Two years ago, I made the transition from being with my kids full-time to working full-time outside the home.  During that period, it was hard for us to eat as well as we should.  We’ve recently made several lifestyle changes that include having one parent home again with the children.  While I truly loved my students, I’m very excited about our return to more relaxed, family-centered lifestyle.

We were vegetarians for several years before we added poultry back to our diet and began to rely too heavily on dairy products.   I told myself that I’d make major changes as soon as I was home again, so we’re officially meat and dairy-free at home now. (We’re still on the fence about organic, free range eggs and seafood.)  Our family enjoys cheese, and my kids have never liked cheese substitutes.  Since I had no luck with soy and rice-based products in the past, I was very happy to see some almond-based products at Chamberlin’s and Whole Foods.

I can’t believe that I actually found a cheddar substitute that my daughter, the ultimate grilled cheese girl, actually likes!    I made grilled cheese for both my children with The Original Almond (Cheddar Style) by Lisanatti, and it was a big hit!  It melts like regular cheese and tastes good!    I should mention that the ingredient list does include a small amount of casein (a milk protein),  but I’m okay with that small amount since we’re letting go of all the other dairy products.  While Loralei does have digestive and skin issues with dairy, it appears that this small amount of casein does not affect her.

My daughter really enjoyed the Muncheez American Style Snack Sticks by the same brand, but I couldn’t eat more than one bite.

We’ve also switched over completely to Almond Breeze milk for smoothies, cereals, and cooking.  I must say, however, that I can only recommend buying it in the refrigerated section of your supermarket.  Unfortunately, not all of our local stores have the half gallons in the dairy section.  I find that the type that’s kept at room temperature separates and is not as good as the refrigerated version.

Another surprisingly good dairy substitute that I tried recently is an oatmeal-based cheddar style dip by WayFare Foods.  While this one didn’t pass the kid test in my family, I really enjoyed it!  It took me a few bites to get used to it, but I ended up eating the whole container!   Thanks to Jen Dostie for introducing me to it.

I absolutely must mention the “sweet treat” we got at Whole Foods today.  They are ice cream sandwiches made with Almond Dream.  They’re new, and I can’t even find a picture of them online.  While I won’t be buying them regularly, it’s nice to know that there’s a tasty ice cream sandwich that’s not made with cow’s milk.

I have certainly not attempted to cover all the types of milk substitutes here.  I simply wanted to share a few that we’ve tried recently.  The soy substitutes, in my opinion, just don’t taste good–not to mention the fact that I limit the amount of soy my kids consume to tofu once or twice a week.

What dairy substitutes do you like? Please leave a comment here so other Central Florida Green Guide readers can benefit from your experiences.

Related Links:

Plant-Based Calcium: Sources and Absorption

Calcium in Plant-Based Diets

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