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!

Sucess!

My daughter doesn't like potatoes unless they are in soup. I made these yesterday and two days in a row they have been a hit. You just never know!

Dairy Free Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is a skillet casserole and my daughter just loves it. Enjoy!


Dairy-Free Tuna Noodle Casserole
I found this on www.recipezaar.com, but I tweaked it a little. I half the recipe, because it makes so much!

6 cups cooked pasta (I used spaghetti noodles)
1 (6 oz) can tuna
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
2 Tbsp dairy free margarine (no allergies, use butter or margarine)
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken bouillon (broth would work, too)
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Cook noodles in chicken bouillon. Drain and keep chicken broth set aside.
2. Melt margarine in pot over medium heat.
3. Add flour to melted margarine. Mix well.
4. Add slowly add chicken broth in flour/margarine mixture. Mix well.
5. Add tuna and peas. Bring to boil.
6. Simmer until thickens.
7. Either add noodles or pour over noodles. (I mix it all together for my daughter)

Our Story

I nursed my daughter exclusively until she was 6 months old. My goal with to stop nursing and start formula and solids around 6 months.

At around 5 1/2 months I gave her cereal for the first time. I figured since I was eventually going to transition her to formula that I would mix her cereal with formula. Milk-based formula that is (I didn't even know that most formula is milk-based). I knew better than to try two things at once but you start thinking and over thinking things. And this is what I decided on. The feeding went really well. Most fell out of her mouth and she was making yum sounds as she ate the cereal Daddy was taking pictures. She probably ate about 2 tsp total. Then after about 5 minutes she started rubbing her chin and it turned red. We stopped the feeding and she ballooned up. Her face nearly tripled in size. As an allergy sufferer myself I worried about her throat closing up. About five minutes later after we had stripped her clothes off her and gently wiped her chin I realized that she had hives (something I had suffered with throughout the years, too). I called the doctor who couldn't really tell me what the cause was -- he said it could be the rice or it could be the formula and I wouldn't know until I tested them separately.

I waited over a week to try cereal with her again. No reactions, so I concluded it was a milk allergy. It was almost two weeks until I gave her Nutramigen formula, an expensive milk-free formula. I wasn't even going to gamble with a soy or other lactose free formula. I figured I could always try them later.

That was how I found out my daughter is allergic to milk. I did eat milk and dairy throughout the whole pregnancy and the entire time I was nursing. The first thing I learned about this allergy is that there is no rhyme or reason to it. Well, at least I know I won't be able to figure it out.

About this Blog

Welcome to my new blog!

I am excited to share my experiences with you about our life with our 18-month old toddler who has both a milk and egg allergy. I have learned so much in my journey to feed and protect her from milk and eggs that linger everywhere. I continue to learn and experiment with new recipes often. This blog will share advice, doctor visits, recipes, testing, other's reactions and overall life with a toddler who can't eat milk or eggs.

I must inform that I am lucky that my daughter can tolerate milk and eggs in baked goods, such as pancakes, bread, cookies. We are hopeful she grows out of it soon. One doctor told us that 90 percent of kids outgrow it by 4 or 5 years old. In the meantime, I have lots to share about what we do. I know I'm not alone out there and welcome comments and suggestions.