Thank goodness for family and friends!

After posting the other day about going dairy and soy free, I have received so much advice and support from my family and friends.

I have a couple friends who are wheat free and they were able to commiserate with me, but the greatest help came from my sister in law, Nell, and my friend Katy. Nell had milk soy protein allergy(MSPA) with two of her little boys and Katy doesn't drink dairy.

Within hours of posting I had e-mails filled with information about where to find food, how to satisfy a sweet tooth (Oreos are dairy free!), what stores to shop at, how to substitute dairy in baking, what words to look out for on nutrition labels, when to test a new food product in my diet, what to expect with Isla after starting the diet, and a lot more.

THANK YOU!!!

I can't tell you how empowering and anxiety reducing this information is! I am still mourning butter (I think it is my all time favorite food), but things are looking up!

Armed with all my new info Isla and I hit Trader Joe's yesterday and loaded up on dairy free breads and cookies and milk substitutes (I actually need to reign in the junk food or I'll be eating more than I did before starting the diet).

Yesterday I converted a cheesy cornbread pie recipe into a dairy free cornbread pie and it turned out really good. I also made a fresh strawberry pie and a cherry pie (homemade pie crust is dairy free). (See what I mean about cutting back on junk food!)

An added bonus, almond milk comes in chocolate flavor that is almost indistinguishable from chocolate milk (especially when heated with a little cinnamon). Since hot chocolate is my breakfast staple, this will be a great alternative! (An added, added bonus is that it is made by Blue Diamond - Go CA Almond growers!)