this to top the strawberry lemonade pie, fresh berries, or eat it straight from the bowl!!

Out of the three meals, I've found breakfast to be the trickiest for our dairy, egg and peanut allergy child. With traditional pancakes, waffles and omelets all off the menu, eating out for breakfast pretty much never happens. However, when at home, I'm always looking for ways to reinvent the classics.

This Sunday, Father's Day, I woke up and realized I had nothing planned for breakfast. With a child's serving of cheerios left in the box, a cereal and milk morning was out. My best friend from Pennsylvania had also spent the night, so combined with Father's day, I felt compelled to go beyond toast with sun butter. Maybe it was my Lancaster county heritage calling to me, but I decided to go with Baked Oatmeal. This is one of my favorite breakfast foods and after trying several recipes, I've created my go-to adaptation for our food allergy child. On this particular day, I topped the oat mixture with fresh peaches and extra brown sugar and nary a belly was hungry afterwards!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

• 3 C rolled oats
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 C almond milk (or milk of your choice)
• 2/3 C applesauce
• 1/2 C melted butter substitute- I use Earth Balance Vegan buttery sticks
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• Fresh fruit (optional)

My husband and I have a long standing hobby of dining out. There is nothing else we'd rather do on a weekend or night out, than devour deliciousness that has been prepared by others. However, our hobby has come to a major slow down since the discovery of our son's food allergies. We've only recently gotten into a good routine for dining out and I thought I would share what I find to be most helpful when eating out with food allergies. 

1. Do the homework
 If we are planning on a lunch or dinner out, I spend some time in the morning picking the location. I read the online menus and seek out ingredient lists. If the restaurant website doesn't have the ingredients listed, I will most likely choose a different one or call to find out what the ingredients are. It may seem time consuming, but it sure beats asking while you're there because oftentimes servers are too busy for accurate answers.

2. Eat and Repeat
If you find a great restaurant that offers safe foods for your child, stick with it. I've found that the more familiar a restaurant becomes with you, the happier they are to accommodate you and/or your little one. We found a great local restaurant, whose chef so graciously creates chicken tenders, sans milk and egg, for our son. That is customer service at it's finest and a huge blessing to us to have a trusted spot to eat. And of course Micah gobbles it up!

3. Pack Ahead
Regardless of the pre-dining leg work, I always pack a backup meal. Yes, this is the biggest headache of dining out. I mean, obviously the whole point of the excursion is to not cook! However, with food allergies I can't be too careful, so pack ahead, I must. I pick a food that I know our son will love and I try to make it something that still feels special to him to be eating. For our son those choices could be a hot dog, a chicken quesadilla, or a quick homemade pizza. His biggest indulgence in a restaurant are the french fries, so as long as those are on the menu, combined with whatever I packed, he will be good to go. I often end up with wasted food this way, but I can enjoy the entire experience much more if I know he has something guaranteed to eat.

4. Think Outside of the Box
There are a few questions that I wouldn't have initially thought to ask when ordering. However, through trial and error I've found some key areas that could be overlooked. Mind you, our son's allergies are milk, egg and peanut, so your questions will vary based on the allergies. My questions include things like; Do you butter the hamburger rolls, are the fries seasoned with anything, do the chef's wear gloves that should be changed and I always inform the server of the allergies, so they can make the necessary modifications.

5. Be Prepared for Mistakes
Realistically I know that restaurants cook and bake all day long with ingredients our son is allergic to. If I'm not comfortable with that fact, than I shouldn't be taking him there. I don't expect a restaurant to cater to us (although major customer service points when they do!) and I'm always prepared for a mistake. We always have his epipen and benadryl on hand and make the best choices beforehand to avoid their usage.

6. Consider the food around you
Even though our son may have a safe meal in front of him, I always have to remind myself to wipe my own mouth and hands before I come into contact with him. I let my guard down last week and ordered myself an egg souffle, only to have Micah breaking out in hives 15 minutes after we were home. I had forgotten to wipe my mouth and although he of course didn't eat it, he was still exposed from contact. (Allergy Mom fail for the month!) So from now on I'm reminding myself to carry wipes and wash my hands and request the same for those eating with us.

Wow, that's a lot more writing than I had anticipated, but most of these don't require much time once you're used to it. I think the biggest hurdle I've had to get over, is feeling guilty over asking these questions. I hate to inconvenience people but I've come to terms with the fact that restaurants are there to serve and many love the opportunity to go above and beyond their normal customer service, when given the chance! and if they don't, no sweat, there are many other places to try!

I'd love to hear about your own experiences. What have you learned about dining out with food allergies or any other dietary restrictions? Do you love it, hate it, avoid it? Please share!

Long time no see! Lately we've been hitting repeat on most of Micah's meals, which makes for a boring blog. Like most toddlers, his palate is refined to love fish sticks and pasta. I did feel it was time however, to post a new allergy friendly dinner idea. So here goes!
The meal is cilantro lime chicken with quinoa, in a tortilla, with fresh tomato salsa. The chicken and quinoa may seem a bit redudant, as they are both proteins, however it's great for kiddos that don't have a great love for meat (like mine) so they are able to get the protein from the quinoa instead. The chicken and quinoa are cooked in a slow cooker, and the salsa can be made in advance, making it a fast, easy meal. It's one of our favorite meals and it offers a nice change of menu in January, when I'm looking forward to warmer weather and lighter meals! It also pays homage to our stay in Trinidad, where cilantro is a key ingredient and topping. Ok, I am definitely thinking summer or somewhere tropical... but until then I'll just keep the cilantro and lime on standby!

Cilantro Lime Chicken and Quinoa

• 4 boneless chicken thighs
• One lime
• A 'bunch' of fresh cilantro
• 2 C chicken stock (split into two parts of 1/2 C and 1 1/2 C)
• 1 C quinoa
• Salt and pepper to taste

In the slow cooker, place the chicken thighs. Add chopped cilantro. ( I added about 1/2 C loosely chopped)
Also, add 1/2 C chicken stock and the juice of one lime. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
During the last hour of cooking, add 1 C quinoa and the remaining 1 1/2 C chicken stock. My overall cooking time was approx six hours on low. Five hours for the chicken and the last hour for the chicken with quinoa added. Timing will vary depending on your slow cooker.


Cilantro Lime Salsa

• 1 small carton of grape tomatoes
• Cilantro (approximately 1/2 C, depends on your taste)
• 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
• 1 Lime
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, add 1 tbsp olive oil. When hot, add onions and whole grape tomatoes. Stir onions and tomatoes in the skillet until the onions are sauteed and the tomatoes are heated through. Place the cooked onions and tomatoes in a bowl and lightly smash the tomatoes. Add cilantro, juice of one lime, salt and pepper to the bowl and mix.

Serve the chicken topped with salsa in your choice of tortilla wraps and enjoy!

This meal is dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut, and soy free.