Right, meaning my time as an eater of all things non-dairy. My sweet 3 month old Camille Soleil showed early signs of not tolerating dairy proteins. As a nursing mommy I made the choice at about week 2 of her life to cut dairy out of my diet for her health and well being.
But, I think my time as a non-dairy eater is just about up. Lately I have been sneaking a nibble here and a small bite there of things like cheese, butter and even (gasp!) ice cream. Gauging Camille's reactions of not reacting to these bites with things like excessive spitting up, to eczema, I am almost near the point of having a glass of (mmm....) milk. In one of my dreams last night I indulged in a cold glass of the white stuff and it was as satisfying as I remember. My dreams are good for things like that. My time without dairy would have been near impossible and it was difficult for the first several weeks, but I found so many great non-dairy replacements. Here are a few of my favorites.
First on the list; Luna and Larry's Coconut Milk Ice Cream in Chocolate. This discovery alone has converted me to a coconut milk ice cream lova'. The only caveat with this new found love is the price. $6+ for one measly pint! For Christmas I am going to ask Santa for a new whiz table top ice cream maker! One pint is barely enough for 2 sittings.
Second (by a fraction): Double Rainbow's Chocolate Sorbet. Oh man, I just had this today and the decadence of the chocolate with the smooth sorbet mouth feel...YUMMY! Thank you guys from San Fran. Hmm...Double Rainbow?
Third: Coconut milk from the can, Thai style. I started using the canned coconut milk which will separate in the can with the creamy stuff hanging out on top, in my morning Jamba Juice style smoothies. So good! My favorite coco concoction is the coconut milk, a splash of OJ, a banana, unsweetened cocoa powder, a tablespoon of peanut butter, flax oil (for good Omega 3s), soy protein powder and ice cubes. Its pretty fantastic if I do say so myself.
Fourth: Daiya Cheese, the milk free, gluten free, soy free, everything else free-but-tastes-good cheese in both cheddar and mozzarella. I have to thank my good friend Erin Langstraat for this one as her daughters' have a very sensitive system for just about everything. Erin is like a one-woman-food-allergist-resource-guide. She has been such an awesome support and she even picked up my two packages of Daiya cheese when she went to the specialty store that carries it.
Fifth: Vanilla enriched Rice Dream Rice milk. I tried soy milk and let me tell you in so many words it did not agree with me, or with Camille. I tried almond milk and it was okay except for the funny after taste. I even tried coconut milk, made in a milk like container for drinking and that wasn't that great either. Lastly was rice milk and it has been the best. At the end of the day however there is no real substitute for my friend cow's milk. I need the protein and the flavor cannot be mimicked.
Last night's dream feels like a premonition, a glance into the very near future if you will and I do look forward to the day when I can again pour myself a nice tall glass of it. Camille however is my most important priority and I do not want to cause her discomfort so I will continue to have a minimal amount of dairy products and keep checking her progress. Until then I will just have to keep dreaming of my tall glasses of milk.
(BTW: just as I was about to finish this post my tall drink of water hubby came home from work and dished up his nightly bowl of ice cream, we are a hard core dairy family and his small glass of cold milk to wash the ice cream down with. I asked if I could have a drink of his milk, he agreed but wouldn't you know it, it was 3 days past due and I could taste it. YUCK! Nice first drink after several months!)
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