Casein Free

Well, I've taken the next step with Kevin.  Last week I changed over his butter to Earth Balance Buttery Spread and have found a dairy/gluten free Ranch Dressing for him.  I have a couple of recipes for Ranch Dressing, but I've been so busy I haven't had time to even think about making it. Cheese on pizza is going to be a problem if we get it out somewhere.  I'm not sure if Mello Mushroom has Diaya, which is a dairy free product to replace cheese. I just bought some and I've only tried a small amount on his Penna Pasta the other night, so I'm not sure if he likes it or not.  Of course you don't have to have cheese on a pizza, but that's what everyone is use to ordering.

Today he was doing his vroom vroom noises off and on, which is something he wasn't doing for quite a long time. I'm guessing that it has to do with the withdrawals of the casein and his reaction to it. I had him go out to the hot tub (cooled down of course) for while to relax and he seems to be doing better. I asked him if he wanted a snack. Of course he said yes, but this time I didn't give him any choices to pick from like I usually do. I ask him what he wanted for a snack and he said pretzels. Ha, good thing I have some GF Pretzels. To tell you the truth I love the things myself.

The plan is for him to stay off the dairy for a while and then reintroduce it to see if there is a reaction to the dairy. If there isn't a reaction then maybe I can put dairy back in his diet. This is all about helping Kevin live a better life. All of you probably think I like roller coaster rides. HA! I hate them, but if it helps even a small amount then it's worth it to me.

http://www.daiyafoods.com
Daiya can be found at Health Food Stores.

http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/product/original-buttery-spread/
Most stores carry Earth Balance.

Vacation Finally!!!

Yes, that's right after 7 years of no vacations. Kevin and I have finally gone on a vacation with Kevin's brother & my brother. We've stayed home one too many times and it was time to take the plunge. I worried for weeks before our trip about taking the dog and Kevin's diet. In the end everything turned out fine. We stayed with my sister and her family. She has a travel trailer and we stayed in that in her backyard. Gave Kevin a nice place to chill out and watch movies that's for sure. We were able to get to the beach only 3 times during the week. I'm sure Kevin would have loved to go a lot more. He loved just standing in the water up to his waist.  We even took the dog one day. LOL She wasn't too sure about those little waves, but boy she enjoyed it after she was wet and laying in the shade.

We met up with my other brother and his wife several times. I can't remember the last time I saw them.  And the main reason for going was my Grand-nephews Birthday party! Love you little guy.

As for Kevin's diet. My sister and I went to Walmart the 1st night we got there and did some shopping. Thankfully they had a Gluten Free section, so we didn't have to look all over the store for things. I did hit one of the health food stores one day just to see what they had and found some gluten free casein free ice cream. I tested it out on Kevin's brother and he loved it. Ok, Kevin had some, but he won't really tell me how good it is. It's usually a nod or yes with Kevin.  Just hope I can remember the brand when I look for it in our health food store. Here it is:

http://www.bluemountainorganics.com/cashewcreamery/

Yes, I am going to try the casein free diet on Kevin, too. I'll have to remove it slowly and wait awhile before I reintroduce casein to see if there is a difference.  It takes time to do any of these diets.

Anyway, back to our vacation. My sister was great about checking if anything had gluten. Even at the deli!  Thanks sis!  On our way home we stopped at the boys Grandmother's house in Jacksonville.  She hasn't seen Kevin in years and I think she was amazed at how big he's gotten.  Visiting was wonderful! I haven't seen her myself in maybe 8 years.  She and her daughter were ready with a Gluten Free Pizza for Kevin and regular Pizza for the rest of us.  We had a great lunch and catching up in person was the best.