Thanksgiving!

Here comes the event the dairy-free girl has been dreading all year!!!

My mom and I had a talk about what we would do. I told her the foods I wanted, and we talked about how to make them dairy-free. Mainly we have to make sure people use fake butter and almond milk instead of regular stuff. I am hopeful that this will be good!

I have been doing better at learning what I can and can't eat. Ranch is ok, because I don't eat a lot. Cheese is a huge NO regardless. Milk chocolate is ok in small amounts, as are cookies or donuts. Wonka has come out with some amazing amazing new candies recently....two of my favs (only one dairy-free, but I can't resist the other)
Fruit Marvels (I've only had the white grape, and it is amazing)

Scrumdiddlyumptious bar....SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!

That is all for now...I need to either get work done or go to sleep!! Grad school is wearing me out big time...

dear diary, I suck

I've been eating lots of milk chocolate and strawberry whoppers (malted MILK...didn't know that until today). So I've had a headache all day...ugh.

In good news I found that using two types of sheep cheese - one was manchego, like the closest sheep cheese could get to a mainstream cow milk cheese, and the other was an aged cheese similar to parmesan - I can make a version of scalloped potatoes that is rather good, so there is hope for thanksgiving. The cheese is just way more expensive (of course). Now I just have to make sure that this cheese is actually safe, and not what caused the headache, since I ate it the same days I was eating the chocolate and whoppers.

In bad news, my headache makes me not want to study for my midterm tomorrow!! UGH!

Here's hoping some chicken soup can help...

more failure with dairy!

Success: I went to Melting Pot again with some girlfriends for Ladies' Night and I was fine the next day, because I ate less cheese, and less of the chocolate (which was dark and not milk).

Fail: Last night at the bar, I had a Klondike bar (real ice cream). I blame the two people who came in really late. I was ready to leave; all I had left was trash and floors. Then this guy walks in who I've seen before, and a girl comes and joins him. He came in at 12:45 and we close at 1am. She came in at 12:50. They were in the service industry so they should have known better. And even if they'f gotten drinks and left in like 15 minutes I wouldn't have been but so upset. But they got their drinks and sat there until 1:25. I ended up doing my trash and floors in front of them around 1:10, and by 1:20 my manager had enticed me to go get a Klondike bar from the freezer. So I went and got one, and apparently that made them realize they needed to leave by the time my manager and I were both just sitting there eating ice cream and staring at them. I didn't eat all the ice cream, but I did eat a good amount of it. As a result, I slept in way late today with a bad headache, and I still have it a little even after taking some tylenol.

Fail the day before: My boyfriend wanted mashed potatoes and since I made them at his house they were with real milk and not my almond milk - which is amazing and I recommend to everyone (I get original unsweetened, for cooking, baking, and eating with cereal). So I ate about a 1/4 cup of milk in my portion of mashed potatoes...which apparently was too much because I had a headache all day yesterday. Granted, after all that's been going on recently (my money drama and his week-long kidney stone) I've certainly been rather stressed, and that probably contributed.

Lesson: don't eat things you know you shouldn't eat, and stress is not good for you.

melting pot last night

Last night I went to Melting Pot with my most favorite person, my boyfriend, since it was restaurant week and it was a great deal. I knew I'd be majorly cheating with the cheese course but I knew it'd be worth it to have an awesome night. We did have a great time...and then the cheese hangover!

After we left, I felt pretty crappy - tired and sluggish. After a while I felt better, and was ok for the rest of the night...but then this morning...UGH! I tried to wake up but felt to crappy to care. I didn't get up until the afternoon and still felt bad. I was fatigued, my head hurt, and I felt pretty achy. The ache was focused on my lower head and neck area.

After eating some dairy-free lunch and sitting around the house a bit, I feel better. Hopefully it gets out of my system in a day, and I won't feel it anymore. I have to say, this last 24 hours was a pretty direct cause-and-effect!

Interestingly enough, a couple weeks ago I had soft-serve ice cream and was fine. The more I explore this the more I think that cheese is the main culprit.

being dairy free

it's been a while since i posted! some crazy stuff was going on in my life, but now i'm doing better. i only am working one job (whoo!) which means getting the rest i need. i am eating mostly dairy-free, but i cheat in little amounts, like a bit of nacho cheese or a bit of ranch dressing. i don't get headaches like i used to, and i am feeling generally better.

i moved to a house with hardwood floors, and a newer HVAC system, and i think it's done a great deal of improvement for me. i'm allergic to my cats and dustmites, and i think the new house has done great for keeping these allergies under control, much better than the last house. the only thing is that the windows here don't open as well, and keeping the house aired out is essential...i guess i'll figure that one out.

eating out

I've been freaking out about eating out because I don't want to be that girl who can't find anything to eat when everyone gets together.

BUT now I've remembered that there is a shining light - ethnic food! Japanese, Chinese, Thai and such. I went to the Japanese steakhouse last night and it was awesome, I ate so much and wasn't worried!!

Also, no headaches this week!! :)

now time to sleep.

I did it

I ate the parmesan. I don't feel any better, but it was delicious.

What a crappy day.