Dairy Free Living

Last week, we started noticing blood in Norah's diapers...scary. However, I had heard that this can happen with infants and many times it means that they have a milk allergy. Luckily, N had her one month doctor appointment on Friday. They tested a couple of her diapers. Sure enough, her little body cannot break down the cow's milk in my diet. 

At first, I thought it wasn't going to be that big of a deal. I don't drink milk and I can cut out the occasional bowls of cereal I have for breakfast. Wrong. Her pediatrician suggested that I cut out the big three diary foods -- milk, cheese, and yogurt. After leaving the doctor in a somewhat sour mood, Kurt and I started talking about all of the things I can't eat now. Holy crap...I really didn't realize HOW MUCH dairy I eat until I started thinking about needing to take it out. 

My sour mood turned bitter and then I just became pissed. How in the world was I going to be able to do this?!? I've never been a good dieter. When I say I'm not going to eat certain things, I crave them even more. I pretty much told myself that this wasn't going to work and that we'd end up putting Norah on the special formula anyway. 

While I won't mind having to give her the formula if that's ultimately best for her, I've now decided I'm really going to give this a go. Not only do I want her feeling better {she's been gassy and quite unhappy the last week or so}, I realized that this could be an opportunity to think about what I'm putting in my body while trying to eat healthier. Fingers crossed, I'll loose weight too! ;) 

I know I'm not the only mom out there struggling with hearing that they are going to have to eliminate all diary from their diets. Reading the ingredient list on pretty much everything at the store makes grocery trips really fun especially when you have an infant to feed often {cue sarcasm}! {Who knew all the different code names for dairy in things?!?} So while this is all really new to me, I've decided I'm going to try to blog about this whole experience, write down what has been good and not, document delicious food, and potentially help another mom out there struggling to find ways to eat dairy free, while making her baby feel better! 

{P.S.- This whole thing seems much better when you have a supportive husband who is cutting out dairy from his diet and being so incredibly helpful finding foods and recipes! :) }

Foods I've {so far} Found That Are Good Substitutes:

*Almond Milk - So far, we've tried the Silk brand, original and vanilla flavor. The original flavor with cereal is delicious. Vanilla, not so much. I think we'll stick to the original. {Bonus, it's less calories than the vanilla!}

*SO Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer - Yum. I tried the almond milk in my morning coffee and it wasn't great. This creamer {at least the french vanilla} is delicious. 

*SO Delicious Coconut Milk ice cream - Pretty good. Definitely a good treat to have around when I'm craving ice cream. Of course, the real stuff is much better. But, I'm thankful for having this around when I'm craving a frozen treat. 

*Whole Foods Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies - Delicious! They are kinda expensive, but really I would NEVER know they aren't the real deal.

*Smart Balance Light {Extra Virgin Olive Oil} - I'm picky about my butter. While this isn't technically butter, it tastes delicious. 

*Starbucks Soy Hazelnut Latte {instead of my skinny vanilla} is a pretty good alternative. 

Things I've learned so far:

*Know all of the different ways diary can be listed in ingredients. I found this to be helpful, especially the "Know What To Avoid" section. I often look at the bottom of the ingredients to where it says, "CONTAINS." If milk or dairy is listed there, I don't even look through the ingredients. If nothing is listed, I quickly read through the list to double check. 

*Don't assume that because a product is labeled "Dairy Free" that there aren't some kind of milk product in it. Very frustrating, I know. I found something {I forget what now} at the store yesterday that was labeled dairy free, but had milk listed under the CONTAINS section on the label. 

*Look for foods that are vegan. You know you'll be safe eating these because a vegan diet does not have any diary. Even though I'm not going completely vegan, I have bought quite a few vegan products {I'll let you know how they are} and have found a bunch of vegan recipes that I'm going to try {I'll probably add meat to them.

*Use the internet. I've found a ton of information, helpful tips, and easy recipes online. I've searched Pinterest and the Whole Foods website. 

*Buy lots of fruits and veggies. Yum! 

