Milk, Yogurt, and Butter- Oh My!

Typical ‘dairy’ items and almost a necessity in the everyday

household.  Here are our top picks.

Milk- We use Silk Almond Original, Silk Almond Vanilla, Silk Soy Original, and Silk Soy Vanilla. We use them all for different reasons:

Almond Original because that is what is most comparable to fat content as traditional cows milk, and what was recommend to us by both the pediatrician and allergist as a substitute for cows milk after age 1.

Almond Vanilla because this Mommy slipped up and grabbed the vanilla once and the threenager, at the time, pleaded with us to buy that kind instead of the ‘regular’ kind… Opps!

We started using soy when our daughter turned 1 after her showing slight sensitivity to almonds. She wouldn’t touch the  Soy Original and seemed to like the Soy Vanilla, so that’s what we stuck with with her.  Again it was the 2nd most comparable to the fat content that is recommend for children after 1 year.  Thankfully she was and still is (26 months anyone?!) a boobie girl.  So she got everything she needed nutrient wise from me and her Soy Vanilla milk was more of a transitional thing.

We use the Soy Original flavor for baking and cooking.  It has less of a taste when adding in than the almond, and this way our whole family could enjoy.

My favorite pick? Silk Vanilla Soymilk.  So good! In fact, when one of our nieces comes over she always asks for some of cousin Harper’s ‘milkshake milk’ and prefers that over juice!


Yogurt, Silk to rescue again!

Just last year the Silk company unveiled their yogurt line.  It is so, so good!  Its soy based, 100% dairy free, and made in a dairy free facility as well (as of 7/2016).  Blueberry and strawberry are our favorites.  Only downside, just like most dairy free items, its not super cheap, but definitely a healthier option so we keep in the house on the regular.  For the amount of Silk products we buy on a weekly basis I should really start to think about investing in this company!


Earth Balance gave us ‘Butter’ options

Finding dairy free butter is actually pretty easy.  Every grocery store I’ve been into the past couple years has had a dairy-free option (read these labels super carefully- see Product Labeling & What’s Safe, What’s Not for an in-depth explanation labels and dairy keywords)

Our go-to for butter is Earth Balance Original Flavor.  This brand has several dairy free options but to me the original has the most butter-like taste.


Have other favorites? Comment below!

Check out our other Favorite Finds.

100% Dairy Free Cheeses (that don’t taste awful)

About a year into Brayden’s dairy allergy I gave up on finding a cheese that tasted even remotely edible.  We tried all the popular brands from our local grocery store chains and were anything but impressed.  I wish I was bluffing when I say they tasted like plastic, but I’m not!

Another year later I was on a mission for our boy to try cheese for the first time; surely there had to be one, right? A 45 min drive to Whole Foods and it was like I had hit the jackpot!

We can finally say CHEESE and mean it!


Earth Balance Vegan Chedder Squarestaste just like the ever so popular kids snack ‘Cheese-It’s’-  The fact that its Non-GMO and Vegan= win, win!

Field Roast Chao Cheese Slices- seriously taste just like mozzarella.  Delicious! Since finding these we have completely quit buying any other ‘cheese’ slices (other than the slices mentioned below).  They melt perfectly and taste good on their own too.

Follow Your Heart cheeses- are a new favorite in our home.  Just recently we moved to a smaller town, so I’ve started doing part of my shopping a local health food store.  Last time I was there, I was so sad to see they didn’t have any of our favorite Chao cheese in-stock.  On a whim, I picked up their Follow your Heart American Cheese Slices and I was so impressed! Again, great cheese flavor and absolutely no yucky taste. Very, very similar taste to the Chao and most defiantly something we will buy again.  A quick google search also shows they have shredded cheeses and block cheeses too, so many possibilities with this brand!

After all the work in finding our dream cheese slices you’d think that would be that right?! Nope, both toddlers completely refuse to eat.  Probably because its not a hotdog or a muffin and that’s all they like to consume these days! Ha!

 


Have any other favorite ‘cheese’ finds? Comment below, would love to hear from you!

Check out my What’s Safe, What’s Not for help shopping dairy free.