“This post was sponsored by a2 Milk® as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.”

I will admit, I am not the greatest milk drinker. Never have been. It’s always seemed to upset my stomach. When I was pregnant with my daughter, however, I craved milk and drank an insane amount of it. An upset stomach didn’t matter…I just wanted milk! When my daughter was born, and for the first 4 years of her life, she had a pretty bad milk intolerance. She’s somewhat outgrown it. She can have dairy products, but not too much of it or it could upset her stomach. We’ve tried alternatives and while we found one she will tolerate, she’s always wanted to be able to drink cows’ milk like her brother. Thanks to a2 Milk®, she can do just that!

Why a2 Milk?

When you don’t have a diagnosed milk allergy, people tend to self-diagnose themselves with a lactose intolerance or Post-Dairy Digestive Discomfort. The reason for this intolerance is attributed to the A1 protein…which is in ALL conventional and organic milks in the U.S. So what exactly is the A1 protein? Well, it used to be that all cows’ milk contained only the A2 protein (beta – casein) and the milk was easily digested. But that has all changed now. Over time, as cow herds were migrated to the US, those cows were forced to adapt to a few things…environmental changes, the stress of modern dairy farming, and an increased milk output demand. As a result of all of those adaptations, a new protein variant, A1, began to appear in the cow’s milk. Since the A1 protein is digested differently than the A2 protein, people began to experience Post-Dairy Digestive Discomfort.

How is a2 Milk Different?

The a2 Milk Company partnered with farmers in New York and throughout the Midwest to help spread the heirloom a2™ herd. This particular herd is completely free of the A1 protein. The farmers are:

• Certified in the humane treatment of animals
• Cows are fed a vegetarian diet
• Cows are never given hormones or rBST
• Milk is antibiotic free
• Milk contains ZERO artificial ingredients or additives

Interestingly enough, all other forms of mammals milk ONLY contains the A2 protein. The a2 Milk also contains 6x the amount of calcium as soy beverages; 8x the protein of almond beverages; and about 6x the potassium levels of rice beverages.

One thing kids like to do is eat cookies and milk. Yesterday, for the first time, my daughter was able to dip her cookie in milk…the same milk her brother was drinking! May not seem like that big of deal, but to her…it was HUGE! For the occasion, I made Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Snickerdoodles…they were a hit!

Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

• 1 Snickerdoodles Cookie Mix package (hey…no judging…I’m all about saving time!)
• Ingredients needed for the above mix
• 1/4 cup flour
• 10-15 Peanut Butter Cup candies

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix your dough according to the directions on the package. Add an additional 1/4 cup of flour and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. While you are waiting for the oven to preheat and the dough to chill, start unwrapping the peanut butter cups. Trust me…you will not want to skip this step!
4. Taking a small spoonful (maybe about a Tablespoon or so) of dough, flatten it in your hand and add the peanut butter cup on top. Add more dough on top, making sure to pinch the sides to close the peanut butter cup inside. Roll into a ball and then roll in the cinnamon and sugar that was provided with the mix. Place on the baking sheet. Because these cookies are HUGE, only bake four at a time.
5. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes before placing the cookies on a wire rack.

You can find a2 Milk in half gallon cartons with a SRP of $4.49. The varieties include:

• Whole Milk
• Reduced fat 2%
• Low fat 1%
• Fat-Free

Check this store locator to find a2 Milk in a grocery store near you! For even more information, be sure to check out a2 Milk on Facebook and Twitter!