I was contacted directly by Nurse Practitioner Lolita Hanks about a new GFCF Menu planner that she has been involved in creating. Though we haven't had the opportunity to review the full planner at Go Dairy Free, we have reviewed the brochure and information sent, and it sounded like a useful resource. Below is the press release followed by a sample menu and some information from the brochure ...

"The Living Gluten Free Casein Free Menu Planner offers delicious, nutrient-dense meals made without wheat or dairy, plus professional medical lesson plans which combine to offer help to millions of Americans with an allergy or intolerance to gluten or casein. Colorado Certified Nurse Practitioner Lolita Hanks and Menus4Moms.com owner Mary Ann Kelley of Virginia developed the plan, based on the Menus4Moms concept.

Three or four million Americans – at least 1 in 100 – suffer from some degree of allergy or intolerance to “gluten” (a protein found in wheat, barley and many other grains ...

Q: John - I have a lactose problem, but I still want the probiotic help that comes in a good natural yogurt.  Is there a soy yogurt that has similar probiotic benefit or do I have to stick with the real stuff?

A: Alisa – The short answer is yes, there are several non-dairy yogurts available that will offer probiotic benefits equivalent to dairy-based yogurt. In fact, for those who are lactose intolerant the non-dairy yogurts may have more noticeable benefits since you won’t be contending with lactose maldigestion symptoms from the yogurt too. I have included some recommended products below and will also go into a bit more detail on this topic and address what a “natural yogurt” could be.

It is not uncommon for someone with lactose intolerance to be tolerant of good quality dairy yogurt. This is because certain strains of probiotics have been found to aid in the digestion of lactose. Though L. acidophilus has long been recognized as the digestion hero, it was actually found in studies to have very little effect on the digestion of lactose.

Chili, hoagies, chicken wings, chips, salsa and guacamole ... check, check, and check! But wait, did someone forget the dessert? No need to panic; cookies can be prepared in no time flat. Though they may not be traditional football fare, this time-tested recipe for super-simple dairy-free peanut butter cookies is really a no fail option when you need a sugar fix pronto.

Some of you may be familiar with this simple and delicious 3-ingredient cookie, but just to mix things up, we have also included Hannah's vegan recipe, which is a true, 100% straight from the pantry option. Whichever you choose, these are best eaten the same day, which shouldn't be a problem with all of those hungry football fans!

Even after making two big batches of Chocolate Peppermint Oreo Treats, I had gobs of marshmallow creme leftover, both Fluff and Ricemellow. Feeling uninspired, I simply made some s'mores for an after-dinner treat. Spread some marshmallow creme on a graham cracker, melt some dark chocolate, spread that on the other graham cracker, mush the two together and freeze for 10 minutes. Yes, they are sooo good chilled, just so you know. Anyway, this became our nightly dessert ritual for about a week, until sadly, I ran out of graham crackers. Not wanting to continue this sugar fest by investing in another box of grahams, I decided to go back to basics.

I still had some rather large dark chocolate bars on hand (when your local store is blowing out 1 lb bars of dairy-free dark Callebaut chocolate for $.50 a piece, you stock up!), so I stayed with the choco-mallow theme and made some Easy Fudgie Crispy Treats. I known, nothing fancy, but when you have a chocolate craving, and want something the size of a chocolate bar (not simply a little square) without causing too much damage to your waistline, these will do the trick. Just a warning though, they may be ugly, but they are rather addictive! Head to One Frugal Foodie for the Recipe.