comparison shots

4 June 2010, 2mo old

Sept 2010, 5.5 mo old

Just 3 mo and 2 wks between these shots

My Husband, Part II

This is another reason why I love my husband:

Shortly after posting on those yummy-sounding Nutella cookies, I was walking thru my local Target and spotted these huge jars of lovely Nutella. As I'd never before come across the large jars, I could certainly hear angels singing in the background as I approached them. It was a great moment.) I then balked at the price (ow-zers!) but reminded myself that--hello!--these things were HUGE! Hm...now, how much did I need for those cookies? Then, that little voice in my head (normally it's the angel voice in this situation) brought up the ingredient question, so, as is my habit, I picked up a jar and turned it around to read the list. Shocked and horrified, I saw it contained skim milk. (So maybe it was really the devil voice reminding me, and he's probably laughing right now.) I'm one of the lucky few among the lactose-intolerant who feel the not-so-pleasant effects of lactose indigestion when even just the tiniest of quantities is consumed. The good angel won out on that arguement, as I'm trying not to buy anything for myself that contains milk products. (Yes, that includes milk chocolate as well. "Bye, bye Love..." ...lucky for me I do like dark chocolate. I don't know how I'd survive otherwise. Lots of peanut butter and chocolate no-bake cookies, I guess....Anyway....) The Nutella was returned to the shelf. I just kinda had to do it and not think about it. If I had thought about it, I'd be eating Nutella cookies right now instead of writing this blog post. (Not that I didn't just got to Amelia's, a local dessert haven, last night and down some lovely chocolate praline cake. Most baked goods have dairy in them. So I'm sure that's why I'm hurting right now, but, it's not like I'm innocent here, so no point complaining, right?) I didn't have the to guts to write about not being able to make that Nutella cookie recipe. I expected I'd break down and cry if I did. It was difficult enough seeing the printed-out recipe sitting on my computer desk. I tried adding it to the scrap-paper pile, but I couldn't bring myself to reuse it for printing coupons, coloring pages, and the like. I just couldn't let go of the hope that someday, maybe someday, I would be able to eat Nutella (without any ill effects) and joyfully create those crispy-chewy cookies. And eat them too, of course. (But why I'd eat cake from Amelia's and not buy the Nutella? Sheesh. You know, the Nutella would have tasted 100x better. Where are my priorities???)

As I was apparently too traumatized by the discovery of milk in my precious Nutella, I failed to move on and search out substitutes. Then, tonight, my Knight in Shining Armor burst upon the scene. He had emailed me a link to a video on YouTube explaining how to make Nutella the "Primal Way". Cue the angelic chorus! It couldn't be true. It had to contain all these crazy ingredients that would cost a ton--in time and effort--to get them. Well, at least I knew it would have to contain hazelnuts, cocoa, a sweetener of some sort, and what in the world would make it so thick and smooth and spreadable? Coconut oil! One thing. Remember overly simplistic me? One item I can do! And, so what if I don't know the slightest thing about coconut oil--outside of the fact that it or palm oil pared with trans fats are heart attack central, but luckily most of our trans fats have already been cleared from our shelves....except for my fake whipped cream. (How else am I supposed to enjoy dairy-free desserts?) Even if it's not something I'd find during my weekly trip to Kroger, my Knight's passes Whole Foods everyday on his way to/from work, so finding the oil is not going to be a challenge. (Ha, watch it magically disappear from all the shelves in NC just because I wrote that.)

I have to thank the Primal/Paleo community. As much as some in the food world may consider them "extremists", I've found with my lactose intolerance that if you can't go along with the mainstream on something, usually there are extremists out there who already have 100s of great ideas to help you out. So, thanks, guys! You're the best!