What I'm been eating/tired so far:

*English muffins with peanut butter
*Salad
*Homemade tuna salad 
*Homemade egg salad/hardboiled eggs  
*Last night for dinner I made delicious white chicken chili and this dairy free cornbread {I used almond milk instead of soy}. 
*Chips and guac {spicy kind from Fresh Market}
*Veggie Straws
*Baked Lays (original)
*365 (Whole Foods) Sourdough Bread 

One thing that's going to be really tricky for me is not having the option of eating out at a lot of restaurants. We are suckers for eating out. I'm going to have to be really careful about what I order when I do go out. Realistically, we probably will be cooking in way more than we typically do...not really a bad thing! 

Wish me luck! I know I have a lot to learn! If you are reading because you are on a similar journey, good luck! Any helpful tips are greatly appreciated! Hopefully I'll have time to keep updating with tips, recipes, and foods I've found are helpful/delicious! 

thankful

I know I promised to share pictures from last weekend's trip to IU...I haven't forgotten. But, I've decided to take some time away from blogging and enjoy this Thanksgiving week. Today at 3:20, my break will begin!! It's going to be filled with lots of family, friends, food, decorating, shopping, and {hopefully} some relaxing. I promise to be back next week with lots of updates and things to share.

Remember to stop and think about all the things you're thankful for. Take some time and enjoy those people, pets, etc. around you that make you happy each day.

Have a {very} happy Thanksgiving!

skinny dipping, frites, and LeBomb James

This weekend was beautiful {minus Friday}! And, we sure had a lot of fun!

Friday after school, Kurt and I went to a couple furniture stores in town that were having 1/2 off sales. We were looking around for some things for the house, but found nothing we liked. We have most everything for the house from our apartment, but we know we'll end up buying some things when we get in. We figured it doesn't hurt to look around...especially when there is such a great sale going on!! :)

After 'shopping' we headed over to our friend's {Lauren and Tom} house. We brought Cooper with us thinking he would love playing with their two doggies. But, they did everything but play together! We drank some beer, ate a little food, and caught up with each other. Too bad it was rainy or we would have been able to sit outside.

Saturday was a very fun day. The weather was beautiful. Josh came over to my parent's house {Kurt and I were dog sitting} to watch the Colts game. My brother, Andy, called and was bored so he and Julia decided to come over to hang out as well. I had to run to Target to pick up a few things, so I brought Julia along for the ride. She's getting so big and her personality is much bigger.....

She brought her purse along with us and carried it around the entire store. On the way, I could hear her talking and had no idea what she was saying. I quickly looked back to find her 'chatting' on her cell phone {Quinn's old one} with her sunglasses on!!! And, while we waited for a prescription to be filled, we looked around at the little girls clothes and the baby stuff.

It's really crazy how much she is like me when I was young. When I was little, I begged and begged my mom to buy me ANY {real} baby things when we'd go shopping. I'd always ask her to look at the car seats, strollers, diapers, clothes, etc. And, I'd always REALLY want them....the fake/pretend baby stuff wasn't good enough for my babies. Well, somehow Julia has picked up this quality, too! We walked through the baby aisles as she said, "This one's for my baby. This one's for MY baby. This one's for my pink baby....." It sure was rough when I had to drag her out of that section.... {ha!}

When we got home, we sat on the porch and started drinking some beer {well, Kurt and Josh had already started}. One of my best friends, Ashley, came from D.C. to visit for the weekend. It was so great to have her here and be able to spend time with her!! I drove her down to our new neighborhood to show her our house. I wish she would have been able to see the inside. Meredith came over, as well. We sat outside and hung out all afternoon while drinking a new favorite beer, Skinny Dip! {No, we did not go skinny dipping this weekend, but the beer sure made me feel good. Maybe better than skinny dipping?!?! I wouldn't know!}

After spending time outside, we decided to go to a restaurant in Broad Ripple called Brugge. Kurt and I had only had drinks there before and were very excited to eat there! It was SO good. One of the best things about dinner {besides the beer} were the l'enorme frites that came with all the 12 {I think} amazing sauces. Ummmmm......

{Everyone who came to dinner}

{Newly engaged and new homeowners!!!}

{Michael and Emily}

{Yoder didn't have a girl friend, so Kurt would have to do!}

{Kurt and I...before we got too full}

{Wish you lived closer! Miss you!}

The next time I go to Brugge, I think I'll be ordering beer {of course!}, frites, and {instead of dinner} the Nutella Crepe. Yoder got one for dessert and it was one of the best things I've tasted in a l.o.n.g. while. I was very upset that I didn't get to eat one as well. Good thing he was generous and shared a few bites with me!!

