Recipes, tips/tricks, and my fav brands for dairy-free cooking/pre-made foods

I absolutely love making food that people enjoy, but to make a meal that’s dairy-free for my girl, Chloe? Even better!!
When she realized it was ALL dairy that she was allergic to, and not just heavy lactose products, everything changed for her… and everyone around her; including me.
You might wonder why I’m grouping myself in that considering we don’t live together, but her and her family live about 0.7 miles away from us and if you’ve been paying attention to the rest of my site, Chloe and her husband, Landon + their child are our family.
That means they’re over quite a bit and 9.8 times out of 10, I’m cooking us dinner. It’s not just because Landon loves my cooking, but it’s also nice for Chloe to sit down to a meal, that she didn’t have to cook, that she can actually eat.
So, all of that being said, I keep a little inventory of dairy-free ice-cream, butter, cheeses, and we already keep almond milk because our youngest drinks it. Sometimes I’ll snag other items depending on their shelf life/the time of year (We found a dairy free white cheddar powder mix that is super tasty, I keep dairy free chocolate chips around the holidays, etc.), but I have found that if I have her butter and milk, I can tweak most dinners rather easily.

So if you’re someone who has a dairy-free loved one, having those items is not only helpful for you, but means a lot to the person who can rarely eat somewhere besides home.

Cooking without dairy isn’t easy at first and can be very overwhelming once you realize how many things contain dairy. Additionally, buying them pre-made is very expensive compared to “normal” food. I have also found that a lot of dairy-free pre-made items are also gluten-free so they aren’t always very good. (don’t worry, I’ll be adding more and more lists of dairy alternatives as the information comes to me)

Another important thing to consider is which brand you’re choosing as dairy alternatives. I can’t tell you how many Google searches I made trying to find a dairy-free cheese that actually melts after I learned that not all expensive, dairy-free products are the same. I chose the wrong brand of Mexican cheese when making a quesadilla for Chloe and it has truly scarred me for life. I’m not a picky eater, and she has learned not to be anymore, and neither of us could take a second bite. I felt absolutely horrible and embarrassed (remember, I’m a people pleaser so this truly crushed my soul) . Against her pleas for me to “not worry about it”, I ended up making her something different. So please note that all brands are NOT equal.

Fortunately, food companies have come such a long way in terms of having variety and the overall quality of their allergy-friendly foods so making a meal that is tasty for the whole squad is easy when you have the right information!!

So, before we go any further, there is a VERY important detail we need to cover regarding dairy allergies:
LACTOSE-FREE AND DAIRY-FREE ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT because some people are only bothered by lactose while others can’t have dairy at all. So here’s what you need to know:
Lactose-free items still have dairy, but have had the lactose removed.
Dairy-free has zero dairy and are often replaced with plant-based alternatives.
There is a big, big difference and it’s important to cook accordingly.

From what I’ve gathered, a lactose-free diet is more prominent in people with IBS, and similar gut issues, that also follow the FODMAP diet. Whereas a dairy allergy can be standalone.
Symptoms of dairy allergies can sometimes be hard to spot. Chloe already knew she couldn’t have cow’s milk or ice-cream or she’d reap the dreadful consequences, but her reaction to all dairy was kind of invisible. She was completely exhausted all the time. So bad, in fact, that she had an extensive sleep study done, found that she did have a sleeping disorder, but NONE of the medicine helped. Not a single one. Knowing Chloe steered clear from certain dairy items, a client of hers (remember we are hair stylists) recommended looking into dairy-allergy symptoms… she did and she quit that night to test it out. It was wild how quickly she seemed to bounce mostly back. Although she still has her sleep disorder, eliminating dairy improved her quality of life significantly and hopefully means her sleeping disorder treatments can finally stand a chance.

For those that just found out they have to eat dairy-free or have someone they love that can’t have dairy, here is a list of common foods that contain dairy. Some of these will be incredibly obvious (I’ve learned to never assume anything when talking about peoples’ knowledge), but some might surprise you:

• Milk
• Heavy Cream
• Coffee Creamer
• Butter
• ALL cheese
• Most Chocolate (Dark chocolate stands a better chance of being dairy-free)
• Yogurt
• Baked goods (remember, most baked goods contain butter)
• Some hotdogs and deli meat (look out for modified milk ingredients)
• Instant Mashed Potaotes (Idahoan makes a dairy-free option)

Here’s a list of the brands of DAIRY-FREE items I’ve found so far that I love. I intend on updating/adding to this as time goes!
*Remember these are my personal preferences*

“Normal” Ingredient	Dairy-Free Substitute	Reason Why I Love It	Where I Bought It
Milk	Silk’s Sweetened Almond Milk (NOT the Unsweetened)	The unsweetened tasted too much like almonds and I could taste it whatever I cooked. The sweetened, however, tasted completely normal. There is one dish that I make where I can very lightly taste a little sweetness, but in my house of picky boys, none of them cared.	Meijer, Kroger, & Walmart
Heavy Whipping Cream	*Silk’s Heavy Cream Alternative	I couldn’t tell a difference at all. I use it in my Cajun Chicken Alfredo and my boys only knew because my husband saw the carton on the counter (my attempt to hide it failed lol)	Meijer and Kroger’s website says they have it.
Butter	earth balance vegan buttery sticks	It tastes pretty good, honestly. I’m a southerner which means I LOVE butter… this brand didn’t disappoint. Only thing I’d say is I do find myself needing to add more than when using regular butter.	Meijer & Walmart
Shredded Mexican Cheese	Daiya	I used this brand the second time I made Chloe a quesadilla and she said it was MUCH better. The brand I used before was Meijer’s True Goodness. Maybe it’s better when it doesn’t need to melt? I’m not sure, but Daiya melted just like regular cheese.	Meijer
Sliced Cheese (Pepperjack specifically)	True Goodness	I was impressed with the taste of this cheese. I’m sure the spicy flavors helped, but nonetheless, it was good. The texture is a bit weird, but I have found that is the case with most dairy-free cheeses that I’ve personally tried.	True Goodness is a Meijer Brand If that is not a store you shop at, I’m sure Daiya’s sliced cheese is just as good.
	*I used Country Crock’s dairy free alternative and my only complaint was that the sauce wouldn’t thicken. I did not have this problem with Silk. If you run into that problem, add cornstarch to the milk. A google search told me equal parts, but I’d add it gradually… speaking from experience		I’m sure these items can be bought at other places. These establishments only represent where I personally have bought them.

Modified (and regular) Milk Ingredients:

• Butter.
• Casein.
• Caseinates.
• Curds.
• Dry milk solids.
• Lactalbumin.
• Lactalbumin phosphate.
• Lactoglobulin.
• Lactose.
• Milk.
• Milk by-products.
• Nonfat dry milk.
• Whey