For many people, Christmas is a time of year where reminiscences of food often come to mind. It might be baking and decorating sugar cookie cut-outs, the smell of roasted ham filling the house before Christmas dinner, fresh peeled oranges squirting everywhere on the first bite, or maybe it’s waking up to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Food is memories, especially when it accompanies celebrations with friends and family.
Now imagine you’re struggling with a chronic condition that affects your whole life, including the foods you eat. . . or cannot eat any longer. What was once a part of a wonderful memory now makes you feel ill, confines you to bed for days, or worse. It can be hard giving up favorite foods, but there is hope.
First off, you are not alone. There are people who have been, and still are, where you are right now. I met my friend, Cindee, this fall when our daughters ended up on the same volleyball team. Cindee is a delight to be around and always has a breath of joy around her, despite her struggles with chronic illness. She has even co-founded a ministry to help others find joy in the middle of their own struggles – Chronic Joy Ministry.
One of the concerns they see at Chronic Joy Ministry is people struggling with all kinds of food issues, especially problems with dairy products. That’s how the idea for this recipe came about. Could I develop a holiday recipe without dairy for her readers? I chose cinnamon rolls because it’s one of those items I sometimes make for special occasions, like Christmas morning; but could I make it free of dairy products? It was a challenge – especially since I don’t bake a lot. Also, most cinnamon rolls have butter, milk, and cream cheese in either the dough, the filling, the icing, or all three.
Thankfully, there are non-dairy products available to replace the butter, milk, and cream cheese – and still end up with a wonderfully delicious cinnamon roll. I’m sharing this recipe for Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls over at Chronic Joy Ministry today. Head on over to continue reading, see the recipe, and for some wonderful encouragement.
Absolutely love this, Marie! Hi! lol, it’s been ages! I’ve been buried in work and hardly able to visit friends but I decided I must at least find time to wish everyone a happy holiday 🙂
I am so impressed that you could make this dairy free and can’t wait to read all about your delicious recipe. You rock!
I have found that since I stopped drinking milk about 3 years ago that now I occasionally have issues with some dairy so I’ve started to watch my intake. This looks like such a delicious alternative and I love your photos!
Happy Holidays to you and yours, friend 🙂