Dairy Free Meals

Look at vegetarian/vegan books. Vegetarian books many times offer a vegan alternative/substitute.

www.vegkitchen.com has good recipes.
There's also the books "how it all vegan" and "the garden of vegan"

you can also substitute milk in recipes for soy, rice, or almond(my favorite), or use it with cereal and such.

There's also a magazine you can get at wild oats or whole foods, called "living without"

I have a daugther with egg and dairy allergies, and we're vegetarians, so i too had to learn a whole new 'game'.

I suggest doing a Google search for vegan recipes. Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org) has tons of recipes and articles on how to substitute for and cook without cow's milk. There's a section on www.vegcooking.com called "I can't believe it's vegan" that lists commercial foods that are free of animal ingredients (Ritz crackers--eat 'em with hummus). Also, substituting plain fresh produce for part of your meal guarantees that it will be dairy-free!

Hi C.,
I have dealt with the same situation. I have a three year old daughter who was extremely colicky and fussy as an infant. Around 8 weeks of age we found out that she was allergic to dairy (we gave a supplemental bottle of similac formula and she developed a rash and vomited). This was something I had suspected with her since she was extremely fussy everytime I ate my favorite foods! (cheese, yogurt, milk, ice cream, etc.) Anyways, after many go arounds with the pediatrician we figured it out and then realized she was allergic to soy as well. I took dairy out of my diet completely and after a few weeks she was like a different baby. At 3 yrs of age she can now tolerate dairy but we did have to withold it until about 18 months because anytime we tried she had reactions. I now have a 7 mth old son who was very similar. Extreme colic, back arching, frequent hiccups, restless sleeper etc. Right away I recognized the symptoms and cut out dairy, soy and all tree nuts from my diet. This has been very difficult but it made our life a lot easier! Regarding recipes, I always substitute with rice milk. In fact, I made a roast turkey breast last night, with mashed potatoes. I used chicken broth, rice milk and earth balance tub butter. I also used the rice milk to make gravy. I have developed a real appreciation for olive oil. For instance I make homemade cornbread with rice milk and olive oil instead of butter. If you need fast frozen food, Amy's is a brand that you can find in the natural food section at your local market and they make lots of non-dairy meals. I also developed an appreciation for burritos (homemade or to-go) without sour cream or cheese. We have a lot of guacamole and hummus too. There are lots of soups (minestrone, split pea) and chilis that are dairy free too. Basically there is a lot of label reading involved and it does take some adjusting but eventually you get the hang of it. Unfortunately, the hardest part is that you end up having to cook more, something that can be SO difficult in those early weeks with a newborn and toddler.
Good luck,
T.

Hi C., sorry to hear about the cholic. My son has a rare genetic disorder called Galactosemia. I wont gointo the details but it basically means he can never have dairy ever. It is highly tokic to him, so I understand your challange. If you are still looking for dairy free meals for any age you can go to www.galactosemics.org where there is a ton of recipes. Hope this helps

M.

I assume you are breastfeeding? I had to cut all dairy out of my diet the entire time my dd nursed (33 months). I just replaced all milks with rice milk (stay away from soy, it truly isn't that good for children, and if it's a dairy allergy, soy contains similar protein strings, therefore the allergies are likely the same).

I didn't have to worry so much about cheese or yogurt, as those proteins are broken down far more... than say cows milk.

If the cheese and yogurt are still an issue, they make alternatives for those as well.

I seriously, don't even miss dairy anymore (my dd still has to eat dairy free at 3 years old).

You can try to just leave the cheese out of stuff. If you need a butter substitute, Earth Balance (good for baking/cooking) or Earth Balance Light (good for spreading). A milk substitute is Soy milk or Rice milk. Substituting in your fave recipes is always an easy way to go.

My husband is allergic to dairy and he can eat tons on yummy stuff. chinese, thai, italian, all kinds of meat, sushi, mexican, etc.

there are many products on the market now made from soy. Trader Joes has alot of products for vegetarian and vegans. The taste is very good and most of the time you can not tell that it is made from a soy product. My youngest is allegic to milk and so we had to get use to useing soy or rice milk products. The truth is these products are actually better for you than regular milk.

There are dairy free formulas for your 3 week old. And rice milk and ice cream for your 3 year old. I'm not sure I understand your question? Are you asking about food for both babies? If so the 3 week old should only be drinking formula or breast milk.

If you're talking about meals for the 3 yo, rice milk or soy milk works in recipes just like cow's milk. There are also non-diary cheeses. Some babies are also allergic to soy. My granddaughter was allergic to both. She did outgrow the milk allergy in her toddler years.

As to yummy meals: fruits, vegetable, meats are all dairy free. My grandkids love fruits and vegetables, noodles, rice, and even meat when it's cut up in small pieces.

C., I am a little confused- are you talking about your newborn having colic, or your 3 yr old?
If your newborn, obviously you wouldn't be looking for dairy free meals... If your 3 yr old,..I have never heard of a 3 yr old with colic (though colic is a generic word, and not a specific problem)--
Can you clarify? My 3rd thought is that maybe you meant that the newborn has colic and you are breastfeeding, so the dr. suggested YOU lay off dairy for a while. Is this correct?

Thanks!