M.,
My 22 month old is allergic to both dairy and soy. That has eliminated pretty much all premade and convenience foods. We've gone to a mainly "whole food" diet. We eat lots of meats, beans, rice, potatoes, veggies and fruit. The close it is to nature, the less likely there is something in it he can't eat. Basically we eat lots of grilled chicken and I just cut his up really small. I've found it helps to cook enough for 2-3 days and then mix it up a bit. Day 1 is chicken kabobs with onions and peppers. Day 2 is the same chicken but served as fajitas with tortillas and refried beans (most canned refried beans have soy so I buy canned organic pinto beans and then smash them with a potato masher and add a bit of olive oil). Day 3 is the same chicken and onions and peppers but I'll also fry up some smoked sausage to mix with it and give it some extra flavor (there is a Jennie O one that is dairy and soy free). I also make chicken soup quite a bit (chicken broth - most of the canned ones and plenty of bullions have soy but you can find ones that don't if you look, whatever fresh veggies I have on hand - typically onions, mushrooms, celery, carrots and that type of thing, and then a starch - rice or noodles or potatoes or some combo - this can be made really quickly if you keep canned chicken breast on hand but is still pretty quick if you start with a frozen chicken breast - just boil it for a while, fish it out of the broth, cut it up and put it back in). I also make sausage and peppers (cut them up and saute), or sausage, bowtie pasta and cabbage (saute the sausage, then saute cabbage and onions together, cook the pasta, mix it all together, add salt, pepper and dairy free margarine - I use NUCOA - most margarines have dairy in them but Nucoa does not), sometimes I'll also boil potatoes, cut them up and add them also.
My son loves Mrs Ts piergies - the potato and onion ones - you have to look, most of the varieties have cheese in them but this one does not. Boil them until they float and then saute them in a bit of margarine and some diced onions.
You'll notice I use a lot of onions, and I use a lot of herbs and spices. Once you cut out dairy, you cut out a lot of flavor so it helps to experiment with herbs, spices, and that type of thing to add a little more flavor.
My son loves the Near East Rice Pilaf (check the box - most of the varieties have dairy or soy in them but the regular rice pilaf and the "original" flavor rice do not).
He also loves couscous (I usually by the near east brand but all of them I've tried are good). You cook it according to package directions (takes about 5 minutes), use olive oil, lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper for dressing and then add in chopped veggies. I usually use cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, bell peppers or pimentos, basil or mint or cilantro and that type of thing. It can be served warm or cold and is good both ways.
He's kind of tired of it but for a while he was eating lots of black beans and rice (black beans are really, really good for you). I use canned organic beans, boil in the bag rice and then saute onions and/or bell peppers, salt and pepper to taste. It is also good with corn mixed in. I've also done the same type of thing with pasta instead of rice.
My son also loves eggs. Scrambled or boiled. Jimmy Dean makes really good already-cooked, heat and serve breakfast sausage. That is a quick, last minute meal. LOL
He also loves potatoes. Fries, baked, mashed (use chicken broth instead of milk and butter), hashbrowns, diced and fried. Or sweet potatoes - I prefer the ones with the light yellow flesh. Bake them in the microwave and then top with dairy free margarine and salt & pepper. Or you can use dairy free margarine and a little brown sugar. Yummy.
A George Foreman grill can be a huge help. You put a chicken breast on it, forget about it and it is done in about 10 minutes. It also works well to grill veggies, pork chops or steaks.
I also make spaghetti pretty regularly. Check check the sauce to make sure there is no cheese in it. When I make it to Whole Foods, I use organic stuff, when I don't I usually use the Hunts stuff in the can. The tradition and mushroom are dairy and soy free.
When my son was younger he'd each homemade chili but he's kind of sworn off beans here recently.
Most of these items also make great leftovers to send for lunch. I send lunch with my son to the babysitter each day because he simply can't eat what the other kids are eating.
Tyson regular chicken nuggets are dairy and soy free.
Applegate farms also makes a dairy and soy free chicken nugget and I get them at Whole Foods. I prefer these to the Tyson but keep the Tyson ones as a back up for when I run out.
I hope that gives you some ideas. I breastfed my son so I was dairy and soy free for a long time before he started solids so I had lots of practice before I had to try to figure out what to feed him.
If you want more ideas or just some sympathy, my email address is ____@____.com.
Being dairy free (and soy free) is a bit challenging but it is very do-able. You basically have to figure out what you can't eat, then figure out what you can eat and then try to find enough variety to keep from going nuts.
My husband and I both work full time, we have different shifts and different days off. We also have a 5 year old with autism. Pretty much everything I make has to be reasonably easy and have enough leftovers for lunch and hopefully another dinner. I never liked leftovers before but I have to say, I like them way better than I like cooking every day!
:-)T.
