SO Delicious!

It really, really is! SO Delicious (aka Turtle Mountain) has all kinds of delicious Dairy free goodies. First, I tried their Coconut Milk Bars as a substitute for Ice Cream sandwiches, these were delicious! The chocolate end did taste a little weird as first but the banana and especially the strawberry was scrumptious!

At first I was shopping at a local store in Portsmouth called Philbricks - I nearly cried when I saw the total - but it was worth it for the research on what various brands offer.

I just bought Chocolate Peanut butter ice cream from SO Delicious. This time the main ingredient is Soy. As you may well know, it's not a favorite of mine.  I can't wrap my fork around tofu and don't enjoy dousing my cereal with the "delicious and creamy soy beverage."

However, because of the cocoa and real peanuts it was rather good. Now, to be fair, I did crumble up a Ghirardelli brownie in the mix, but it was still strong on it's own. FYI: This brand and specific type of brownie mix is dairy free. My sister found this out when she was desperately looking for a treat for the entire family...what a great surprise! The only one of this brand that is dairy-free is the Double Chocolate.

The brownies are super moist and decadent. It only requires oil, water and one egg for the box and uses cocoa instead of milk chocolate - making the okay for me either way.

So far, I really like everything that Turtle Mountain - SO Delicious has to offer in the non-dairy realm.
More to come on their yogurt soon! Yes, yogurt!! :)

"I promise, you're not insane."

A nice comfort from the dietician I met with this morning. Although, she's not exactly on my favorite list after taking away diary again - probably indefinitely at this point. Then again, she was very straight forward about everything, nice, personable and seemed to understand just how frustrating this all is. Give her 10 extra points.

So, I'm back to 100% dairy free. Next on the list an endoscopy with biopsy and/or a colonoscopy with biopsy. We're hoping for the "or" scenario here, not the all of the above situation. I just warmed back up to the life with feta cheese - one of my all time favorites - and now it's gone again. Reminder: This is all far from easy for a self proclaimed comfort eater-foodie. I suppose it will be all better for me in the long run, a lot more fruits and vegetables and a lot less processed foods!

Now, to the next bit of news. The reason for the extra look at my insides is to check for celiacs disease. Apparently, blood tests are not completely accurate when it comes to testing for Celiacs - although it is the test used most often at first because it is the less invasive of the other options. My first test came up negative - as many of my other tests did as well - so we'll see how the next few go. In the meantime, I do know someone quite well that has had Celiacs her whole life and I look forward to help from her if need be. 

On the upside, I just started going to the gym regularly! I am sore, tired and generally slightly more upbeat since the recent jolt of endorphins. I am optimistic that this new healthy habit will contribute to feeling much better. 

Time to get ready for the rest of my day...another appointment, some grocery hunting - this of course refers to new items to scout out in the area and just how much of my take-home pay will go to fund my diet restriction life - and then starting a new project with my cookbooks and recipe files. I think it would be a good time to start marking recipes with a 'D' for Dairy Free and a 'G' for Gluten Free/Optional. Might as well make the transition as easy as possible. I already miss yogurt.

But this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.

[Alice]

Cabot Cheese

Lactose free? I'm not so sure. Either that or I'm actually allergic to more than just lactose. Now I know that my test came back normal but goodness gracious, I just can't handle the dairy. Or a large amount in one day? A week?

Even though my test came back normal the Doc said I probably just have a mild allergy. I don't see how that can be when I'm so sensitive! Another theory correlates with my timeline dealing with Mexico and possibly a little bacteria infection from that trip...who knows.
I can't seem to find anything on Cabot's website about 0g of Lactose per serving...but on their white, extra sharp cheddar that's what it says!

The ingredients list:

• Pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, annatto (if colored) 

...and usually it has some sort of Lactose free, 0g of lactose per serving...nothing!
I'll have to take a picture of the packaging I have so you won't think I'm totally insane, just making stuff up.

So far, adding a little dairy hasn't been so bad. I've put some shredded cheese on my chicken tortilla soup and veggie burritos - been mostly okay. I think it's time to build back up my tolerance, not sure if I'll ever be able to have a tall glass of milk and cookies but I'll deal.

I've added a slice of cheese or two to my sandwich, had some cream in my coffee and unfortunately it hasn't worked out so well. It took forever to get an appointment with a dietician but luckily on Tuesday I have one! Off to have some strawberries, yogurt and granola! No strawberries and cream for this lady.

