This section is included for my veggie friends and for those who are lactose intolerant (or whose kids are!). I have had many requests for these ideas. Trevor was unable to handle lactose until he was almost three, so I had to be creative.

Breakfast:

Oatmeal, grits, Cream of Wheat, homemade muffins (really quick if you cheat and use a Jiffy mix!), waffles, pancakes (frozen ones are still good--I make an extra large batch every time I do it and then flash freeze them to pop in the toaster later), english muffins with all kinds of toppings, fresh fruit (my favorite!), any whole grain cooked is good--my favorite is barley with brown sugar and cinnamon, I have also found that toast with peanut butter is a good quick protein breakfast. Rice and oatmeal are good with a variety of fruits cooked in with them, including: raisins, apples, peaches, bananas, and pears. If you are really craving cereal, make some Rice Krispy treats, there is no dairy in them :-)

Lunch:

peanut butter & jelly sandwich, cauliflower sandwich (see sandwich page), veggies in a pita (peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, grated carrots, cukes, etc. with Italian dressing), tomato sandwich, cold cuts on bread, tuna sandwhich with almondaise (if you don't eat eggs--see recipe below) any kind of pasta with tomato sauce (since we eats lots of pasta, I buy many different kinds and shapes), pasta with just garlic and italian seasoning or dill on it with a splash of olive oil, big salad, fruit, any kind of cooked veggies and rice. Buy a variety of crackers and rice cakes. Kids love the variety and so do I. I think one of the nicest, easiest lunches is leftovers from the night before!

Supper:

Vegetable stew, beef stew, spaghetti, baked chicken with veggies, fish sticks and tater tots (Bradley's favorite!), lentil stew (recipe on meat-free main dish page), tacos (they are still good without cheese) or taco salad, baked potato with salad, enchiladas (again, no cheese added), we love pasta with chunky veggies on top, one of our favorite summer suppers is baked beans with grilled zucchini, any kind of meat with rice pilaf and veggies on the side, tamalie pie (recipe on meat-free main dish page).

Tips:

1. a good vegetarian cookbook will have a recipe in it for "almondaise" a substitute for mayonnaise, or you may be able to buy it premade in a health food store (actually tastes pretty good). It is made from the "milk" made by soaking almonds in distilled water.
2. make a list of the things you can have and put it on the side of the refrigerator so that when you are menu planning or trying to think of something to eat you can focus on the positives--what you CAN have--instead of what you shouldn't eat.
3. go through the Betty Crocker cookbook (or whatever favorite cookbook you have, and make a list with the page numbers of recipes that don't need dairy products.
4. use egg substitutes in cooking recipes, and rice milk in place of the milk (don't be afraid to experiment a bit!)
5. try rice milk (vanilla is the one I can handle the best) on cereal and see what you think
6. try making lasagna and substituting tofu for the cheese. I have friends who like it and friends who don't. I don't but my husband and son liked it :-)
7. buy vegetable oil based margarines instead of butter
8. to decrease the gas in any homemade bean recipes: let them soak overnight and then drain and rinse completely until there are no bubbles, then put fresh water according to the recipe. You can also buy a product called Beano that supposedly works well. It is just an enzyme, so I would assume it is safe for use when breastfeeding.
9. if you have a bread machine, use it! fresh bread will make any sandwhich or meal taste better. Make garlic bread to go with meals sometimes too.
10. if you have a grill, experiment with it
11. if you like creamy soups, try cooking cubed potatoes first then removing them and blending them with some of the broth, then adding the blended mixture back into the broth. Then just add whatever veggies or meat you want and simmer together until veggies are soft and meat is cooked.