In response to the original poster's statement: you do not *need* an enormous amount of protein to start your day. In fact, one does not require a large amount of protein per day at all. Rather, this is a gross exaggeration on the part of various "how to get fit" diet books. What you need to kick start your day is a lot of vitamins and micronutrients with some good sugars. To do this, I usually mix about 1/3 of a pineapple with 1/2 a mango in some orange juice, then embellish with a variety of other fruits or berries such as banana, cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, kiwi, or really any fruit that would taste good with the pineapple/mango base. The fruits are a good kick start (especially the banana and pineapple) because they are natural "feel good" fruits that contain a little bit of caffeine (*dramatically* less than in coffee, and far far less than even in green tea, but present and functional!). They will literally make you feel awake, aware, and alert. If you are a busy-body and don't get around to lunch often, it's important to add some healthy fats in with this shake either in the form of a splash of olive oil, or more ideally, a heaped tablespoon of coconut milk (preferably with no preservatives, but that's a rare find these days). Mix this all up in a blender until smooth (or you could eat it all raw, but that takes a long time and you're looking for a quick fix). "But what about protein?" Well, first of all, fruit has more protein per calorie than meat or beans do. That's because a lot of what's in a fruit is water or calorie-free minerals and the like. As such, your body is packing on fewer pounds per unit of protein it is extracting. Secondly, you don't WANT a bunch of *excess* protein, because this negatively impacts your overall health and has been linked with heart disease, early stage diabetes, and a variety of dermatological pathologies, most notably acne and cellulite. Moreover, you can add a raw egg yolk or two (be sure to mix the min with a fork rather than the blender as the friction with the blades is sufficient to cause heat denaturation of the fragile amino acids in an egg yolk) to your drink. Egg yolks are loaded with natural amino acids as well as good HEALTHY cholesterol (as opposed to 7-ketocholesterol). On days when I do not work out and have a light schedule, I have found that this one meal keeps me full for basically the full day without making me feel bloated or 'stuffed.' For a creamy alternative to coconut milk or olive oil, try peeling and pitting an avocado and sticking it in with all the other fruit. It sounds gross, probably, since avocados have such a thick texture on their own, but blended in with fruit it makes the whole smoothie taste like you added a shot of cream or ice cream to thicken it, and is one of the most pleasant add-ons to a recipe I've ever tried! In closing, let me say that I have drawn all this information from an authoritative source which is available online at www.freeacnebook.com. The first link on the page takes you directly to the book which is a few hundred pages of information about dermatopathologies and their link to diet as well as an explanation of why the diet this book recommends will work. It is well-researched, and cites all the major assertions the author makes. As a research biologist, I loved that this work cited its sources, since many diets are content to say "The FDA said so," and leave it at that! Finally, I have been on this diet for around 2/3 of a year and have lost 60 pounds (I'm convinced I would have lost more if I had been more overweight, but I'm now at an ideal weight for my height, build, age, etc.). More importantly, my level of energy has increased, my attention span (which was not bad to begin with) has improved, my IQ is measurably higher, and I feel more alert and oriented than I ever have in my life. I should note that when I was younger I was an athlete, and I feel more fit than I did as an NCAA division 1 rower. As such, I can't see any draw backs to this diet, as it has done nothing but make me healthier, happier, and keener. It's done the same for friends and family who have tried it. Up to you what you want to do with it, but either way I applaud you on your decision to eschew grains or dairy as they are addictive, noxious substances that cause you to eat 10% extra calories, resulting in obesity or chronic health conditions. Sincerely, Dave Stratton