...this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.

Poked and prodded, Moo goes the cow...

Well something like that.
For now, I'm finished with having blood taken, pictures taken and barium swallowing - awful stuff. Time for the Dr.'s to do their suggesting, head scratching and coffee break taking.

I'm actually quite optimistic about everything. There's nothing to get upset about - I'm actually getting used to non-dairy. After the test came back normal I thought that maybe it was all in my head and I could have a slice of cheese and a mountain size glass of milk if I thought, "dairy loves me." Nope. I actually did take it a little slower than that - except for the glass of milk part...my culinary husband made homemade spaghetti sauce, nothing goes better with spaghetti and meat sauce than a nice tall glass of milk. Seriously, I'm not 14 just allergic to wine.

It was suggested that maybe I see a Nutritionist about getting the proper calcium intake without milk - which according to one of my books is mandatory for women. Not only do you have to take calcium you need several other minerals & vitamins to make it effective. Yeehaw. I see a lot of broccoli in my future.

Either way, we are still in the throws of Lent and it's meatless Friday! Rather, Fiesta Friday! We enjoy vegetarian burritos with all the fixins! Every color peppers sautéed in my famous taco sauce, homemade guacamole, rice with cilantro and lime, beans, corn, green chilis, salsa, you name it we pack it into a burrito - including some lactose free cheddar cheese from Cabot (I am still on the fence about this product and it's actual ability print on their labeling: "Contains 0g of lactose per serving" but we shall see. Off to set the stage for Fiesta Friday, good thing I'm not allergic to margaritas, now that would be cruel.

But this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.

Coconut revisited

Oskri Coconut Bars. What a wonderful, albeit fattening, treat. I was browsing through my local natural food market when I found these: 

I of course checked out their  website and it is filled with all kinds of great products. Take a look and see if you find anything useful to you.


I have tried (and loved) original coconut, mango, cherry and almond. I am looking to try strawberry and looking to avoid pineapple - normally I love pineapple but I couldn't get past the chunks of pineapple in the coconut. Each bar is made up of coconut shavings and rice syrup. Not the most waist trimming product out there, but they are meant for people on a vegan diet usually desperate for a little fat in their diet. It's great for an on-the-go lunch or decadent dessert. Certainly not something you want to eat everyday - obvious fat reasons but also the price is a little steep. But sooo good!


I highly recommend them to my vegan, dairy-free and coconut loving friends.
Wouldn't it be great to combine the almond with chocolate pieces...


But this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.

I've got a lovely bunch of coconut milk...

What a great way to have a chowder like soup - which I am surrounded by up here - without putting back artery clogging, heart stopping cream! Coconut Shrimp and Corn Chowder from Real Simple! Coconut milk is dairy-free, lactose too! I found this recipe in my Real Simple mag a few years ago and after a lot of cataloging I have re-found all of the recipes I collected since 2004...you betcha, sheet protectors, large white three-ring binders, label maker, talk about a lovely saturday afternoon. Judge all you want but I can bet you'd rather come to my house for dinner than head to your neighborhood fat-food-chain. My husband has even noticed that dinner has taken a turn for the better since I started working and since I've been forced to get creative with my diet. So far, everyone's happy! 


This recipe involves little effort (aside from peeling, deveining and defrosting the shrimp) but slightly more pocket change. Coconut milk isn't cheap and neither is the shrimp - but keep an eye on your weekly store flyers and buy shrimp when it goes on sale. Also, there is nothing wrong with frozen shrimp but the best way to go there is raw, shell on. The recipe calls for yukon gold potatoes and I recommend sticking with that specific potato - they are more mild and don't compete with the stronger flavors. A good side dish with this meal is cornbread. We like Jiffy the best and you can substitute water for the milk and a tablespoon of vegetable oil - this makes up for the fat content lost when you ditch milk. *Also, a little secret of mine is to add 1 tbsp. of sugar per box of cornbread, it helps add a little more flavor and make the bread less mealy. It's a great accent to the slightly sweet coconut milk.*


I made this dish for my sister since she has been battling an infant with a sensitive tummy. Soon she'll be set free from her dairy-free sentence but she loved it none the less! You really feel like you're eating something you're not supposed to - and for once it's not  a dairy-free recipe overrun with tomato. Give it a try before it gets too warm outside to warrant soup and sandwich night! 


