Dairy Free For Baby

I've been dairy free for about 2 months now. 

When Asher turned 4 months he had a bad eczema flare up. He was miserable. Scratching his scalp & face. We would keep socks on his hands but he would slide them off. It was very sad to see my baby like that. He also would cry from gas pains. Our Dr. told me to cut out dairy. Breastfeeding is very important to me & I was prepared to change my diet to contine. So, I stopped eating dairy & his eczema is easier to manage. I don't like milk. But I really like cheese & creamy pasta sauces. Also, there is hidden dairy in so many foods. I will have to do a whole separate post to better explain his skin challenges.

For now I thought I would start sharing some of my favorite things to eat! I have found some yummy foods since going dairy free. There are so many options out there. I've also lost 8 pounds just from cutting out dairy! 

First up is a breakfast option- Breakfast Pita! 

I cooked sausage links in a skillet with a little coconut oil. Then I added eggs, diced red onion & 1 diced shallot. I last minute decided to sprinkle about a tablespoon of nutritional yeast in the mix. Then put the mixture in Oroweat Pocket Thins. Some fresh, sliced avocado would taste amazing on this.

Brownies! (adapted from Real Mom Kitchen)

1 box Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake (dairy free!)
1 small box instant vanilla pudding (3.4oz)
1/4 C. water
3/4 C. coconut oil
2 eggs
1/2 C. chopped Sweet Chocolate Dream bar (Dairy Free from Kroger)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Spread the dough in a greased 9x13 pan.
4. Bake for about 25 min. or until done in the center.

These were a big hit in our house! 

This Chicken Wrap made a yummy lunch!

1. Warm up a tortilla in a skillet. I used LaTortilla gluten free. 
2. Spread homemade guacamole on tortilla, add spinach leaves, seasoned roasted chicken & hot sauce.
3. Roll up & eat!

Avocado has become my replacement for cheese in a lot of my favorite meals, yum :)

I hope I can help some of you Mama's that are having to go dairy free for your baby. At first I felt a little sad about having to restrict myself. It also bothered me that I was chowing down on cheese & not realizing that it was hurting my baby boy. 

I'll continue to post about my Dairy Free finds! 

Meal Plan

Feels so good to be over morning sickness! I like to plan out our menus and do the grocery shopping myself. I'm back to normal now but having pregnancy cravings here and there.

 Like smoothies! I got a Ninja Blender for Christmas and I've been making smoothies almost daily. It's a great way for me to eat my fruit & yogurt. Also gives me some energy in the afternoon! 

 We always buy Nathan's Hot dogs and these buns are the best! 

 Trying out this stuffed chicken recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up! Link down below. Looks so good.

Our Meal Plan

1. Hot dogs with fries.
2. Thai Tom Kha Soup...excited for this new recipe! My sister Jaley found me some lemongrass. 
3. Smokey Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Asparagus Rice Pilaf. (one of my favorite rice recipes!)
4. Cheeseburger Flat bread Melts

Breakfast- waffles, biscuits, sausage gravy

Lunch- turkey sandwiches, PBJ's or leftovers

Snacks- fruit, smoothies. Love Paula Deen's Pina Colada Smoothie recipe! I use soy coconut milk instead of canned. Makes it healthier I think.

What are you cooking this week? 

Princess Cupcakes

One of the things Violet put on her Summer "bucket list" was to decorate cupcakes. So, we got to it yesterday! We used a Disney Princess baking kit that came with mini cupcake wrappers & sparkly sprinkles. It was given to her at Christmas but I forgot about it. Think it was from Walgreen's. The cake was fancied up Funfetti from the box. I followed the directions but added an extra egg, used milk instead of water & butter in place of oil. The frosting was Pink Vanilla Funfetti. We had a fun time baking together. She loves cooking and princess stuff!

Violet's cupcakes were scrumptious! 

Chicken Marsala with Crispy Roast Potatoes

I love Olive Garden's Chicken Marsala with potatoes & peppers! But at 16 dollars a plate I'd rather make it at home. I recently made this version & it was delicious. Wish I had remembered to add bell pepper. Maybe next time. We really felt like we were eating at a restaurant!

Click over to Taste of Home for the recipe! I pounded my chicken breast flat before seasoning. Cut down the oil to 2 T., used less chicken and cheese. Making the calorie count 330 a serving. You can eat good food & still lose weight! (Lost another pound this morning btw!)

