Dairy Free

Our pediatrician informed us that she thinks our 2 month old nursing baby may have a dairy allergy, which means Mama and baby are going dairy free. Everyone was in shock by how I would survive without dairy since I've already had to give up gluten, but I have to admit we've eaten healthier, more flavorful meals this week than we have in awhile. Change inspires creativity. In the past few days we have had:

* House fried rice with spicy green beans
* Sauteed Italian chicken and veggies
* Salmon with mango salsa, cilantro rice, and lime broccoli

We even had dessert.
* Cookie MOMsters GFCF Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Milk Chocolate ice cream

Recipes to follow

Cinnamon Rolls

I was so excited to see Cinnamon Rolls on my trip to Cookie MOMsters. While I have a good recipe for gluten free cinnamon rolls, 99% of the time, I am too lazy to make them. That is why out of the 200 times I've craved them in the last couple of years, I have only ever made them twice.

Once I got home, I started to regret my decision to splurge $10 on 6 rolls, knowing that I'd built them up too much in my head. I was going to wait for breakfast today, but finally gave in and had one for dessert last night. Let me tell you, they were DELICIOUS and when I had them again this morning for breakfast....just as delicious. I usually add pecans and raisins to mine, which this one was missing, but the cinnamon cakey flavor was perfect. I thought the mock cream cheese icing would be a let down, as this pregnancy as turned me into a dairy fiend, but I was pleased all the way around.
This is something I would buy again. It's nice to have cinnamon rolls, in the freezer, ready to eat when I want them. Thank you Cookie MOMsters for another enjoyable, GFCF treat!

Fruit Smoothie
* banana, frozen
* strawberries
* pineapple, chopped
* half orange
* Stonyfield Vanilla yogurt
* Tbsp coconut flakes
Toss all ingredients in blender. Blend. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Bakery in Jacksonville, FL

I always read other blogs and feel a great deal of jealousy when people mention visiting their local gluten free bakery, but no more. I am pleased to announce that today I visited Cookie Momsters, a gluten/casein/nut free bakery located on San Jose Blvd right here in Jacksonville, FL. The bakery is small and only open Wed-Sat from 10-4pm. Most of their business is done through special orders and selling bulk cookie dough to Whole Foods, but on hand they have a variety of frozen baked goods to be purchased.
The prices are high, but I didn't expect anything different, after all we all know how expensive gluten free baking is. The quality and convenience of their products were worth the price. The woman running the store was very nice and allowed me to sample a few things before purchasing. I picked up:
* Chex mix (chex, pretzels, and some puffed cheese thing with a soy free soy sauce)
* Half a loaf of bread (8 normal sized slices) $5 and DELICIOUS! It was considerable more than I like to spend on bread, but after getting home and making a sandwich, I would definitely eat less bread in order to be able to afford having really good bread when I want a great sandwich.
* A 6 pack of cinnamon rolls with a mock cream cheese icing $10
* Chocolate chip ice cream sandwich $2.50 (the cookies were soft and extremely tasty, however I was not a fan of the Tempt-Hemp Ice Cream. I would probably buy their cookie dough and make my own ice cream sandwiches in the future)I look forward to going back in the future to try their other cookies, muffins, and maybe even some of their pre-made entrees.