Milk free - the way to be

So I have found that as long as I am nursing Greyson I can't eat any dairy. That means no dairy AT ALL.
You wouldn't believe how many food items have dairy in them. Well, maybe you would believe it (especially you Mrs. B from Vegan Bees:)) but I sure was surprised.

I was also surprised to find that Oreos do NOT have dairy in them. Neither do Lays Chips or animal crackers. There is one brand of cake mixes and one brand of icing that I can eat.

My fridge currently houses non-dairy "butter" and veggie cheese. That's right "Veggie slices" are sitting in my fridge just waiting to be paired with the non-dairy "butter" for a milk free grilled cheese.

I have also branched out -with help from a friend- to find that I can substitute Rice milk for most recipes that call for cow's milk. The biscuits were actually more soft and fluffy and the mashed potatoes had no idea that I had mixed them with it along with the non-dairy butter.

Jon wanted some milk to drink the other morning and I asked "almond, rice, cow or breast"? He opted for plain ole cow's milk. I guess he's not as into trying new forms of calcium as I am...

And the most important thing is that I also found chocolate chips that are virtually dairy free. Enter Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips. Since I don't cheat on any other dairy I can get away with eating a small pile of these mouth watering chips occasionally without poor Greyson being miserable.

Today I splurged on some dairy-free ice cream- made with coconut milk. It's mint choco-chip and tastes...well, kind of like coconut. It's pretty good once my taste buds knew what to expect. However, for $4.50 per pint I think I'll pass in the future.

I have never been eager to learn vegan cooking or been conscientious of allergens in cooking. But I am catching on.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?