Destin Duchess

A Mom's Guide to the Emerald Coast

Our Favorite Dairy-Free Foods

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Miles was diagnosed with a dairy allergy via skin test in May of 2018. Within a week of taking him off dairy, his ever-runny nose dried up and his ever-present cough finally went away. I was so thankful! A later bloodiest revealed he may not actually be allergic to dairy (or perhaps outgrew the allergy?), but within of week of letting him have cheese/yogurt/etc, the runny nose and itchy cough came back.

So, allergic or not, Miles is definitely sensitive to dairy and I’m trying my very best to keep him dairy-free.

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Those of you who are in the same boat know that it can be challenging to find dairy-free foods that actually taste good. I’m sure there are many more options out there, but here are some of our favorites! *some affiliate links included*

BEARITOS VEGGIE PUFFS

These are as close as you can get to dairy-free Pirate’s Booty! Miles loved that stuff in his cheese-eating days and he happily snacks on these corn puffs.

KITE HILL YOGURT TUBES

kite hill tubes

Kite Hill is one of my very favorite brands of non-dairy products. Their yogurts are great but they really won me (and Miles) over when they added yogurt tubes to their lineup. These are perfect in Miles’s lunchbox or on-the-go. We freeze them for a fun treat!

KITE HILL CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

kite hill cream cheese

While on the Kite Hill train, I’ve got to include their cream cheese spreads! They are every bit as good as real cream cheese. I love the chive and jalapeño flavors but plain is perfect for Miles. He LOVES macaroni and cheese so I toss hot cooked noodles with a couple tablespoons of the cream cheese. It gets melty and Miles is perfectly happy with his “Mac and cheese.”

VIOLIFE CHEESE

Ok so I haven’t tried a TON of dairy-free cheeses because the first couple I tried were SO BAD. I picked up the Violife “Just Like Mature Cheddar” slices on a whim at Whole Foods the other day and they are so good. Miles begs to have slices all the time. I haven’t tried cooking them into eggs or anything, so not sure how well they melt. But so far, so good!

OREOS

In case you didn’t know America’s favorite cookie was totally and completely 100% dairy-free, now you do! :) There are no milk-based ingredients in the cookies themselves, but Oreo claims they may cross-contact milk, FYI. I’m fine giving products like that to Miles, but if you have a SEVERE allergy, just wanted you to be aware.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND MILK PUDDING

choc pudding

Recently discovered these from Everyday 365 at Whole Foods and all the kids love them!

ENJOY LIFE PANCAKE AND WAFFLE MIX

Jason loves making big Saturday morning breakfasts, so this waffle and pancake mix is perfect for Miley man. I like to make a double or triple batch then freeze for easy weekday breakfasts.

NATURES BAKERY ORGANIC APPLE CINNAMON HONEY AND OAT BARS

Miles loves anything apple cinnamon. I put one of these in his school lunchbox every single day and he’s yet to complain about them. I’ll take it as a win. :)

OUTSHINE NON-DAIRY BANANA BASED “ICE CREAM”

outshine

I love making my own banana “Froyo” but this store-bought version is pretty dang good! I love the tart strawberry with the sweet, creamy banana. Best part is that my dairy-free kiddo loves it, too. It comes in handy when the other kiddos are having ice cream.

Other favorite foods and snacks:

peanut butter
fruit
cereal
edamame (Miles LOVES shooting the beans out of the pods, haha)
hummus with crackers
apple sauce
pretzels
gummy fruit snacks
deli turkey roll ups
turkey pepperoni
turkey hot dogs
raisins

What are your favorite dairy-free foods?

My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets and Tools

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This is a post I’ve been wanting to write for a while, so I’m finally getting my rear in gear and hitting publish!

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I am sharing the kitchen tools and gadgets that I actually use on a regular basis. I cannot stand clutter, so if something isn’t regularly used in my house, out it goes. I promise these tools are worth the investment (though many are super affordable!) and the cabinet or counter space they take up.