You can find the delicious potato recipe over at Serious Eats. These were the best oven roasted potatoes I've ever had! Crisp around the edges & full of flavor. I made mine with 4 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes & 2 T. melted Crisco instead of 1/4cup of duck fat. Making 1 serving 170 calories.

What is your favorite dish from Olive Garden? Have you tried to make it at home?

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Last week I was craving pizza but I did not want to get take away! Too many slices and too many calories. So, I made a bbq chicken pizza using what sounded good. I cut it to make 8 large slices at 248 calories a slice. It was delicious and very filling! 1.5 slices and a salad makes a great lunch.

Healthy BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 box of Jiffy pizza crust mix (follow box directions)
1 package of John Soules fully cooked grilled chicken strips
Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella & parmesan blend
1 cup shredded monterey jack
1/4 cup sliced red onions
1 tsp. olive oil

First prepare your pizza crust.
Then saute the red onions in the olive oil on medium high heat. Then add the chicken and cook for a few more minutes.
Pre-bake your crust for a few minutes. Then spread 4 T. of BBQ sauce on the crust. Then add cheese, chicken & onions. Sprinkle a few more tablespoons of sauce on top. Then bake for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. I added some sea salt & pepper before serving.

Hope you try it sometime!

My Meal Plan

We still have one dinner left from last week to make, the Chicken Marsala with crispy potatoes. Feels good to be prepared & ready to grocery shop before the pantry is empty. This week I've planned 6 dinners. I usually eat leftovers for lunch or make something simple that I have on hand. The kids usually eat a PBJ or corn dog with fruit and chips.

Dinners-

Slow cooker Salsa Chicken with rice

Chicken & Dumplings. I made this recipe today for my mom since she has a cold. I had one taste before I dropped it off, very good!

Chicken Sausage Hot Dogs, baked beans and kettle chips

Parmesan Tilapia with angel hair pasta & green beans. My sister made this last week and it looks nice and cheesy :)

Turkey Sausage with cheese ravioli and alfredo sauce with salad. One of the easiest go-to meals ever! Just brown up turkey sausage then cook frozen cheese ravioli and mix with a jar of alfredo sauce.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Trying out these Cheesy Quinoa Cakes for lunch one day. Found on pinterest.

This weekend Violet & I will be making peanut butter eggs. Should be similar to Reece's!

Also, making French Toast & Bacon this weekend. Violet & Zander love french toast.

Thank you Organized Junkie for hosting! Lots of meal plans over there :)

Meal Plan for this week

Yes, meal plan is done! That always makes me happy. I'm such a mom :) I've been grocery shopping in the middle of the week lately. Beats the crowds that go on the weekend.


Dinners will be-

Chicken Marsala with crispy potatoes. I'm hoping this will taste similar to Olive Garden's.

Lettuce Wraps with ground turkey

French Dip Sandwiches with baked potato wedges

Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork with rice

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll Ups with Garlic Parmesan Edamame

I'm also making a batch of sausage breakfast burritos. And making Avalanche Bars with Violet this weekend. We have been baking together consistently on weekends. She loves it!
This is making me hungry. I need to go to bed. I've tracked my calories with My Fitness Pal for the past 22 days. I've lost a couple pounds. I really believe you can eat good food, workout & lose weight. I'm sure I would lose more if I did harder & longer workouts. But that is hard to do with 2 little ones at home with me. I'll get there if I stay consistent :)

Have a good night blog world!

(all the photos above belong to the recipe owners)

Dynamite Shrimp

My sister Jordan & her husband gave my family an adorable gift basket for Christmas. Inside was lots of home baked goodies and a jar of her Dynamite Sauce. She was inspired by the Dynamite Shrimp from Applebee's which is delicious! And Yes, she designed her own label. Too cute.
Jordan also has a blog with more info on her Dynamite sauce. I served the shrimp on a bed of fresh & crisp coleslaw with a side of Caramelized Pan Potatoes. My new recipe!

Caramelized Pan Potatoes

I made up this recipe as I went tonight and it turned out amazing! I love potatoes. When I was in high school I made something similar to this with canned whole potatoes. That will work but will not taste as good.