Of course, we all know that cream tastes better, but if you like thai food this is pretty close to that - without the spice. Let's face it...


But this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.

Normal

Well. My lactose intolerance test came back normal. Normal? What? I have to admit that I was less than thrilled to be a short distance from square one but on the other hand I suppose it's nice to be "normal." 


I still have two more tests and others pending, before more can be concluded on the subject. I suspect it's time to revisit the jotting down my food intake and how I feel thing.  There is no denying that I am sensitive to dairy products, so is it all dairy? Just because I'm not lactose intolerant does not mean that I'm not allergic to milk - or other proteins in milk like casein, which is also found in sandwich meat.  Anyway! I got tired quickly having to write every last food item down, how much, what time, blah blah...so I went on the search for an online database. *cha-ching* www.myfooddiary.com I think I'll go ahead and try the 7 day trial and see how it fits. So far it looks good: over 60,000 foods to choose from, exercise log, reports, etc. I'll decide this weekend if I want to spend $9/month on diet tracking...considering it's the same amount I spend on netflix and that turned out famously all should be a go.


Recently (for obvious reasons) I've been learning to cook without dairy products and find that it usually requires more tomato.  While I'm no stranger to the fruit...it also has a less than desirable effect on my stomach. Acid reflux, sour stomach, common irritations from acidic foods - orange juice, pineapple and sometimes strawberries and applesauce cause the same issues. Also, I've been cooking with more spices and stronger peppers - I love all of this - but it's causing more stomach issues. So am I supposed to drop it all and live on plain chicken, lettuce and crackers? I hope not.


Still, my favorite recipe of late is a Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup I found on www.allrecipes.com. Instantly a favorite: Super easy, delicious soup. I doubled the recipe (expect kept it to one beer) and it fit perfectly in my 7 qt. slow cooker. I hope you try it! 


For dessert I made (Vegan) Chocolate Chip Cookies - by far the best cookies I have ever made. I used the Earth Balance butter and brown sugar (confectioners) which made for a super moist cookie. They aren't Vegan because I used actual eggs instead of an energy (egg) replacer. However, semi-sweet chocolates are not milk-chocolate, don't confuse the two; one has milk and the other doesn't. I am sensitive to chocolate as well but I didn't have a reaction to the morsels. Here is the link to that recipe: Enjoy the recipe, ignore the chefs...


Be back soon. 


But this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.

Butter

So I know I said that yogurt was my favorite, I take it back, Butter is. The real stuff...not the tub junk masquerading as the sweet cream, real stick butter. I wasn't thrilled when most of my books said that I can have margarine, mostly because it is made with oils, but the real problem I have lies with the partially hydrogenated oils. Not a good thing to invest my taste buds in...or my arteries.
What do I do now? I cook, saute and bake with butter rather regularly. I know what you're thinking, "Bacon and eggs at every meal, you just can't do that!" I believe in the age-old phrase of 'everything in moderation.' This includes alcohol, meat, cow's milk, fats and oils and sometimes veggies. Remember the year when nutritionists/scientists told us that yogurt, or some component of yogurt, could cause cancer? I mean all bias aside...seriously? Do they really know? One year it's one thing, next year it will be another; I suppose Prevention Magazine needs to continue to write about something. 
I went on the hunt for an alternative butter that didn't make my cookies soggy or cake taste like cardboard. My parents would push Smart Balance as the answer until the apocalypse, but after many years of a butter-less house, I'm not so eager to continue - that and the only kind that doesn't have milk is some olive-oil concoction - yuck.
Yes, onions taste better after being caramelized in butter but I've moved back to using olive or vegetable oil for saute or browning vegetables and meat. Still, a lot of cake mixes, cookie doughs and general dessert delites call for butter. So I ended up finding Earth Balance:

 

Earth Balance site  - So far I have made scrambled eggs, garlic bread, cake! and toast with the delish alternative and everything worked out just fine. The garlic bread was rather tasty...and I didn't feel quite so guilty and/or bloaty.

However, I did try making some gluten free cookies that my roommate in college used to make that came out awful. Then again, I used the vegan butter and almond milk. I'm pretty sure the almond milk did me in there. I'll have to try again with real cow's milk *gasp* and the vegan butter to even things out when I start reintroducing milk as a component of a baked good (mainly buns, breads, cookies and cakes) Speaking of cake! Hannaford's brand yellow cake mix didn't have any dairy in the box and only required egg, oil and water for baking! Great find.

