I'm a single, working mother of three kids who are involved in many activities. Who has time to cook? Well, I have to make the time now. I have to lose another 60 pounds (I already lost 35), just found out I have a severe milk allergy, and also found out my youngest son (my nephew) is allergic to milk, eggs, soy, sugar, and wheat. I had long suspected he shouldn't have sugar or milk (NOTICEABLE behavior changes), and was able to eliminate them fairly easily. But how does one cook without all the main staples I used to rely on? I'm getting many good recipes from this site and adapting them. My goal is to share any good recipes I come up with on my own with anyone in the same situation. I love ethnic food--Indian, Moroccan, Ethiopian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Mexican. It's not always easy to find the right ingredients, but sometimes I find that the dishes I end up with by "cheating" are excellent just the way they are! I also love to bake cookies...but oh, those are SO not on the diet. My ex-husband was vegetarian, so I always made a Thanksgiving lasagna. In fact, I was in the middle of making one when I went into labor with my first son--the baby and the lasagna turned out great! This year will be a challenge--will it taste ok if I use spelt noodles and soy cheese? shiver Every time I make an ethnic meal from new recipes is a triumph--even if only one dish actually makes it to the table. I always ruin at least one.... Oh, there have been so very many! I am an experimenter, and a forgetful one at that. I have burned many dishes, and have deviated too far from many recipes. Probably the most embarrassing moment was when I made a cake from a mix and forgot the eggs. I guess four was too many ingredients to remember.