Caramelized Pan Potatoes

3 medium sized potatoes, peeled & sliced into circles
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
3tsp. sugar
1/4 cup. diced white onion
1 tsp. kosher salt
a few dashes of pepper

1.Turn a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Warm up olive oil. Add onions & sugar. Cook until they start turning brown.

2. Add in the garlic and cook until lightly browned. Then lay the potato slices on top of it all. Sprinkle on salt/pepper and cover and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Then stir and remove lid and cook until all the potatoes are lightly crisped & caramelized.

These potatoes were so good & quick to make. I can't wait to make them again!

New Dinner Recipe-Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry

Last week I came across this recipe on food.com. I had boneless pork chops that needed to be cooked and this recipe had a short list of ingredients that I had on hand. Love when life works out like that. For even faster food prep try using already minced garlic and ginger. I found the jarred ginger at HEB. Don't you love the smell of ginger? I do! My husband and daughter said they would like to eat this for dinner again.

~Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry~

2/3 cup soy sauce. I will use low sodium next time.
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes-optional. my 4 year old thought it was a little spicy.
1 pound of boneless pork cut into thin strips
1.5 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup minced onion
1 T. olive oil

optional- make a pot of rice

1. In a large bowl whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar & 1 T. cornstarch.
2. Add ginger, garlic & red pepper to the sauce.
3. Put pork in the sauce & marinate for 15 minutes.
4. Turn skillet on medium high heat. Add olive oil and then saute onions and broccoli. I added a splash of water to help soften the broccoli. Cook until onions are soft. Remove broccoli & onions and set aside.
5. Now cook the pork. Once the pork is browned. Add the rest of sauce and bring to a boil. Let cook until the sauce has thickened. At least one minute. Then combine the broccoli with pork.
Enjoy over rice.

New Dinner Recipe

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells found via Pinterest. The recipe is by Joelen from What's Cooking Chicago.

The main ingredients are chicken, cream cheese and parmesan. So, knew my family would love this one! These pasta shells were very rich and flavorful. I served the pasta shells with green beans and a side salad.

~Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells~

original Joelen recipe

12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

I sprinkled buttered parmesan bread crumbs on top prior to baking as suggested. Yum!

In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

This is a freezer friendly recipe. I'm already scoping out my next recipe to try from Joelen!

My Grandma's Creole Pork Chops

My Grandma used to make these pork chops back in the day when we would visit her and my Grandpa. I've changed it up a little since my hubby doesn't like stewed tomatoes and used crushed tomatoes instead. These pork chops taste the best over rice since it makes a lot of yummy sauce!

~Creole Pork Chops~

Regular bone in thin cut pork chops
green bell pepper rings
whole round onion slices
2 14oz. Can stewed tomatoes or 28oz. canned crushed tomatoes
Creole Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Mustard
Flour

Season up the pork chops.

Dip pork chops in mustard water(1 tbsp mustard to 1C water) and coat with flour

Just brown pork chops on both sides using as little oil as possible and remove from pan

Using same oil toss in the onion and brown slightly

Next toss in bell pepper rings, continue to saute for a couple of minutes.

You should have a layer of onion & pepper

Return chops to pan on top of onions and peppers forming layer

Pour stewed/crushed tomatoes on top and spread

Add enough water to leave top of chops exposed

Cover and simmer about 20 minutes turning chops over in 10 minutes

Meal Plan for September 19-25

Running a little behind this week. Matt was off work on monday so we went to eat at Chili's. Then I made curry on tuesday that I never got around to making last week. I do most of my shopping at HEB. I noticed this morning they were not making their fresh tortillas yet. I hunted down an employee to ask when they would start. Ha! They really are the best tortillas. She said the tortilla machine broke over the weekend. So, I had to buy prepackaged tortillas. Sadness!

Anyway. Here's my plan for the week!

1.Turkey Soft Tacos with chips n salsa ~my recipe

2.Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts with a simple salad. (pic from kevinandamanda)

3.Caramelized Honey Dijon Chicken, Pasta Salad & PW's Rosemary Rolls (mom made these rolls recently and they are absolutely wonderful)

4. My Mom's Chinese Chicken Salad

Lunches will be sandwiches, leftovers or this soup.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup- Panera Style for lunches. (pic from myblessedlife)

Goodie for the week- No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

Linking up to Organized Junkie!

