Scalloped Potatoes and Ham -- Dairy Free

Last week I was making my favorite scalloped potatoes and ham recipe and was struggling what to make my daughter.  She had ham and rice with peas the night before and I couldn't think of what else to make her.

I'm trying really hard to make her meals look like ours when I can, especially for when (I hope) she grows out of the milk allergy.  I don't want her food to look unfamiliar at that point.   So I made scalloped potatoes for her in a separate casserole doing the following recipe.  Hint, I just replaced milk with rice milk.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (Dairy Free)

This is one serving for a toddler that lasted for a couple meals.  Feel free to double!

1 potato

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp dairy-free margarine (I use Smart Balance Light with Omega 3)

1/2 cup rice milk (or enough to cover potatoes)

1/2 cup leftover ham

1.  Dice potato.

2.  Layer potato in casserole dish.

3.  Mix flour, salt and pepper together.  Sprinkle on potatoes.

4.  Pour milk to cover potatoes

5.  Bake covered at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.  Cook longer if potatoes aren't done.

6.  Add ham and serve.

Dairy Free Smoothie

My daughter just loves this.  You can vary the fruits to any combination. This is what we have tried.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1/2 cup soy milk (we use the Very Vanilla)

1/4 cup strawberries

1/2 banana

Mix all together in blender.  Serve for snack or breakfast.  

Silk Soy Milk coupon

Enter the Silk Soy Milk Maui contest here and you will receive a coupon for 55 cents off any Silk Soy milk. Enjoy!

Dairy-Free Tater Tot Hotdish

I made this tonight for my daughter. She seemed to like it. It might take a couple tries before she eats it all up. But it was nice to make her the same thing we were eating.

Dairy-Free Tater Tot Hotdish
1 lb ground beef
1 can green beans
1 small can mushrooms
Tater Tots
White Sauce (see recipe here -- I used regular flour)

1. Brown ground beef. Drain.
2. Meanwhile make white sauce.
3. Mix beef, green beans, mushrooms, and white sauce together in casserole dish.
4. Place tater tots on top.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes or until tots are done

Our Story -- Transition to Table Foods

To view our story to this point, read here. After my daughter was drinking Nutramigen, I introduced baby food. One new food for four days before trying a new one. Why? Because she reacted to every new food she tried. After day three or four she was fine, but the first couple days we had a breakout all over her face. We classified it as eczema, but I really think she was sensitive to new foods. Sometimes I would give her body a break from new foods. It was an interesting challenge. As a food allergy suffer (I'm allergic to raw fruits and vegetables), I was so concerned with everything she ate and really dreaded feeding her table food. We started snack foods from Gerber and I learned the hard way that you have to really read labels. Around 10 months, I accidentally gave her a snack that had cheese in it. She had a mild case of hives. It did confirm she still had the allergy. It's interesting that Gerber actually doesn't make too many things that are milk-free.

We waited until she turned 1 before we tested her with milk products. I gave her pancakes made with milk and egg. She tolerated it well. I was hopeful when we gave her ice cream we would be free. Nope. My husband fed her the ice cream and I held the Benadryl. Yep, she reacted with hives. So, the next step was to see an allergist. The first one we saw was less than helpful. The second gave us a piece of mind. My main concern was that she wouldn't get enough of the fat and calcium she needs. And what if she was allergic to apples and bananas like I am. The second doctor told us that an allergy to raw fruits and vegetables are not life threatening, so I need not worry. He also said that if she drinks the soy milk and eats a balanced diet, she will be fine.

So I began making her meals. Simple meals: meat, vegetable, fruit, grain. I still keep most items separate because the casseroles usually have a milk base. It took a long time to figure out how to keep her food separate from ours while making "essentially" the same thing. But now I think I have it figured out.

I'll post a menu of meals we eat frequently soon!