Happy Valentine's Day!

What a great Valentine's Day today has turned out to be! Luckily the holiday fell on Sunday so the whole family was able to be lazy and relax and enjoy each other. AJ has been working very long hours this past week and will do so again this week. He and Ava are spending some quality alone time at the YMCA pool, giving me time to write today's blog post. I woke up this morning to find my usual Valentine's Day surprise - flowers, a card with a gift certificate for a pedicure and massage (YES!), and a box of chocolate. Ava even had a special heart plate with her own chocolates and a card from Daddy. AJ is the best husband and father!! Usually I would be so excited about the box of chocolate, but since recently returning to vegan eating I knew I would not be able to enjoy it like I had in the past. The box of chocolate sat unopened until 4 pm. Then I decided, in the spirit of the holiday, to open the box and have just one. I did...and then I had two more!! What I found most interesting was that I didn't think the chocolate tasted very good at all. Don't get me wrong, it was a perfectly respectable box of chocolate. Last year I would have devoured the entire box; however, I didn't really crave the chocolate and the sugary flavor didn't satisfy me! I found more satisfaction in the grapes the three of us shared this afternoon. I was very happy to discover I didn't want white sugar anymore and that I didn't feel I was sacrificing anything. Fantastic! The bad news? Within the hour of eating the three pieces of chocolate (containing dairy products) I was bloated, gassy, and suffering other unpleasantries. My body knew what I had done. It KNEW!! It had become accustomed to my cleaner diet and the chocolate really shocked the system. Okay, maybe shocked is too harsh a word, but the bod definitely wasn't happy!

I did make a special treat for us though. I found these great baking mixes from Cherrybrook Kitchen at my local Kroger grocery store. I've also seen them at natural and whole food stores. Cherrybrook Kitchen's Mission:

• "At Cherrybrook Kitchen our primary goal is to provide delicious all natural baking mixes for the millions of people that are affected by food allergies. Typically, not only the person with the food allergy has to be concerned with the food they eat, but all of the people around them as well. That is why we have made our products so good that they can be enjoyed by all! We dare you to disagree and we will even put our money where out mouth is! If you are not satisfied with any of our products for any reason at all, just return it to us and we will either replace it with a product of your choice or refund your money."

Although my family does not suffer from food allergies (other than my RAW egg allergy), I thought this company's products (dairy and egg free) would be perfect for vegan desserts and treats my whole family could eat. I decided to bake a cake using Cherrybrook Kitchen's Chocolate Cake Mix and Chocolate Frosting Mix. I worried the cake would bake weird, but it was perfect! The frosting mix suggested 2 Tbsp. of rice milk, but when I made it the 2 Tbsp. weren't enough and I had to add more. I also used Earth Balance butter spread sticks. Earth Balance provides vegan butter substitutes and more - perfect for those with dairy allergies. AJ and Ava LOVED the frosting! AJ went back for another piece - three times! I will definitely use Cherrybrook Kitchen products again! Visit Cherrybrook Kitchen at www.cherrybrookkitchen.com for additional products, allergy support (How cool is that?!), "fun stuff", and more!