{Had to get a picture because it was so amazing!}

After dinner, we headed out to spend some more time together. Before we left my parent's house, Josh was asking us if we wanted to take a 'LeBomb James' shot when we went out. Of course, no one knew what that consisted of. He explained that you pour a couple bags of Splenda into your hands before taking a whiskey and something shot {?really the alcohol isn't the important part?}. After you take the shot, you throw the Splenda into the air, just like Lebron James does with chalk before every game!!!! We thought it was a hilarious idea, but Mer, Josh, and Kurt decided it wasn't the best thing to do if they didn't want to get kicked out of the bar....

They took this shot instead, without me I might add :( {Probably for the better!}

The night ended with us all sitting on the porch while listening to Diane Birch and enjoying time spent with friends.

Kurt and I are having a really hard time saving money for this new house we bought! I'm starting to freak out a little bit. I guess life's too short to pass up good times with friends to save money! Maybe we should just start eating less, since we know we probably won't stop buying drinks. {ha} And, no, we don't have drinking issues....just like to have a little fun and drink some good beer.

food & drinks...yes, please!

Indianapolis was a busy place on Saturday afternoon. Many events {which we had never attended} were being held, some more desirable than others! We decided to check out the Italian Fest {instead of the Strawberry Fest, the Gay/Lesbian Pride Parade, or an art fair}. It seemed more like our "cup of tea" since it's focus each year is on eating and drinking! :) {I'm sure all of the other events were fun, too!}

Kurt and I met up with Josh and Meredith early in the afternoon. We decided to head downtown and grab a bite to eat before the fest started. I was very excited that we choose to go to a tapas restaurant I've been eyeing for quite some time. It was a beautiful afternoon to sit outside on the patio, drink some {margaritas}, eat some awesome food, and people watch.

I can't believe Kurt and I had never had tapas before; it was great!

The Italian Fest is free to get into, but you have to buy tickets to buy any food or drinks. We all decided to stock up on tickets knowing we'd want to try some great {Italian} food and have a few beers. We got a drink and walked around to check out all of the offerings. Everything looked and smelled SO great {too bad we just had tapas...none of us were hungry quite yet!} The fest took place in the street and parking lot by a Catholic church. Behind the parking lot was a great park for you to sit and relax or play some bocce ball. Too bad we never got the memo to bring a blanket or chairs with us!!! Kurt and Josh found a man rolling cigars, so they decided to smoke a cigar while we all sat {on the concrete} while we hung out.

Smoking their "petite" cigars.

Shortly after we found our {not so comfy} spot, we felt a few rain drops. That quickly turned into more than a few drops!! We sat under the tiny shelter for 15 minutes or so to see if it would clear. I checked the radar on my phone to find that it was only going to get worse and probably last for awhile. We decided to leave and try to get back to the car before we got too wet. We got back to the car but we definitely didn't stay dry!! :) We headed back to Josh's house, to begin cooking dinner {since we didn't get to eat any of that great Italian food we had hoped for!}

The women "prepping" the kitchen so the men could do the cooking!

Mer and Kurt getting something ready...while I waited for the wine to chill :)

Josh was being the cheerleader...

(He helped out shortly after.)

Isn't this how it should be?!?! Men grilling out while women sit and drink wine!! :)

Although the rain spoiled the Italian Fest, we had ourselves a great little Saturday together!

Oh and by the way, the food was AMAZING that we made! I'm salivating thinking about it right now. Maybe I'll snack on some more of my jell-o {that's almost gone!!!!}

jell-o

I'm sorry...this is SO random. I absolutely L.O.V.E. jell-o, precisely cherry. But, I am quite annoyed right now. I just made a batch of cherry jell-o and it sounds utterly amazing right now. The {HUGE} problem is, is that it takes 4 hours to set!!!!! In 4 hours {hopefully} I'll be asleep, not to mention I'll probably have eaten a billion other things to try and suppress my craving {for jell-o}!!! Put a cold bowl of freshly made cherry jell-o in front of me and I'll eat it all. 

3 hours and 45 minutes..... :(