Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer That's Worth Using

My hub got me started on coffee; my parents think I've lost my mind and my taste buds. It must be said that I don't drink coffee black, I drink frilly coffee - once hub was in the kitchen when I made myself a mug of coffee and he said "Um... why does yours smell and look like hot chocolate?" Well, it was because there was so much creamer and sugar in mine.

So one reason my most recent decision to drop dairy until M is weaned made me sad was that I had just made some of that 3 ingredient coffee creamer from pinterest. If you pinterest much, you've probably seen it; it's not a good link it's just a picture showing supposed homemade creamer with 3 ingredients next to some Coffee Mate. I made mine with 2 cups of milk, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and caramel syrup; it was fabulously yummy (but how can you ever go wrong with sweetened condensed milk!)

I tried store bough coconut coffee creamer last time I went dairy free and it left me wanting, a LOT. I really didn't want to go back to that again. I didn't find it really worth using. Plus those non-dairy powder creamers, that are nothing short of yuck. 

I got to thinking "there has got to be a way to make something similar to the pinterest recipe, but with non-dairy ingredients." I did a google search for "vegan substitute sweetened condensed milk" and I got hits recommending "cream of coconut." I decided I could mix that with soy milk. Tonight I tried this mix... and it was amazing!

At first I was worried because the cream of coconut looked like solid coconut oil on the top and I didn't know how I would get this solid mass to mix into my soymilk. But hub was smart and suggested that it might not be solid under. I started stirring and it was definitely just separated. If I were to do something different I would pour it into a bowl and wisk it really good - I had a few lumps left in the final produce :(

So do what I didn't, wisk your cream of coconut til smooth, then mix in 2 cups soymilk (or whatever milk you choose, I just have soy in the house). Next the next step is to enjoy and dry not to drool over it to much. I really think I could drink this straight, or eat it by the spoon-full. I cannot wait to make coffee in the morning!

** Just in case, I feel I should say... I am definitely not a nutritionist. I doubt this is a healthy alternative to other coffee creamers; this is just me sharing a recipe for something that is dairy-free. I didn't look how much sugar is in this cream of coconut but I bet it's not worse than sweetened condensed milk.

8/11/14 Update! I had this in my coffee and it was YUMMY! I think I would do one thing differently next time, instead of mixing in the coconut oil on the top of the can, I might try just taking it out. The oil separates after mixed with the milk too and then floats. I don't mind having a little coconut oil in my coffee, but it was a little much. I also tried this in my oatmeal and that was a win as well! (I have to divulge that I have been previously known to put international delight creamer in my oatmeal, so this wasn't a new thing for me, just different). 

Don't freak the freak out!

Can you tell I used to watch Victorious with my nephews... cricket, cricket... well I'll just get onto it.

The past two days I've been trying not freak the freak out over all the things I won't be able to make/give for M because of his food allergies (dairy/egg/almonds + who knows what else). I've thought of some family favorites: lasagna, cashew chicken, pizza, lemon pepper parmesan crusted flounder, ICE CREAM, cheery cherry cheese pie, grandma's cheesecake, Chick-Fil-A (he can have the grilled chicken and fries)... I won't go on, it's depressing. ::sniff sniff::

Although it will become important that I think about what he eats, I need to be positive for a couple reasons. 1. I'm far too frequently a pessimist and it gets old, it's not fun. 2. I don't want to give him a negative attitude about his diet. 3. Self-pity parties make it more difficult to be used by God - He can do it, but you miss out on the benefits.

I need to focus on something so today for at least a little while, I started compulsively looking at what convertible car seat we should get for M - found a few to look into a little more. Hopefully tomorrow and the days to come, I can have the brain function and discipline to get into the Word instead of only focusing on these passing things of Earth.

Here's a few dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free foods we M likes to eat:
J&Js Baby Meat Balls is the third recipe down on the page. I've been making these for M for a few months. They are super easy to make and reheat for later meals. These are an absolute staple in our house!
#6 on this list of 12 things to do with a can of black beans - I made roasted black beans tonight with dinner and they were NOM NOM NOM (translation: fabulously yummy) for me and M. I'm sure you could do this with non-canned but cooked black beans too. These could totally be a great snack because they're easy to pop 'em in your mouth and eat 'em, plus beans are a good source of plant protein.
Happy Family baby & toddler foods are quickly becoming a favorite for me and M. No I'm not eating them, I like that they are organic at budget friendly prices, plus they tell you on the label what allergens are contained in the product (unlike a certain big name baby food brand ::cough cough, Gerber, cough::). M seems to enjoy eating everything we've tried.

Maybe someone will benefit from me sharing these links :)

To encourage myself and any readers:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6