Affiliate links included for your shopping ease. :) Simply click on the pictures below for direct link.

EGG COOKER

My mother-in-law gave me this for Christmas a few years ago and I though it was the silliest thing. I mean, how difficult is it to boil an egg? Well, it’s not difficult, but this handy dandy gadget makes it even easier! The one I linked isn’t the exact same as what I have, but I’m sure it does the exact same thing. I use it at least once a week because we love having boiled eggs on hand for snacking.

DIGITAL FOOD SCALE

If you are serious about maintaining a healthy diet, food scales are super important for accuracy in what you’re actually consuming. Jason and I both use it often to weigh our proteins. It’s nothing fancy, but gets the job done!

BREVILLE SMART OVEN

Another great gift from my mother-in-law (she’s the best gift giver). This thing is amazing! It’s simple enough to toast bread, bagels, or frozen waffles, but it’s big enough to bake a small casserole or pizza. That part really comes in handy when we are entertaining and all my oven space is already taken. This is a higher-ticket item, but totally worth it, in my book!

MINI WAFFLE IRON

I love this little thing! I use it for my protein waffles, and the kids get a kick out of homemade mini waffles. I want to try cinnamon rolls in it sometime. :) Not a whole lot more to say about it, but it’s so fun and you need one!

SPRING-LOADED COOKIE SCOOPS

I seriously cannot live without these. I have them in three sizes and use my largest one for my famous cookies and the smaller two when I make meatballs, sausage balls, chocolate oat balls, etc. If you don’t have a set, you need to get ASAP! And a quick tip= spray them with cooking spray before scooping so the dough or meatball mixture easily comes out.

HANDHELD CITRUS PRESS

I don’t have a large juicer, but I love this handheld juice press. I use it to squeeze lime juice into guacamole, for fresh lemon juice for lemon chicken, fresh orange juice for mimosas, etc. If you have a really large quantity of juice to make, this isn’t going to cut it. But for your couple of tablespoons here and there, this totally fits the bill. The kids love using it, as well.

STAINLESS STEEL STRAWS

I don’t know why it took me so long to start using these steel straws- they are great! I love that they keep my smoothie super cold as I’m drinking and the fact that I can throw them in the dishwasher and use over and over again. The straws I have are plain, but I’m loving the colorful silicon tips on the ones I’ve linked here.

SALT CELLAR

I leave my salt cellar right by my stove, making it easy to grab a pinch while I’m cooking. Plus, I just like the look of it. My parents always keep tons of salts, spices, and oils by their stove, so I suppose it is a little nod to them. :)

I also use my slow cooker and instant pot pretty often, but figured everyone had already heard of those! Do you have any cool kitchen tool that makes your life easier? Please share!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Balls

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I wanted to hop on and share one of my go-to healthy snacks with y’all! I don’t know where I first stumbled on the recipe for these chocolate peanut butter oat balls but I’ve been making them for years.

oatballs 2

They are full of cocoa powder, peanut butter, oats, honey and coconut and provide the perfect sweet and energizing bite when you need a pick-me-up! I keep mine in the freezer and love to eat them icy cold.

My kids enjoy them just as much as me and I feel good about letting them snack on all of the wholesome ingredients. They love to help make them, also!

OatBalls

To make the balls, simply combine 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup honey in a microwave safe bowl and heat for about 30 seconds in the mic, until melty and easy to stir. Then stir in 1 1/2 cups dry oats, 1 cup shredded coconut, and 2 tbsp cocoa powder. Mix all ingredients together, then scoop into one inch balls. I like using THIS spring-loaded cookie scoop. Then I spray my hands with cooking spray and roll balls until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the freezer (I actually freeze them on a cookie sheet first so they won’t stick together in the container).

I often double this recipe because they go fast at my house! And the recipe is totally customizable. Use any nut butter you want, GF oats if that’s your thing, add chia or flax seeds, etc.

Enjoy!