Yummy Chocolate Cake Mix!

Last week I posted a review of a mac and cheese that I did not like. This week I am happy to announce I am posting a good review! This chocolate cake mix is very moist and not too sweet. I am still working on being able to find a frosting I can make for the top but I'll take at least cake for now. The cake required eggs, oil or butter, and milk (can use water to make it dairy free). I used egg white, vegetable oil and vanilla soy milk (this time the vanilla helped the recipe unlike last time :-) * ).


The cake came out really moist, not to heavy, and the perfect amount of sweet and chocolate. Like I said, I'm still looking for a good frosting but what girl can resist chocolate cake?

*This cake can be dairy, egg, and soy free depending on what your allergy needs are

Till next time...

First Food Review- Dairy free Mac & Cheese

Any American child (who is lucky enough to not have food allergies) grew up eating mac & cheese and chicken nuggets. For my sisters and I, mac & cheese nights were the babysitter nights. About a week after I was told I couldn't have dairy it hit me....NO MORE MAC AND CHEESE!!!!!! It was like a small part of my childhood was being taken away. 

But luckily for me, I have a wonderful boyfriend who is getting very good at picking out foods that I can have without compromising the food diet to which I now adhere. Last trip to whole foods I come around to the next aisle and he's holding a box of dairy free Mac & Cheese. We read and re-read the label and I start to get really excited (I really really really love mac & cheese).

Here's the box so you know which brand I'm reviewing. Now for the review.

The noodles themselves were fine, cooked normally without problems. You had to add in milk but we only have vanilla soy in our house so that's what we added. 

I was so excited to try this and the taste was just too far off what I had in mind so I am not going to recommend as a mac and cheese replacement but I will recommend (without vanilla soy) for families with food allergies who are looking for quick and easy dinners. Sorry Road's End but this didn't quite do it for me. 

Till next time... 

Traveling with Allergies= Planning!!!

August is going to be a great month for me because I have a packed calendar! No only do I have multiple trips planned, but I also have a lot of after work/weekend plans.

On the agenda is:

• A weekend in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with friends 
• Bachelorette trip to northern NY 
• A weekend in Colorado (home) to visit my parents 
• A long weekend in Chicago with the bf to see his parents 

I'm getting really excited for all my trips but I was a little worried about the food situation on each of these trips. After a lot of planning and good ideas from others I have my food planned out for the first trip. Luckily the group that is going to the cabin is doing burgers one night and spaghetti the next. This makes my life so much easier. I only need to bring food for breakfasts and lunches. NY will be a bit tricky because we will be in a smaller town and with a large group and going out a lot. Colorado and Chicago will be fairly easy because in both places are parents who care and understand.

For each of the trips I plan on bringing a little food with me but luckily I don't have to bring as much for Colorado and Chicago since family is awesome! Here's what I have packed for this weekend's cabin trip:

• Couscous- just add hot water and it's not bad 
• "peanut" butter- soy butter which tastes REALLY similar 
• a mango- one of the few fruits I can have raw 
• Redbridge beer- it's gluten free which means there's no barley- taste is a little different but not bad 
• some ginger snap cookies- I have a HUGE sweet-tooth 
• pretzel crips 
• homemade guacamole 
• hummus 

For the New York trip I am going to bring less but I know my friend's parents (who we are staying with) have some good options for me at their place.

Like I said not only do I have 4 trips, but the after work schedule is packed. Between 2 running clubs, dance classes, board meetings, and a visit from a certain service puppy in training (I'll post about that sometime) we will be on the go all month.

Lunches are fairly easy because I have found bread, and deli meat that I can make sandwiches with. Hummus and guacamole are great replacements for cheese.

Dinners will be a bit harder being so busy but luckily I have a crockpot, fast cooking couscous and an awesome boyfriend who is very dedicated to me not eating things I shouldn't.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I will be off in the woods hanging out, swimming and relaxing.

Till next time....