Dried Strawberries

Simple & yummy for a snack or eat on a salad like I did!

1. Rinse Strawberries.

2. Slice them up.

3.Heat oven to 210 degrees. Spread out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt & pepper. Dry in oven for 3 hours. Some of my strawberries stuck to the foil. Might use some cooking spray next time.

4. Sprinkle on salad! My salad has pesto jack cheese, cucumbers & pumpkin seeds on it.

(original recipe can be found here)

Meal Plan for September 5-11

(my version of Zuppa Toscana)

Were doing a mix of old and new recipes this week. I planned out 5 meals. We usually wind up eating with family for at least one dinner.

Hawaiian Haystacks~rice, chicken gravy, cheese, olives, tomatoes, ect. Looks fun to make!

Spicy Honey Chicken, Chinese Cabbage Salad and rolls.~family favorite.

Smoked Sausage, Red Potatoes cooked with green beans & bacon. Side salad.~my grandma used to cook us these potatoes all the time but with fresh green beans from Mr. Peepaw's garden.

Zuppa Toscana Soup with bread sticks.~family favorite.

Pan Fried Chicken over Penne with Alfredo sauce & bread sticks.~my sister Justine introduced me to this way of cooking juicy chicken. I think it will taste great on pasta!

Lunches will be leftovers, cheese quesadillas, or Heather's Quinoa.

Breakfast~Homemade breakfast burritos with cheese, sausage & eggs.

Snacks-chips & Julio's salsa, bananas, kiwi & No Bake Energy Bites.

What are you cooking up this week?
For more meal planning inspiration check out The Organized Junkie!

No Bake Energy Bites

This was our 'fun food' to make for the week! My little girl loves to be in the kitchen. So, we usually bake together at least once a week. Today we made these little goodies from Smashed Peas & Carrots' blog. I used crushed up graham crackers instead of ground flax seed. I'm sure that zapped some of the energy from them. :)
Good recipe to do with preschoolers since there is nothing to heat up. Would make again! I ate 2 and washed them down with raspberry tea!

Navajo Tacos

Navajo Tacos

These tacos were very filling and delish! All you do is make fry bread and then load it up with taco toppings. I used this recipe for the Fry Bread.

Fry Bread~
2 cups all-purpose flour
1T. baking powder
1tsp. salt
1 cup milk
and oil for frying

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Then stir in the milk. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes. Then break the dough into 4 balls. Roll out and flatten. Then fry until golden!

I made taco meat with a packet of taco seasoning. Then added all the usual taco toppings. I'm sure I will make these tacos again!

Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken & Rice

My husband really likes pineapple. Simple Pineapple Chicken is one of our favorites. I usually make it in the slow cooker. Our old version is good and all but this new recipe I found from Jamie Cooks it Up is GOURMAZING! Ha, my sister Justine and I like to see how many times we can use the word GOURMAZING in our day to day life. My 4 year old now describes her food as DELISH or GOURMAZING!

I know I will make this many more times.

Serve over Coconut Rice!

Make Baby Food! Chicken, Rice & Peaches

Chicken, Rice & Peaches for Baby~recipe adapted from wholesomebabyfood.

You will need-

ice cube tray
1/4 cup white or brown rice
1/2 cup cooked boneless chicken-diced
1 ripe peach, take the skin off
1 T. apple prune juice
1 T. water

Save some of the chicken broth that you used to boil the chicken to thin out the puree if needed.

Throw it all in a bowl. Mix on HIGH with a hand held blender. (I love this blender and have used it many times!) Puree until you get a consistency suitable for your baby. Baby Zander only has 2 teeth so I made it a soup like texture.

Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Then divide 3-4 cubes into baggies. Store in freezer. I grab a baggie every morning to thaw out in the fridge. It's ready to warm up at dinner time. Usually takes about 20 seconds.

Easy peasy and saves money!

Weekly Meal Plan for July 11-17

Slow Cooker Chicken Tostadas with Mexican Rice.

Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken over Pasta with Garlic Bread. *family fav*

Pineapple Pork Chops with Sesame Noodles. (rolling over from last week)

Ground Turkey Mushroom Soft Tacos with baked fries.

Chicken Cordon Blue, mashed potatoes and salad.

breakfast- granola bars or waffles.

lunch- chicken tenders or BLT's

I'm linking up with the Organized Junkie!