There is quite a bit of difference between almond FLOUR (even differences between commercial brands - some are coarse, some more fine, some include the skins, others are blanched and skinless) and almond MEAL (ground almonds at home), and the third choice, almond flour made from the dehydrated pulp leftover from making almond milk (the perfect 2 for 1 product). I use all of them - it just depends on the recipe and results I want. My preference is to use almonds that I sprout and dehydrate first because they are easier to digest and it's also MUCH cheaper to make my own than to purchase commercial almond flour. But saying that, I always have a bag of Honeyville Grain Almond Flour in the house. I also avoid white and brown sugar and high-glycemic starches and flours common to many gluten-free cookbooks. If you find recipes that use rice flour you can mill your own, but use short- or medium-grain rice (white or brown - your choice) instead of long-grain rice. Long-grain rice is fine for a thickener or dredging, but not for baking. If you want to make cookies (or other baked goods) with almond flour, I'd suggest checking out Elana Amsterdam's web site - www.elanaspantry.com. The recipe for Pecan Shortbread Cookies linked below is a favorite recipe. Elana Amsterdam suggests using Honeyville Grain Almond Flour, and for her recipes I agree that's the best choice. Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour just doesn't cut it - it is much coarser and you'll get a grainy finished product, or you will get a lot of crumbling by using coarse almond flour. BTW, I was baking with almond flour long before we went gluten-free because it's low-glycemic. Same with coconut flour, another low-glycemic choice. Honeyville Almond Flour is one of the finer grinds you can find commercially. When you make your own almond flour using whole almonds, you chance making almond butter by the time you get the fine grind similar to Honeyville Grain Almond Flour. You may need to add sugar to the almonds while grinding. I get a much finer grind using pulp from almond milk made in the Vitamix compared to pulp from almond milk made in the Ninja blender. When completely dehydrated, I give the pulp a whirr in a small Ninja food chopper to break up the clumps - or run a rolling pin over it. I also get less pulp using a Vitamix. It's not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to texture provided by the different almond flour/meal products. When it comes to cookies, this one\-bowl recipe is by far the easiest. I often make this recipe when I have one ripe banana and bake them in my solar oven or in the convection/microwave oven on a pizza pan. SUPER\-SIMPLE BANANA COOKIES 2\-3 mashed bananas (2 large bananas or 3 small) 2 c. gluten\-free oatmeal 1 c. chopped dates (can use any dried fruit, or a mixture of dried fruit and mini\-chocolate chips, cacao nibs, finely chopped nuts, etc.) 1/3 c. coconut oil 1 t. vanilla 1/8 t. of salt (can omit) Preheat oven to 350\-degrees F. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper, or use ungreased baking sheets. Mix all ingredients well and drop by teaspoonful (I use a \#50 portion scoop) onto baking sheets. Lightly press the dough until it is about 1/4\-inch thick and form into rounds. Bake 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. You can bake these cookies until soft or lightly crunchy \- your choice \- depending on how long you bake them. I like to use dried blueberries or dried apricots snipped into 1/4\-inch cubes using kitchen scissors. Dried cherries (snipped into smaller pieces) and mini chocolate chips makes a nice combination. Using one banana: 1 mashed banana 1 c. gluten\-free oatmeal 1/3\-1/2 c. dried fruit or mini chocolate chips (or combination) 2 T. coconut oil pinch of salt PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCH COOKIES Melt together: 1 stick butter 3/4 c. peanut butter In a large bowl add butter/peanut butter mixture and the remaining ingredients. Mix with an electric hand-held mixer. 1 t. baking soda pinch of salt 2 eggs 1 c. unsalted dry-roasted peanuts 1/2 c. raw or roasted sunflower seeds 1/2 c. almond flour 1/2 c. palm sugar 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut 1/2 c. cacao nibs (optional) Cover two baking sheets with parchment. Use a #50 scoop for dough portions (note: make small cookies as this dough spreads). Bake in a 375-degree oven for 12 minutes. BLUEBERRY COCONUT PECAN BREAKFAST COOKIES These cookies are similar to Super\-Simple Banana Cookies. http://www.kumquatblog.com/2012/03/blueberry-coconut-pecan-breakfast.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIE BARS (which are cookies, not bars) (Source: The Everything Coconut Diet Cookbook) Makes 24 1/2 c. coconut flour 1/2 c. coconut sugar 1/2 c. rolled oats 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut 1/2 c. coconut oil 1 egg 1 t. baking soda Preheat oven to 350\-degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine coconut flour, sugar, oats and shredded coconut. Melt coconut oil; add egg and baking soda. Mix well into dry ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet; bake for about 10\-12 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack. \[Grainlady Note: I generally double the recipe. Use a \#50 portion scoop and press the cookies down before baking.\] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These are my original recipes I developed for a local sorghum mill..... NUTELLA WHITE SORGHUM FLOUR COOKIES 1/2 c. Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 1/2 c. butter (softened) 1/4 c. white sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 c. white sorghum flour 1/2 c. dried potato flakes 1/4 c. flaxmeal 1/2 T. cornstarch 1 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt Preheat oven to 325\-degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl beat Nutella and butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg just until mixed. In a medium bowl, combine the white sorghum flour, dried potato flakes, flaxmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix by hand, only until ingredients are incorporated. Using a portion scoop, make dough into 1\-inch balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12\-minutes. Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheets for 2\-minutes, then remove to a wire rack to completely cool. Makes 65, 2\-1/2" cookies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHOCOLATE CHIP/COCONUT SORGHUM FLOUR COOKIES 1/2 c. butter (softened) 1/4 c. white sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar 1 egg 1/4 c. sour cream 2/3 c. white sorghum flour 1/3 c. dried potato flakes 1/3 c. flaxmeal 1/3 c. unsweetened coconut 1 t. cornstarch 1 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips Preheat oven to 325\-degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl beat butter until light and creamy. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg and sour cream just until mixed. In a medium bowl, combine the sorghum flour, dried potato flakes, flaxmeal, coconut, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix only until ingredients are incorporated. Using a small portion scoop, make dough into 1\-inch balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake about 10\-12 minutes. remove cookie sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheets 2\-inutes, then remove to a wire rack to completely cool makes 44 two\-inch cookies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHITE SORGHUM PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES 1/2 c. natural peanut butter 1/2 c. butter (softened) 1/4 c. white sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 c. white sorghum flour 1/2 c. dried potato flakes 1/2 c. flaxmeal 1/2 T. cornstarch 1 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt Preheat oven to 350\-degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl beat softened butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg just until mixed. In a medium bowl, combine the white sorghum flour, dried potato flakes, flaxmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. By hand, mix into peanut butter mixture, only until ingredients are incorporated. Refrigerate dough for 20\-minutes. Using a portion scoop, make dough into 1\-inch balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets and press with a fork dipped into coarse sugar. Bake 8\-10 minutes in a pre\-heated 350\-degree F. oven. Remove cookie sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheet for 1\-2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to completely cool. \-Grainlady This post was edited by grainlady on Tue, May 27, 14 at 8:43

No.....without milk your filling will be heavy and more like a squash casserole than a pumpkin pie. Here's my recipe: Pumpkin pie 1 14 oz can Libby's pumpkin 1 cup sugar....half brown half white 1 1/2 tsps cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp cloves 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups milk.....for dairy free....use soy milk Pour into a10 inch pie shell and bake at 425 for 10 minutes, without opening the door, turn oven down to 350 and continue baking another 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If you use an oatmeal nut crust you will have a very difficult time serving from a molded tart pan....I vote for the ceramic pie plate. Linda C

hope your party went well! ( 5 months ago haha) im LI and have a great recipe book "200 best lactose-free recipes" email me if you would like anything in particular.. but i will post one i like in particular for future guests..short bread& sponge cake are always good backups too as long as they can have eggs.. AMARETTO CHEESECAKE Preheat oven to 350degF, 10-inch pie plate,sprayed with nonstick baking spray CRUST 1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 sliced almonds (toasted are best) 2tbsp vegetable oil 1/4tsp almond extract FILLING 2 pkgs (10.25oz each) silken firm tofu 2 eggs 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1.3 cup amaretto liquer 1tsp grated lemon zest 1.4 cup sliced almonds 1.Prepare the crust: in a small mixing bowl, stir together vanilla wafer crumbs, sugar, almonds, oil and almond extract. Press into bottom and sides of pie plate. 2.Meanwhile, prepare filling: using a sieve, drain tofu. In a food processor, puree drained tofu, eggs sugar,amaretto,and zest until smooth.Pour into prepared crust.Sprinklie almonds. 3.Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minuts or until firm.