I think I'll try mexican night without sour cream, meat or cheese. Till then, enjoy your dairy induced life everyone!

But this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.

My love affair with yogurt

I absolutely love yogurt. I've almost had to stop watching Burn Notice for fear of yogurt jealously every time Jeffery Donovan puts back 8 oz. of the manna from heaven.
My mornings ususally consisted of one cup of Hannaford brand Banana Granola, 1/2 - 1 cup of Yoplait Smooth and Creamy Strawberry and usually one whole banana. Pure bliss.
Lactose intolerance = no more yogurt. At least for now, one of the books I've been studying up on: suggests that some conditions can reduce from severe to mild after an elimination diet - the idea here is that your body will heal itself and you can move on to once again enjoy dairy. But, if you still have mild to moderate intolerance, yogurt - although containing dairy - could actually help your circumstance due to the cultures and enzymes present in the yummy goop.
Now enter Soy yogurt!

One it's own the yogurt has a more gelatin consistency at first but once you mix and taste it becomes like regular yogurt. The Vanilla is the safe way to go for the first try - especially if you already drink and like Vanilla flavored soy milk. The yogurt is more tangy and surprisingly didn't leave an after taste.
Dinner tonight, because I just couldn't wait until breakfast, is my 1 cup of Hannaford brand Banana Granola, 1 serving size of Stonyfield Soy: Vanilla and a very large spoon. The stronger Banana flavor in the granola comes through after the first taste of tangy soy. Very enjoyable and I was most certainly be adding it to my grocery list.
Let's face it, it's not as good as the real thing but in a weeks time I won't even notice the difference.

But this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.

Drinking the unknown

Today is just another day into the unknown world of mad cow's milk. Like several other million people I have a dairy intolerance. Here's the difference between me and you...I actually know I have one, the rest of you are suffering in ignorance, smelling up your homes while unable to put down the sesame seed cracker and cheddar cheese square, you are just too addicted to see the signs. I of course diagnosed myself after several months of uncomfortable whatevers (you don't want me to go in detail here) and a few trips to the saw bones. Well okay, I had help from my doctor who made a few suggestions but maybe didn't have the nerve to say, "chubby girl, lay off the animal fat in milk and cheese, enroll in a spinning class and you'll probably feel better." Ah, if only Dane Cook was my primary care physician...

It was clear that the only thing to do was embark on a dairy-free diet for one month, track my diet, my weight, how I'm feeling and learn to be 'OK' with tofu. Then I can take a decent amount of information back to the saw-bones, have an unpleasant allergy test and call it like it is. It was suggested that I try taking lactaid before I eat something with milk, I followed the directions to the letter and it was a disaster. Definitely made things worse - my husband could barely stay in the same room as me, bless his heart...his stinking, non-mad cow heart - he can eat whatever he wants and never gain a pound! Disclaimer: there may be a slight undertone of jealously to the male gender and their ability to eat, walk the dog for 5 minutes and look 'beach-ready' in January. Bums.
Then, for about a month I slowly gave in to Parmesan on my pasta, cheese on my sandwich and then the coup de grace: mac'n'cheese. Aaaand I felt worse and worse. It was finally time to give into my ailment and go whole hog...

So. Here I am in a new world where the streets are not paved with cheese but rather tofu - which quite honestly I haven't had the nerve to dive in to. My love affair with cheese, milk, ice cream, all things bright and beautiful is over. After 24 years of faithful service to the cow, she has turned her back on me and I without any regret do the same and to take a line from one of my favorite movies, 'fart in her general direction.' I'm already in my 2nd week of dairy-free and a wealth of knowledge - granted this all comes from an interior design graduate armed with the internet and a plethora of dairy-free paraphernalia - but I'm hungry for alternatives and have made a few useful discoveries. Drinking my way through un-refridgerated, non-milk products with clever images of flowing liquid...still, vanilla flavored almond milk is turning out to be quite the treat. Eat and learn my friends.
Enjoy the trials, triumphs and what I am sure will be some interesting recipes and product reviews to calm the inner fat kid screaming for milk and cookies, blue-box mac'n'cheese and lots and lots of ice cream.

But this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.

^the perfect last line for my rants and raves taken from my favorite book which I was re-reading for the hundredth time, given to me by my bestest man-friend: "The Princess Bride, S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure. The "Good Parts" Version abridged by William Goldman."

[Alice]