a call to arms!!

My boss has been on maternity leave for a while, and she stopped in today to visit. She was planning on coming back to work in a couple of weeks, but it looks like she is going to be out a little longer -- her daughter has been experiencing some health problems, due to some recently discovered severe allergies. My boss could choose to switch to prescription formula, but would like to continue breastfeeding, so she has to change her diet ASAP! She found out she has to cut out all dairy, including whey and casein, all soy, and eggs. She seems very frustrated and probably pretty upset -- I don't blame her! She also has had to start giving her daughter some formula to supplement her breast milk, because she's not getting enough calories right now (because she "can't eat anything,") to produce enough milk.

I gave her the following suggestions for getting her calories back up, while still fitting in with her current dietary restrictions:

~ Since she does eat meat, I suggested she switch to all grass-fed/organic/free-range meats, since many factory-farmed animals that are killed for their meat eat a considerable amount of soy, which may reside in the meat.

~ She does like to bake, and I mentioned she should be able to use canola oil or coconut oil (if a solid fat is called for, like in cookies) in most of her baking recipes in place of butter. I mentioned Ener-G as an egg replacement, (although I don't know whether it contains any soy.) I also mentioned she could use pureed avocado as an egg replacement.

~ I mentioned the coconut milk yogurts and ice creams that I've heard of lately on everybody else's blogs!

~ I suggested she start having daily smoothies with frozen fruit, juice, and hemp protein powder to get quick, healthy calories. I also suggested adding banana or avocado to smoothies for extra calories. She has tried rice and almond milks, and really likes the almond milk. She has also found chocolate sorbet, so she can make herself chocolate milkshakes!

~ I suggested adding peanut or almond butter to oatmeal for extra calories. Her doctor told her to avoid peanut butter, since many commercial nut butters contain dairy in some form. I suggested MaraNatha no-stir, since it has only a few ingredients, no dairy or soy, and tastes pretty close to commercial/conventional peanut butter, in my opinion.

Basically . . . my boss can't eat any processed foods! (She doesn't like to cook -- I told her she's going to have to start, right quick!) Since soy is in just about everything, she's going to have to switch quickly to a whole-foods based diet, so she has a better understanding of what's in her food.

So, here's the call to arms, food nerds! Did I miss anything in my suggestions to my boss?? Any ideas or suggestions you would offer her?? Any favorite recipes (remember -- quick and easy recipes) you want to pass along? Leave a comment or send me an email, and I'll compile all of our ideas for her over the next couple of weeks.

Thanks, everybody! I'm sure my boss will appreciate any help we can give her!