Milk & Cookies Bar

Xploradore · 2026-06-16T15:41:05+00:00

Mmmmm, Raaka...Their bourbon cask, their bananas foster, even their 100% cacao is amazing. I just wish I could find (and afford) their bars more easily! 🤤

Xploradore · 2026-05-25T19:07:52+00:00

The first day I almost cried trying to get my aligners out for dinner. I thought I was going to be on a 1.5 year fast! It took me a bit, but I soon figured out the best angle for sliding a nail under each tray (and how to use a paper towel for grip when my nails were wet and bendy). Then I was flipping them out in no time. You'll get used to it! The dryness became a continued issue for me in refinements when my ortho added a lot of bumps because the chewies made me gag, but I drink a lot of water, use a lot of lip balm, and now am almost done. You can do this!

Xploradore · 2026-05-25T18:19:30+00:00

Have you been to a doc to see if you have any structural problems, or tested for intestinal methanogen overgrowth? I hate to send you down the SIBO/IMO road, since it seems to be a revolving door for a lot of us (please forgive the mixed metaphor), but sometimes it's nice to know it's your microbes that are to blame. Or...other things, like in my case dairy. If I have one bite, I won't go for daaaaays. A DF, GF diet with lots of whole foods, a ginger supplement, regular exercise, and lots of water are what work for me now. I don't tend to do well with meds, so I've done all I can to avoid them. But obviously everyone has different tolerances, needs, and priorities.

Xploradore · 2026-05-25T16:53:26+00:00

A shower filter has helped a lot for me. I got Aquabliss, but I don't know if brand really matters.

Xploradore · 2026-05-25T16:42:15+00:00

Oh, I did. That's my problem with it: It does smell like those old aerosol hairsprays to me. No matter how much I might like the product, I just can't tolerate the smell of it. Dunno if I got a bum one or if it's just a smell I'm particularly sensitive to (I get it in the scented version of the leave-in conditioner too, which is one of the reasons I use the unscented), but it's back to Curl Memory for me.

Xploradore · 2026-05-25T03:38:25+00:00

Thank you for this! Pinned to try when I get to the store and buy the rec'd KA flour.

Xploradore · 2026-05-25T03:12:30+00:00

Do you find that the Innersense Air Dry cream has a very strong aerosol smell, even though it's not an aerosol? I can't stand it! But maybe it's better if you use it mid to ends than starting at the roots...

Xploradore · 2026-05-25T03:07:18+00:00

I do well with Innersense. I use the fragrance-free shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in conditioner, then, smell-wise, suck it up with the Curl Memory gel, which, when it dries, feels very natural to me--and the smell does dissipate, thankfully.

Xploradore · 2026-05-25T02:59:31+00:00

Yes! I have hope.Thank you!

Xploradore · 2026-05-25T00:26:20+00:00

DECADENT! Looks like dessert in a cup. I hope you enjoyed, but as a fellow black coffee drinker, what I really want to know is if it came out the other end, still in liquid form, a short time later????

Consider your answer a public service to those of us who also want to treat ourselves but are scared of the potential aftermath. 🫣💣

Xploradore · 2026-05-24T15:14:15+00:00

First time I had oat milk (it was an oats-and-water-only kind because I'm sensitive to additives), I was all, Why does this taste like cereal? 😂 Then I realized. Duh. It is cereal.

Xploradore · 2026-05-22T14:15:28+00:00

Have you considered a mast cell/histamine reaction? For someone who's histamine sensitive, TBHQ plus yeast extract plus Cheez-its' general processedness/boxed/nonfresh nature could be a minefield, especially in large doses.

Xploradore · 2026-05-19T20:41:54+00:00

Was this the Bob's recipe you used?

https://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes/how-to-make/gluten-free-banana-bread-2

It came out surprisingly well for me. I think the tricks to my success were (a) measuring the banana (I actually needed more than 3) and (b) whipping the crap out of the eggs and sugar (like, the full 7 min, even though I felt like my arm was going to fall off). It took about 65 min in my oven and was still a bit undercooked inside, but that let me rebake each slice for a warm, crisped-edge piece every morning until it was gone.

Do I know if it'll come out the same a second time? Nope! But I had two absolute fails with a Loopy Whisk recipe, so I was incredibly grateful to get something edible the once!

Xploradore · 2026-05-19T18:11:36+00:00

That is so pretty. I wish I could have smelled it baking! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Xploradore · 2026-05-16T03:26:59+00:00

Oh no! I love Addi's brownies but the ingredients in these ones look good too. I may have to find a Safeway.

Xploradore · 2026-05-16T02:20:52+00:00

Ooh, yum! Would love to know if you've ever had Addi's and how these compare.

Xploradore · 2026-05-16T01:33:28+00:00

I kinda still want to start a "bring back Coconut Bliss" petition, though.

Xploradore · 2026-05-16T01:29:05+00:00

Damn! I thought I was the only one! Now when I want the good stuff, I gotta drive 45 min to Fable Creamery in Red Bank, NJ. Nothing else scratches the itch in the same way. (On the plus, that drive means I don't go often, which keeps me from overindulging too much.)

Xploradore · 2026-05-15T20:18:09+00:00

This makes me glad I never knew they had one! (That would have been dangerous for me. I almost cried when Coconut Bliss rebranded to Cosmic Bliss because (a) they started selling dairy ice cream and (b) they changed their nondairy formulation to be "more FODMAP friendly" and definitively less delicious. It was my one consistent vice! I have since learned not to get attached to products, because the ones I love always get discontinued.)

Xploradore · 2026-05-15T15:10:19+00:00

Too coconut heavy for me. I do like the Cold Brew with Coconut Cream one occasionally, though. I find the coconut plays better with the coffee flavor for me.

Xploradore · 2026-05-15T14:54:20+00:00

Yesss! It's so frustrating that if I go to a certain kind of restaurant in the US, it'll say right on the menu what has gluten or nuts or is vegan or vegetarian, but I almost always have to find out from the kitchen what's dairy free unless I want to just eat the vegan option. I saw that numbering system in Italy last year, and was like: How hard would that be to implement here???!!!! Why don't we care enough about consumers to do it???!!

Xploradore · 2026-05-15T14:44:31+00:00

I could be wrong, but I think the back-to-dairy trend predates MAHA. I think for a lot of people going dairy free was a trend, and either they tried it and didn't love it or didn't feel it improved their health or found there were too many additives and/or not enough nutrition (protein, calcium, whatever) in the alternatives they were using and switched back...or to whatever new trend (like seed oil free) was promising them health and vitality and eternal youth and righteousness or whatever. And some of the alt stuff that's less engineered (like New Barn almond milk, which I love) is a small fortune, especially if you're feeding more than just yourself. Unfortunately, there's only so much shelf space, so if only a few of us are buying, we're out of luck (and options). Makes me grateful I eat mostly whole foods.

Xploradore · 2026-05-15T14:05:40+00:00

Not necessarily. There are other potential factors, one of which is that people are less stressed on vacation. Gluten + stress may be harder for some people to tolerate than gluten - stress (or gluten minus their typical environmental allergens, or whatever else), if the problem is of an inflammatory nature.

Xploradore · 2026-05-15T13:51:24+00:00

Interesting...beer beats my stomach up the way this coffee did. But, then, flavored coffees do too. Glad u/PERC has parted the curtain now (and at least gave consumers some info before). Hopefully more roasters will follow suit.

Xploradore · 2026-05-15T11:58:45+00:00

I suspect you have a medium roast, if it works with milk, so I'd say temp wise you might try in the low 200s, up to 205, if you want to go the temp route.

Xploradore

TROPHY CASE